Spelt Buns
Makes: 12 buns
Time: 2.5-3 hours
A few years ago, I was part of a great team, tasked with the job of developing a culinary curriculum to pilot at a University in Kenya. Once the program was proven to be a success, it would be rolled out across Kenya and become a standard for their Universities. It was a really neat opportunity, and had it not been in the middle of COVID, we would have gotten to spend time in Africa, training their teachers and working with them on the recipes. Instead, we all met virtually, working around time zones and glitchy internet! The recipe for these buns is one that I developed for the curriculum, but rather than spelt flour, a large portion of this recipe was originally created using millet flour, otherwise known as Wimbi Flour in Kenya. I’ve made some adjustments to make this recipe more approachable with our North American ingredient availability. Use these buns for all of your summer grilling activities!
Ingredients
Sponge
398g Spelt Flour
350g Milk
10g Instant Dry Yeast
Final Dough
413g Spelt Flour
179g Coffee,
(room temp.)
64g Honey
91g Butter
18g Salt
All (743g) Sponge
Spelt Porridge
50g Hot Water
50g Spelt Flour
Method
Mix the Sponge ingredients together until the flour and yeast are fully hydrated and no dry spots remain. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes.
For the ‘Porridge’, pour the hot water over the spelt flour and mix until fully combined. Set aside until needed.
Put the sponge, honey, and coffee into the bottom of the bowl for your Kitchenaid, with the dough hook. Add the flour, butter, and salt. Mix on Speed 1 (low) for 5 minutes.
Scrape down the bowl as needed and mix on Speed 2 (medium) for 5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl. Drop the Spelt Flour Porridge into the dough in multiple pieces. Mix on speed 1 for 2 minutes, or until fully incorporated. If the porridge has a difficult time mixing in, turn the dough out onto your counter and knead by hand until fully mixed.
Scrape dough into a lightly greased bowl, or onto the countertop. Cover with plastic wrap and let bulk ferment for 45 minutes, until doubled in size.
Divide dough into 12 pieces at 125g each. Round into a tight ball and place on a baking tray lined with parchment.
Flatten out dough balls slightly with the palm of your hand. Brush with egg wash. Let sit 15 minutes.
Flatten dough balls out again with the palm of your hand and brush with egg wash. Let sit 20 minutes. If buns have visibly increased in size by 50%, egg wash again, sprinkle with seeds for more texture and colour — I went with a blend of hemp and flax seeds! Bake at 375F for 15 minutes, until golden brown.
Remove from oven and let cool on a cooling rack.
Note: If you’re ever mixing your dough in the mixer and finding it just seems to sticky and won’t come away from the side of the bowl..rather than adding more flour and risk making a dry, dense bread..try turning the speed up a level and see how that helps to bring the dough into a cohesive mass.
Leave a note and let me know what you think about this recipe!