No-knead Spelt Bread with Cocoa and Molasses

A simple but delicious no-knead spelt bread loaf. The addition of cocoa and molasses give additional depth, flavour and colour. You can use the super easy manual bread maker as detailed below, or just bake it in an ordinary tin.

AD – this post contains affiliate links. See my cookie and privacy statement for further details.

Bread is such a fascinating bake. There is so much variety in taste and texture to be had. Thankfully there has been a revival of interest in real bread in recent years, spearheaded in Britain by the Real Bread Campaign.

New techniques and methods are being invented or rediscovered all the time it seems. I’ve been making my own bread since I was a teenager – on and off. But it wasn’t until I attended a bread making course with Andrew Whitley a few years ago that I discovered, when it comes to water, more is definitely best. Wet doughs may be harder to knead, but generally give a much better result.

I’ve been hearing about no knead breads for a while now. My own rye sourdough requires no kneading, but could this really work for wheat breads I wondered? I really kneaded (get it) to try it out for myself. Thanks to the unexpected delivery of a Lékué bread maker, I finally managed it.

Lékué Bread Maker

Lékué is a manufacturer of BPA-free silicone cook and bakeware from Spain. I was lucky enough to receive a bundle of their products to try out recently – you will, no doubt, see them popping up in subsequent posts. Their products are innovative, well thought out and of high quality. Certainly the three I’ve tried so far have worked well.

The Lékué bread maker* is a strange looking piece of kit and I was a little sceptical when I first took a look. Now I’ve used it, I’m completely won over. It’s basically a silicone bowl which doubles as a prover and baking tin, thus requiring little in the way of clearing and washing up. You can even knead the bread in the bowl and avoid having to oil or flour a work surface.

The bread maker comes with a few recipes, one of which is for a no-knead bread. It was time to try this new-fangled bake for myself.

No-Knead Cocoa Spelt Bread Loaf

It goes without saying that I adapted the recipe quite substantially. I used a mix of half wholemeal spelt and half strong white flour and added a teaspoon of my rye sourdough starter – just for luck. Don’t worry, you don’t actually need that bit. But I also also added some cocoa and molasses, which I thought would give a nice rich dark loaf. And it did.

You don’t need a Lékué bread maker to make and bake this no-knead spelt cocoa bread. Just use a bowl and a 450g (1 lb) loaf tin instead. But it does cut down on washing and cleaning. Everything can be done in the one silicone bowl. Once you’ve mixed the ingredients together, just close the bread maker using its nifty catch, then cover with a cloth to prove.

Proving time will vary according to how active your yeast is and the warmth of your room. It’s better, both for flavour and digestion if the bread takes longer to rise. I left my no-knead spelt cocoa bread in a fairly cool room and it took four hours.

This no-knead spelt bread is such a simple loaf to make. It has a great texture and is so very tasty. I can see this becoming a regular on our table when we need something a little different to rye sourdough. The cocoa gives a depth of flavour without the bread tasting particularly chocolatey, which is just what I’d hoped for. The molasses adds additional complexity and a little sweetness.

I found I didn’t need to bake the bread for as long as the recipe stated, nor did I need to take it out of the bread maker and bake it upside down for the last 10 minutes. The recipe also warned that the dough should prove for at least six hours, but you’d need quite a cool room for that length of time.

We started eating the bread the day it was made (although the recipe stated to keep it for 24 hrs before using) to mop up our supper of shakshuka. As I’d hoped, it complemented this dish brilliantly. As I’ve made a chocolate version of shakshuka in the past, I sort of thought it might.

Over the next couple of days, we ate it as toast. It sliced well making few crumbs and was particularly delicious with poached eggs and then later with cream cheese and marmite.

The bread maker is extraordinary, I’m really quite excited by it. No mess, no fuss, it’s a one bowl wonder. Washing up is minimal. If I had some digital scales, I wouldn’t even have needed to get those dirty. Admittedly, I made a no-knead loaf, so I’m unable to report on how easy it is to knead in the bowl. But, quite frankly, why knead when there is no need? It’s hard to believe that bread could get much better than this no-knead spelt bread.

Other Recipes Made with Lékué Products

• Chocolate orange marble cake
• Coconut & ginger cake pops dipped in chocolate
• Mini chocolate Valentine’s cakes
• Oven baked waffles with maple chocolate sauce

Keep in Touch

Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this recipe for my no-knead spelt cocoa bread, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate it. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.

For more delicious and nutritious recipes follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest. And don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to my weekly newsletter.

If you’d like to see more Bread recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious, of course.

Choclette x

No-Knead Spelt Bread. PIN IT.

No-knead Spelt Bread – The Recipe

Print Pin

5 from 1 vote

No-Knead Spelt Bread with Cocoa and Molasses

A simple but delicious no-knead spelt bread loaf. The addition of cocoa and molasses give additional depth, flavour and colour. You can use the super easy manual bread maker as detailed below, or just bake it in an ordinary tin.

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time40 mins

Proving Time2 hrs

Total Time2 hrs 45 mins

Course: Breakfast, Lunch, Snack

Cuisine: British

Keyword: bread, cocoa, molasses, no-knead

Servings: 10 slices

Calories: 187kcal

Author: Choclette @ Tin and Thyme

Ingredients

• 200 g wholemeal spelt
• 200 g strong bread flour
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1½ tsp dried yeast
• 360 ml tepid water
• 1 tbsp molasses
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

• Weigh the flours and pour them into a large bowl or the Lékué bread maker, if using.
• Add the cocoa, salt and dried yeast.
• Make a well in the centre and add the water, molasses and olive oil.
• Stir everything together until well mixed.
• Scrape into a well greased or lined 450g (1 lb) loaf tin and cover with a cloth. Or, close the bread maker using its nifty catch, then cover with a cloth. Leave to double in size.
• Bake at 220℃ (425℉, Gas 7) for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven to 200℃ (400℉, Gas 6) and bake for a further 25 minutes.
• Turn the loaf out of the tin or bread maker onto a wire rack and tap the bottom to test if it's done. It should sound hollow. If not, return it to the oven for a further five to ten minutes.

Notes

Makes a 450g (1 lb) loaf.

The time it takes to prove the dough will depend on the warmth of the room, but a slower rise is generally better for both flavour and digestion. Four to six hours is good.

If you don't like the sound of the cocoa powder, just leave it out.

Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on exact ingredients used.

Nutrition

Calories: 187kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 119mg | Potassium: 71mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg