Although these crusty buns are truly a bread for every season, they are a particularly satisfying accompaniment to autumn soups and stews.

Or alone, warm from the oven, and slathered with butter and a tiny sprinkling of salt…

I like them best with a mix of wheat and spelt flour, though I have also had success making them with Ruchmehl, dark flour, or a wholegrain mix from our local mill.

400 g white flour

200 g spelt flour

12 g salt

20 g fresh yeast

320 g warm water

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.

In a measuring cup, whisk together the water and yeast.

Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour in the liquid. Mix until you have a dough, and then knead for about 6-8 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Alternatively, use a stand mixer with a dough hook.

Let rise for about 50-60 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Once it has risen, form into six buns and place closely together on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Let rest for 20-30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 230° C / 425 F / gas mark 7.

Dust the bread with flour, place in the oven, then turn down the oven temperature to 180 C / 350 F / gas mark 4.

Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until the bread is nicely browned and it makes a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom.

• For a super crispy crust I use a trick I learned in baking school—add water when it goes in the oven. Have a baking sheet in the bottom of the oven and as soon as you put the bread in, pour about 500 ml into the baking sheet. This will immediately evaporate and help make the crust crunchy.

• If you don’t have spelt flour, you can easily use all regular flour—you might have to add a little more water, as it absorbs more than spelt.