Sourdough Spelt Bread

Amongst making cupcakes, frosting and dried pineapple, I made another loaf of fresh yeast bread this weekend.

A couple weeks ago, I picked up a package of sourdough extract. This weekend, I finally gave it a try.

I followed the recipe on the back of the package but substituted spelt flour for rye since I didn’t have any rye on hand and used fresh yeast rather than dried just because I like it better.

The recipe was very easy to put together.

Spelt flour, whole wheat flour, sunflower seeds, sourdough extract and salt.

Crumbled fresh yeast and honey before adding water

Just mix it all together and knead it in the bowl

It took about 5 minutes of hands-on time before setting the dough aside for the first rise.

45 minutes later, the dough had doubled in size and stretched apart.

  Here’s how it looked after 5 minutes of kneading. I set it aside for another 45 minute rise.

After the second rise, I shaped the dough and put it into a lined bread pan then popped it in the oven for an hour.

Fresh out of the oven, it smelled great but I was disappointed by how dense the bread was.

The bread had a good sour taste but was too salty for me.  

Although this bread tasted good, there are a few things I would do differently next time.

1. I noticed that the dough looked quite dry but went ahead anyways. Next time, if I’m using dryer flours like spelt and whole wheat, I’ll add more water.
2. To guarantee that the bread really rises to fill the bread pan, next time I will let the dough rise in the bread pan for another 45 minutes or so before baking.
3. Although the recipe called for 2 Tbsp. of salt, I’ll reduce it to a scant 1 Tbsp.

Adapted from Alnatura

For 1 loaf of bread

Ingredients

400 grams Spelt flour

250 grams whole wheat flour

1 block fresh yeast

1 package sourdough extract

1 Tablespoon honey

2 Tablespoons sea salt

100 grams sunflower seeds

400 mL warm water

Method

1. Combine the yeast, honey and warm water in a bowl and stir to dissolve the yeast
2. Stir together the flours, salt, sourdough extract and sunflower seeds. Make a well and add the yeast mixture. Stir the mixture and knead in the bowl to form a soft dough. Cover and set aside in a warm place to rise for 45 minutes.
3. Knead the dough well, cover and let rise for another 45 minutes.
4. Line a bread pan with baking paper. Shape the dough and place it in the bread pan.
5. Bake in a  preheated oven at 200 degree Celsius for 50-60 minutes. For a crunchy crust, place a dish of boiling water in the oven during the baking time.

Although this wasn’t the best bread I’ve ever tasted, it made a good foundation for my lunch sandwich.

Included in the stack: smoked paprika baba ghanoush, spinach, alfalfa sprouts, cucumber, tomato and avocado.

I would love to be a good bread baker but am still trying to find my feet. Any suggestions on how to improve?

 

 

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