Cardamom Spelt Buns

A Buttery, Flavorful Full-Inclusion Bread

These Cardamom Spelt Buns are more buttery than sweet, with a subtle cardamom flavor and currants for a pop of sweetness and texture. At our bakery, we make these with Expedition Wheat, a hard red winter wheat we source from Wild Hive Farm. You can make this with any hard red spring wheat out there, or any hard red winter wheat that has a relatively high gluten content or is recommended for bread baking. If you’re not sure, ask your farmer! Spelt is a great addition here because it has a relatively high protein content and is flavorful and nutritious. If you don’t have Spelt available, you can substitute more wheat of any kind.

My favorite home baking method of proofing bread is to use a large plastic bag to create an air-tight bubble that protects the bread dough from drafts. Sometimes I’ll place a small dish of hot water inside the bag to produce steam, but that’s optional. The key is to protect the skin of the bread from drying out without having anything touch the bread itself. Bun pan bags are perfect for this, and each one can be used many times.

This recipe takes several days to prepare. Here’s a sample schedule: prepare the starter and currant soaker any time between 7 PM Thursday evening and 7 AM Friday morning. Mix the dough at 7 PM Friday evening, and bulk ferment it in the refrigerator overnight. Shape the buns between 8 AM and 12 PM Saturday, and they’ll be ready about three hours later for Saturday brunch or an afternoon snack.