The Whole Grain
Gospel

Fresh-milled · Heritage & ancient grains

Honey wheat sandwich bread

A soft two-loaf recipe made with spelt, Turkey Red, khorasan, and einkorn.

Melissa’s freshly baked loaf sliced on a plate

Fresh-milled sandwich bread, sliced and ready to serve.

A little about what goes into this loaf

The grains behind the bread

This loaf combines four wheats with different histories and baking qualities. I mill the whole kernels, keeping the bran, germ, and starchy endosperm together in the flour.

Spelt

Spelt is an hulled wheat with a long history in Europe. Research describes more than one lineage and a complicated history, rather than one simple point of origin.

Research on spelt’s history

Turkey Red

This hard red winter wheat is part of Kansas farm history. A commonly told account links it to Mennonite immigrants from Russia and an 1874 crop near Goessel; the Kansas Historical Society notes that parts of the story are debated.

Kansas Historical Society

Khorasan

Khorasan wheat takes its name from a historic region whose boundaries changed over time, spanning parts of modern-day Iran and neighboring areas. The name is a regional and grain-history reference.

Encyclopaedia Iranica: Khorasan

Einkorn

Einkorn is one of the earliest domesticated wheat species. It was cultivated in the Fertile Crescent during the early history of farming.

University of Maryland: einkorn

Whole-grain nutrition, simply

A whole grain keeps all three parts of the kernel: bran, germ, and endosperm. The bran and germ contribute fiber, iron, and vitamins; the exact nutrition varies by wheat, growing conditions, and how the grain is milled and prepared. “Heritage” or “ancient” describes a grain’s history, not a guaranteed health effect.

USDA Agricultural Research Service: the whole-grain story
A slice of homemade bread showing its crumb
A slice shows the inside texture.
Bread dough stretched above the mixing bowl
Checking dough development.
Freshly baked loaves cooling on wire racks
Loaves cooling after baking.

Makes 2 loaves

Ingredients

  • 333 g fresh-milled spelt
  • 148 g fresh-milled Turkey Red
  • 80 g fresh-milled khorasan
  • 40 g fresh-milled einkorn
  • 40 g of the flour above, reserved for the yudane
  • 80 g boiling water for the yudane
  • 315 g cold water
  • 2 large eggs
  • 85 g honey
  • ½ teaspoon vitamin C powder
  • 7 g instant yeast
  • 12 g salt
  • 63 g softened butter

Freshness: Enjoy within 3 days, or slice and freeze for longer storage.

KitchenAid mixer method

Make the bread

  1. Mill the grains. Measure the flour blend and remove 40 g for the yudane.
  2. Stir the reserved 40 g flour with 80 g boiling water until smooth.
  3. Add the remaining flour, cold water, eggs, honey, and vitamin C to the mixer bowl. Mix until no dry flour remains. Leave out the yeast, salt, and butter for now.
  4. Cover and rest the dough for 60 minutes.
  5. Add the instant yeast. Knead on KitchenAid Speed 1 for 10 minutes.
  6. Add the salt and softened butter. Knead on Speed 1 for 2 minutes.
  7. Cover and let the dough rise until doubled.
  8. Divide into two equal pieces, about 631–633 g each. Preshape and rest 5–10 minutes.
  9. Flatten each piece into a rectangle about ½–¾ inch thick, gently press out large air bubbles, fold the top third down and the bottom third up, then roll tightly into a log. Seal the seam and place seam-side down in the pan.
  10. Proof until the dough rises ¾–1 inch above the pan rim.
  11. Bake at 345°F for 30–40 minutes, until the center reaches 195°F.