I have a variety of grains in my arsenal, and I thought it was time I tried something other than the usual. I settled on spelt and found bwraith's post on Marcel's Grandmother's Spelt Bread (http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/2828/marcels-grandmothers-spelt-bread).
There were a few obstacles. First was the uncertainty whether the 1/2 cup water used to dissolve the yeast came out of the 500 grams in the ingredient list. I proceeded assuming it did, but the resulting dough was too dry, so I added it back in. Then there was the question about rises. Apparently the only rising is of the loafed bread in the heating oven. Then there was the fact that I make mini-loaves (I got eight mini loaves out of this one-loaf recipe). Finally, there's my own klutziness when it comes to matters of art and grace.
I pretty much followed the ingredient list. I used double caraway seeds because I neither like nor have anise seeds. But instead of going directly from mixer to loaf pans I went through my traditional bulk rise after a bit of kneading (which apparently was also not required). I rolled the formed loaves in the sunflower seeds rather than just having them stick to the sides of the pans. Finally, I was afraid to try the cold oven approach. As it was, one hour in a pre-heated oven was more than enough.
The dough had a wonderful feel. It reminded me of Play Dough. But in the end, the bread did not rise particulary much. Maybe that's okay. I looked at Bill's picture, and it's about the same density. Remember, I got eight mini-loaves out of the recipe - I shouldn't expect much height.
Bottom line is that I couldn't stop eating it. One mini-loaf (177 grams before baking and before sunflower seeds) is in my stomach. The taste is different. I believe some of that is attributable to the nutritional yeast, but despite that it's wonderful.
If I define success in baking bread by how willing I am to eat the final product, then failure is extremely rare. It may not be tall and light, but it's always good!
Rosalie
