The Fresh Loaf

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Micropost – Spelt experiment I (50%)

PiPs's picture
PiPs

Micropost – Spelt experiment I (50%)

Formula

Overview

Weight

%

Total dough weight

950g

 

Total flour

555g

100%

Total water

400g

72%

Total salt

11g

2%

Prefermented flour

100g

18%

 

 

 

Starter build – 10 hrs 23°C

 

 

Starter

20g

20%

Ryeflour (Kialla Milling)

100g

100%

Water

100g

100%

 

 

 

Final dough 25°C

 

 

Starter

200g

43%

Sifted fresh milled Wheat

227g

50%

 Sifted fresh milled Spelt

227g

50%

Water

300g

65%

Salt

11g

2%

Method

  1. Autolyse 20 mins
  2. Knead 5-10 mins
  3. Bulk ferment two hours with two stretch and folds at 30 mins apart in first hour
  4. Preshape and bench rest for 10 mins
  5. Shape and proof for one and a quarter hours
  6. Bake in preheated covered pot for 10 mins at 250°C then 10mins at 200°C. Remove bread from pot and bake a further 20 mins at 200°C

___

This bread will be taken to work for a lunch gathering so I have no crumb shot to show nor time for photos this morning or I will miss my bus :)

Cheers, Phil

Comments

Janetcook's picture
Janetcook

Phil,

Are you sneaking in a weekday bake now?  With retarding doughs it really isn't all that hard to do but then you would be baking all of the time and you probably would miss the bus daily....not such a good thing....

Well, the outside of the loaf looks great can't imagine the inside looking any different.  

I mix spelt with other flours too as the gluten isn't as strong and I can't get a good rise with 100% spelt.  Here abouts the protein content has been dropping for several years and my supplier doesn't know why.  I still use it and use it in my leaven feeds all the time too.

An unrelated question but I will ask it here anyway as it is about your Country Loaf which I want to try this week sometime....why do you use 2 different leavens?  Seems like it would be easier to simply use one type of leaven - say rye and add the flour from the ww into the final dough....or use a ww leaven and use rye flour in the loaf.....just wondering why you go to the trouble?

Take Care,

Janet

 

PiPs's picture
PiPs

LOL! Yeah, any excuse and I will throw together a bake :) ... even this morning was a little to close for comfort with the bus.

I used to do a lot of retarding of bread, but I bake enough bread now on the weekends that it lasts us the week easily. I prefer my Saturday morning bakes, I can relax into it ... and found the crusts on the retarded bread sometimes a little imposing when baked straight from the fridge. I am going to try and work my way up to a 100% spelt. Baked one years ago that I still remember to this day. Wow it was good. I always like the idea of spelt breads  more than the final bread ... have found them dry sometimes. Anyhow, going to experiment with sifting out the bran to see if this helps some ...

Why do I use two leavens? I found I was adding small proportions of rye to most of my breads and I had a rye starter sitting on the bench, so why not add the proportion of rye flour as part of the preferment. I am chasing the favour, but not too much sourness. I found it a nice balance when combined with the mild wheat starter. Probably would be easier to use one ... but ... you know what its like ... I have REALLY enjoyed the results ... some of the nicest bread I have made ... real flavour and mild tang ... I can smell it in the air while its baking. I also found that adding the rye starter has given the breads a better coloured crust (deeply caramelised). I think I remember reading something about this ... could be wrong though ...

Cheers, Phil

Janetcook's picture
Janetcook

I will be watching your spelt adventures.....

Thanks for the info. on the starters.  I guess why I was thinking of it as a hassle is that I store my leavens in the refrig. and when I am going to bake I generally do 2-3 builds before using them so by using  2 leavens I would have to do 2 builds and that can get to be a bit much when baking too....but when you have it there and ready to go, I can see that it is no big deal and I imagine that having the rye fermented does indeed make a difference in the final loaf....

Yeah, I add a bit of rye to lots of my breads too....hard to make a loaf with just one type of flour when I have so many different kinds just begging to be used....

When I retard a dough, I do it in bulk as I never know how much rise will happen in the refrig.  In the morning I take the dough out and let it warm up for a couple of hours and then shape and proof when I can keep an eye on it.  

Retarding is still a pretty new trick for me - never had tried it before or understood it so now I find I  utilize it a lot.  I like doing the work over 2 days time.  Leaven build one day.  MIx in the PM and then bake in the AM....Your Saturday mornings are different than mine are.  Around here, once out of bed in the morning any day of the week,  the running doesn't stop until about 12 AM.....

Take Care,

Janet

lumos's picture
lumos

A beautiful looking loaf, as always, Phil.   Look forward to the taste report....though I can bet it was really good with the combination of rye levain and ww and spelt. Also very interested to hear about the texture, too.

best wishes,

lumos

 

PiPs's picture
PiPs

Thanks Lumos. Yeah I only have a taste report as the remainder of the loaf was sent home with a work colleague.

Maybe because I am not used to a loaf of bread being at work, but I could smell it all day...very aromatic...the smell of a caramel crust.

The crumb was darker than I was expecting....I know it has 18% rye, but I was still surprised. Crumb was chewy but in a light way...easy to tear and cut really cleanly. The crumb looked similar to the last country bread I did which had the altus in it. I use the slap and fold kneading method and like the soft crumb it produces. Wasn't dry at all.

SO much flavor (I noticed the spelt, not sure others would unless looking for it) with a real twang in the aftertaste...but not aggressively so...but it let you know this as a sourdough. I'd say that was from the rye starter and amount of it used.

I will need to lower the hydration still and will use my desem wheat starter next time...I know spelt is not a fan of acid...and this dough was a little too extensible for my liking.

Cheers, Phil