80% Sprouted Whole Spelt
Got some lovely oven spring and good crumb with this 80% sprouted whole spelt loaf (70% hydration). Very pleased how this turned out. I mixed the dough up around 6:30 pm -- no complicated process, I mixed everything together all at once. Let it rest for about an hour, then performed four stretch and folds in the bowl every half hour over the next two hours. Let it bulk overnight on the counter [14 hours total from initial mixing to pre-shape], pre-shaped, bench rested for 10 minutes, shaped, proofed for 1 1/2 hours in a banneton, and baked in a clay baking vessel at 475 F for 30 minutes with the cover on, 12 minutes with the cover off. I thought it was a bit too dark (burned) when I pulled it out, but the crust is crusty in a good way and the interior is tender. It's mildly tangy/sour.
Ingredients:
474 g sprouted whole spelt flour
106 g bread flour
370 g water (70%)
11 g salt
60 g 100% hydration whole wheat starter
2 Tbsp agave syrup
Comments
Super nice, Rhody!
What temp did you BF? 17 hours (1hr rest, 2hr stretch & fold, 14hr resting BF) seem like a super long time.
Isn’t sprouted grain much more active than non-sprouted?
Absolutely gorgeous bread...
Danny
Hey Danny,
Perhaps I'm figuring things incorrectly - it was about 14 hours total from the time I mixed the dough (around 6:30-ish pm) until the next morning, around 8:30 am, when I scraped the dough out of the bowl for pre-shaping. That includes the one hour of letting everything sit, and the two hours of stretch and folds on the half hour. Temps inside our house are around 67 F, though dropping to 64 F over night.
You are right, though, that sprouted grain is usually more active than non-sprouted. My starter was a little sluggish, and I only use 60 g, but that was probably a good thing in this case. I was up around 6:30 am but the dough didn't seem ready. Two hours later it was smooth-ish on top with a bit of a dome and lots of bubbles visible through the sides of the glass bowl, ready for the next stage.
I'm partial to dark crusts so your bake looks very nice to me!
The crumb looks excellent as well.
Happy Baking!
Ian
Thanks, Ian! I prefer a darker crust too.
Nice looking loaf. You add the agave to give it sweetness?
This recipe is based on one from Breadtopia, a 100% whole spelt sourdough I make quite often. That recipe calls for 3 T of molasses (which I didn't have). Honey and maple syrup are also options, as is agave, but agave is sweeter than these others so just 2 Tablespoons are needed.
The agave not only adds some sweetness, it gives the yeast in the starter a bit of a boost. I gather that facilitates the development of the dough's structure (more active yeast means more gas), which is helpful given the high proportion of whole grain and thus bran in the dough.
I could be wrong -- but that's my impression.