June 3, 2020 - 4:10am
100% sourdough spelt bread
100% whole grain sourdough with a three stage levain
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100% sourdough spelt bread
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The Fresh Loaf
A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.
Why did you take it out of the fridge in the middle of the night? And your note says 'bulked fast'... was that before, after, or during the fridge time?
It's a great looking loaf of bread. Especially for 100% whole grain...
Thank you for the compliment !That is when I awoke in the morning is around 2:30 am. I have baked 100% spelt freestanding loaves and have a feeling for how quickly the dough rises during the sequence of stretch and folds. This one seemed to rise more surely than others. This one uses a muti-stage levain and I've been experimenting with this for taste primarily and I was noting that this dough seemed to really rip along fermenting even though it was not very warm in the kitchen. This one also uses fresh ground Maverick spelt and if you look close you can see the spelt bran in the closeup photo of the crumb....Looking at the following sequence of three photos, you can observe an evolution of the methods/starter until this one(above) and others like it.
A little ear too on this one
Wow! This is an amazing job!
Would you mind sharing your thinking on using a 3 stage build like this? It’s clearly working.. but why?
And what do you notice being different than a single stage build?
Thank you ! This last March was the first time I used spelt and I fell in love with the flavor. The recipes I found seemed to use it as a flavoring or with remarks that it is weak/lacking in gluten(and it is) so use bread flour or bake in a pan. So I started out using a 50/50 recipe with spelt and bread flour and there the levain was a liquid starter of bread flour or spelt or some had a stiff starter. So the more I baked, the more I felt that spelt could stand alone and I tried to push it using different recipes to see the limitations of spelt. For example, I read some German recipes for spelt using scalds and I found they were easy to do, but the payoff was only slightly incrementally better. Simultaneously I went to a stiff levain of spelt and felt that I could go forward with this, had better flavor and I felt also more and more that the levain was the key to making really good spelt bread---my motivation was taste and texture. ... When I lived in Vermont I knew Gerard Rubaud as he lived only a few miles away and I'd see him all the time and I remembered he used a multi-stage levain for his bread. So, I wondered why this approach was used. I came across this discussion with Dr. Debra Wink and Shiao-Ping and I thought here was missing insight that I needed:http://www.thefreshloaf.com//node/13525/my-imitation-chad-robertson039s-country-sourdough#comment-83047 So I began to understand how to use a pure spelt levain for better texture and keeping quality and flavor with this three stage build, which is very easy to do.
In my oversight I did not include the recipe of the three (or two, depending on how you count stages) levain, but rather I just duplicated the recipe for the main dough by mistake. I have corrected this above and here is the missing piece:
P5300362.JPG
In my oversight I did not include the recipe of the three (or two, depending on how you count stages) levain, but rather I just duplicated the recipe for the main dough by mistake. I have corrected this above and here is the missing piece:
P5300362.JPG
Looks great!
Thank you-
Many many thanks, was looking for a long time for such a recipe with great potential :)
Tried your recipe and worked, although with some mistakes and modifications. I’ve mixed in the salt at the beginning instead of waiting for an hour, my bad. Added soaked spelt grains 10%
Could not find the recipe for 3 stage levain, appreciate a reference. I used my starter 100% whole spelt, boosted twice to 1:2:2 before the mix.
Still fighting the quirks of spelt over/under fermentation and its unwillingness to be shaped ...
I am so sorry, I meant to include this page above and I will correct it. I found this levain is a better performer than a two stage for reasons I wrote above. Others have tried it too and had good results for a freestanding , 100% spelt. The fermentation will move along quickly for spelt so this is why the third stage helps so much as it boosts the yeast production right before the mix. I found it that spelt responds best to a gentle mixing and not over kneading. Here is a copy of this:
My recent attempts with 100% were complete disasters... Your loaves look amazing, I'll be sure to give it a try!!!
Thank you! I made a mistake in the recipe and only gave a duplicate copy of the recipe for the main dough and did not include the recipe for the 3 stage levain. If you try it , use this the recipe too for the three stage levain that is here for you too.
The spell for spelt is now complete, finally the last piece of the puzzle fell into place.
The fact that this is hand-written (and you can't find this by a google search) only adds a mystic aura akin to unobtainium.
Thank you, oh great wizard ;-)
Thank you Julian-your comment made my week if not the month!
Please give this a try. And there are adjustments only you can make.The time scale maybe different for you because of room temp. Yesterday I made this bread again and I had doors and windows open in the kitchen and was 78 degrees F. and I thought I could see the dough rise when I watched it. The time scale was much shorter by around half an hour before in the fridge and I wanted it to cool off before it over fermented. Also, a word of caution of retarding with spelt. I've had it over proof in the fridge, so after I put it in, I keep rechecking it to make sure the expansion is slowing down. My fridge is cold-36 degrees F, and in some cases, I had to bake it the same day because the cold did not stop it. Once you make your own adjustments, it will work for you. ...tell me how it goes for you! George
Should say that I'm a newbie to SD baking, I'm still learning basic techniques and for sure making mistakes.
So, first run looked good up to the fridge retard. My kitchen is quite hot 26C and my fridge is constantly used by family so it does not go below 7C.
I reduced the initial rise time to 2.5 hrs, fridge retard time 5 hrs. Added total of 75gr of seeds and soaked spelt grain together with the salt.
Got virtually little to no oven spring. Elasticity was not there, although for the first time I got a roundish boule out of the prove basket and not a lava puddle. Out of the fridge the dough was OK but still sticky, it did not really form tight walls. Used a German slitted proofing basket, wrapped in a plastic bag that trapped quite a lot of moisture getting out of the dough (is it OK?). I can't say I have a good feeling for what is under/over proved. I checked the dough a couple of times and decided to take it out because it seemed almost x2 volume and I saw it bubbling underneath a thin skin.
The dough pushed back a bit when gently pressing a finger to it.
I also fear I did not work the dough good enough - should have kneaded it a bit more and folded it wider (letter envelope style)
My working and fridge temperature is high, although I timed shorter I still might have overproved.
I baked with a DO, might be too big and not enough side support for the dough to push up. Still my best SD to date, tasty compared to the previous trials.
Will try again in the next few days, hoping to improve folding and work temp. Exciting and frustrating at the same time :-)
Hi Julian,
I think you are not too far away from where you want to be. I think you are on a good path. One variation that you might try is reserving 10% of the water to possibly be added back in later-if the dough needs it. I know what you mean about seeing the bubbles under the thin skin so you know that it is fermenting well. But the other side of this is that the gluten that is in spelt is degrading too. So, there is a balance that you have to find ; once the fermentation really starts to move along it is hard to slow down enough so it does not overproof. The notes / recipe above may not work exactly for you as the hydration for your flour may be different and so if the hydration is too high for your flour, the fermentation can really take off too fast too. Just looking at your photo and the fact you said that it nearly doubled in size has me thinking that it may have over-proofed some on you. Next time, reserve 10% of water, add back if needed, and don't let it get to be double in size-say 50% larger and bake it. See some of my remarks below with Jess about retarding as you do not have to do this and in some cases, it will lead to over-proofing too. I hope this helps you. George
Success! Well at least partially :-)
Tried 10% less water and watched over the proofing cycle tightly. As I do not trust my fridge I've proofed in my cellar for about 3hrs @ 22C.
There was an oven rise, yet it did not "split" the crumb into ear.
I got a fluffier bread, a lighter texture.
I should say that I have kneaded thoroughly the dough after the mix and folded as Patrick shows here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3qDLrpQh10
Note: Contrary to other recipes I've tried your method yields a bread that is well baked inside. Previous attempts yielded a nicely baked on the outside, yet after cutting into slices it would always leave some sticky dough traces on my knife.
I'm a techie nerd so I've baked your recipe into an excel file that I can figure out start to end schedule
Hi Julian,
Great news! Your results are certainly very positive. I'd like to see photos if you took them. But how did the bread taste and texture? I really like the taste of spelt and do not get tired of it. ... You can get a sourer spelt by a retard and even then you have to make sure that it is not over proofing by watching it initially. I think it takes time to make these adjustments based on the spelt flour you use. George
Wife used it with a breakfast with friends and was devoured like instantly! Super popular dipped in the Italian classic mix of olive oil and a balsamic reduction.
Surprisingly enough, whole spelt sourdough bread has become the family default choice and even my kids fell in love with the taste and texture. The crunchiness in the crust gets fantastic with a few minutes in the toaster. I slice and freeze my bread typically, too hot kitchen pantry
Planning to do some variations this week and will certainly post pics !
Date syrup (silan)
Orange juice
Olive oil
Herbs
You know you've succeeded with this overwhelming response!!!!
George your spelt hearth loaves are all very impressive, such a great crumb.
Benny
Thank you Benny. I really like the taste of spelt and I wanted to get the texture and taste right too. In the close up of the crumb you can see the reddish bran from the spelt too. George
Credit where credit's due. That is a fine bake indeed!
I was wondering about the levain build since you posted, so thanks for the update. I really like the way you developed the levain over those stages (I only see two btw - A & B). Firm starters and levains are very much my game and they make sense with delicate (weak) flours like spelt.
Really nice bloom on that bake too. This is front page material in my mind!
Well done and thanks for sharing.
Michael
Thank you Michael,
I see you understand the necessity of these two stages or three if using it to leaven the dough.
The gist is this: coming into this recipe, someone will have seed starter of some sort and so the first stage is to get the seed adjusted to spelt and the hydration right and consistent with that in the dough, which in my case is around 65-70%. (For a spelt flour that requires a higher hydration level, then one could adjust the hydration level of the levain accordingly. I've actually done this using sprouted spelt flour which needs a higher hydration level and when I kept the hydration at 65% but dough needed 80%+, the levain did not perform right; but making the adjustment in hydration in levain for higher hydration required for sprouted spelt, then things worked much better)For these reasons this first feed is 4 times the weight of the seed in flour weight. And the second feed is to get the yeast a head start in the spelt fermentation; the reason this is important is that (I think) the spelt seems to ferment so fast due to the LAB that the gluten there is in spelt degrades so fast that there is no oven spring, it just seems not to bloom in the oven.For this,the second feed , the hydration level is held constant and the levain weight is just about doubled and this fermentation time is short-just a few hours depending on temperature. This small feed favors the development of the yeast over the LAB, but the LAB will catch up anyway. George
You wrote, “ This small feed favors the development of the yeast over the LAB, but the LAB will catch up anyway”.
Why is this, and can you explain that? I have never considered seed to flour ratio as a method of developing the relative yeast/LAB percentages.
Danny
”inquiring minds want to know...”
hi Danny!
I was looking at frequent (or small meal) refreshment favoring yeast over LAB.
Here I am quoting Wink;"Reducing sourness can be accomplished by shortening the refreshment cycle, not because of aerobic vs anaerobic, but rather by taking advantage of the disparity in lag phases between yeast and lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Bacteria reproduce faster than yeast, but yeast have a shorter lag phase. The lag phase is that time between refreshment and the start of population growth (reproduction). The organisms need a little time to sense their environment and re-orient themselves to the change that refreshment brings (pH, nutrients, waste products, etc.) before they begin growing again. For LAB it takes longer, so yeast start growing first. Each time you feed, it starts a new lag period. If you stop the refreshment cycle short, so as to keep the LAB from taking off, you give the yeast a little advantage in the race by cutting the LAB off at the knees." This is from http://www.thefreshloaf.com//node/13525/my-imitation-chad-robertson039s-country-sourdough#comment-83047 . George
That is interesting George, I’ve read a lot of people here to believe that to really flavour the yeast in your starter prior to making a levain, feed it a really good size feed, like 1:6:6, but what you’re saying actually makes sense and a large feed of 1:6:6 taking 12 hours to peak would eventually favour LAB. I might have to start changing my starter feeding protocol before building my levain.
Benny
Hi Benny,
What I found is that doing a refreshment of 1 to 4 (seed to flour)with an adjustment for 66% hydration is that the levain was acidic enough to degrade the spelt by the time it was fermenting; the little gluten in spelt was so weak it would pancake out when baked. So, I started using the levain early, but then..why don't I use yeast too? First of all, I didn't have any, second of all, it did not seem to be the right thing to do. That is when I remembered about yeast favored by small refreshments and I saw this used in muti-step rye recipes too; that each stage favored different aspects of the levain. So, why not try to give yeast a bit of a head start? How could I do that ? That is when I reread Wink's posting here and saw that this little meal might be a sensible approach and then to I remembered Rubaud too. Anyway, that was my series of thoughts. But when I tried it, the dough rose a bit earlier and the dough did seem better conditioned too. I tried it with fresh ground spelt too and this seemed to work better than just a simple 1 to 4 feed. Spelt is such a strange thing to work with too. So, why not an adjustment?? Thanks, George
Edit for spelling
Thank you, George!
You have inspired me to try a sourdough spelt. Normally my only 100% spelt loaf is a yeasted bread with a bit of treacle added (which is very nice.) But I want to try this method now. The only real stumbling block is the retard...there is just no way I can make room in my refrigerator for a shaped loaf of bread in a banneton. Do you think I can give it a final proof on the counter with maybe a quick chill in the freezer for 10 minutes to help with turning out and scoring right before it goes in the oven? Or should I just not bother trying to make this bread if I can't refrigerate it? Everything else seems very doable. I love the multi-stage levain build to give the yeasts a head start. It's always so dicey making sourdough with fresh-milled flour and trying to get it to proof before it turns to goo. I am not ashamed to admit I sometimes put a pinch of yeast into the bulk. But I will try your method next time.
Maybe it will help or give you an idea.
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/56564/tip-increasing-refrigerator-space-cold-proofing
That is a neat idea, Dan! Thanks for sharing. I'm sure it will help someone. Right now, I'm sheltering in place with my husband and three 19-year-olds. Two are mine and I picked up a spare over Spring Break. The fridge is just jam-packed full of groceries and leftovers all the time to keep everyone fed. In the fall, though, when two of the three youngsters goes back to school (God willing and the creek don't rise) I will have room in my fridge again. For now, it's bench proof only.
I have a chest freezer and sometimes I pop a banneton in there for a few minutes just to cool the dough a bit before turning it out and baking. I'm always careful to take it out just when it cools, so as not to chill the wee beasties too much and put them off their game.
Hi Jess,
I am too sheltering in place and limited room in the refrigerator and I have trouble finding space. Earlier in the year I used my garage or outside as my cooler. But now it is too warm for that.
You do not have to do a overnight retard at all. Just let it sit out for half an hour to an hour or so and get it cold for exactly the reasons you mentioned. The day I made it , I started late and I had other things to do, so I retarded it. But if I was not so busy I would have just baked it that evening by letting it rise for some time maybe an hour(depending on temp) and then cool it as the oven heats up,as you suggest and then bake it. I found that if I do retard it, I've got to watch it in the fridge because if the fermentation is strong during the bulk it will overproof in the fridge (and my fridge is at 36 degrees F. ) So, no matter what, you've got to watch it as I am sure you know. Please give this a try . Spelt has such flavor that the dough is worth the babysitting ! George
I always try to avoid discussion on LAB and and yeast ratios since it's not something we as bakers can measure. We can only infer from our observations and then make assumptions about what is happening at the microbial level.
While I'm sure LAB do encounter longer lag times compared to yeast, bear in mind that the higher the inoculum the shorter the lag..
I did find a paper that looked at the cell numbers of LAB and yeast during the refresh cycles of lievito madre done for panettone production. The starting ratio from storage was 10:1 (LAB:yeast). After each of the short-time (4 hours) refreshes the ratio shifted towards 100:1 (LAB:yeast). So based on that evidence this high inoculum (small feed) and short duration didn't favour yeast at all, it favoured LAB.
Feeding this way cuts back on acid, that's what it really does. LAB have no problem holding their own and will typically always outnumber the yeasts.
100:1 is a standard and stable ratio.
Thank you Michael for posting your remarks. This is precisely why I thought showing these bakes of spelt on TFL would give me some interesting feedback and you are making some good points. The point about feeding this way cuts back on initial acidity is certainly true . Yet, I noticed (unscientifically) tasting the bread with and without the third feeding had a pretty consistent taste but the behavior of the dough and the more consistent rise was noted with the last feeding. Thanks again for your comments -George
Fascinating! I second the motion to give this post prime posting. I love spelt.
Q: levain B, where does 175% come from? Not 191%?
Good question ! I am considering the Levain A and Levain B to have separate Baker's % recipes. In Levain B, the 105g of Levain A is another ingredient where the Baker's % is calculated relative to the flour weight. Levain A is = 105g/60g=175 % of the spelt flour of Levain B which is 60g.
is given a 30 minute soak to absorb the water before adding in levain and eventually salt? Instead of kneading at the 10 minute mark?
time---action--all mixing by hand
0. --mix levain and water and honey together, put flour on top and mix using soft scraper to a rough ball
10m----knead by hand to develop gluten, dough very loose
1:00h-- fold dough
1:10 h--add salt and mix in gently
1:20h-fold dough and it is firming up from salt
2:10 fold and put into a preshape of a batard and see how it is as it ferments(I think I am off 10 minutes in notes-I subtracted wrong)
3:00h-fermentation going strong ,go directly from pre-shape to shape and put in banneton and put in fridge right away as dough was fermenting fast and kitchen was at 74 degrees F, not usual 68 F.
This will work fine and I have done this other times too to see if there is any difference. I could not detect anything different. I try to handle dough as gently as possible as I think it is possible to overmix with spelt and then the crumb is rather tight. So as long as the salt is added last and alone you are ok. Even then, if you mix it all together , salt included , you may find as I did that you get the tightening up of the dough at the same time you want to develop it and the dough tears a bit, which you are trying to avoid.
George, each of these is more beautiful than the last. I'm pretty sure you're a wizard, like Julian says.
Did you find that the scald improved the keeping quality of this bread? Was it worth the trouble?
Lastly, is walking the dog a key component of the recipe? I might have to get one just so I can make this bread!
Thank you for the reply above about the retard not being necessary.
Seriously though, I can't help being taken aback at the bloom and crumb of these loaves. I don't remember seeing another 100 whole grain sourdough look like this, spelt or otherwise. It makes me realize what is possible, and that I really need to work on my dough handling... I have tendency towards roughness and overkneading and to over-tightening and tearing the gluten cloak in shaping. I appreciate how eloquently you convey the idea of being gentle with the spelt dough at each stage. Thanks again for taking the time to share with us.
Jess
Jess-You are very kind!
As far as the few times I used a scald I thought that it did help with the keeping quality of the bread. The way I do the scald is painless: put spelt and water in heatproof bowl and put in microwave. Stop the microwave every 30 seconds or so and check temperature and remix the spelt and water and do this until 155 degrees F and stop, take it out and remix again and you have spelt pudding. Then add it to the ingredients of the dough after the water and spelt mix has fallen below 85 degrees or so.
Walking the dog is important to my dog and letting the dough rest between the folding and mixing is important. Besides, how can anyone resist these eyes?Not me! thanks again-George
What a wonderful way to wake up and smell the coffee! Lovely crumb shots and recipes. I was just about to dive into dough this morning, now, don't know which one! (Smile)
George, has it occured to you that perhaps the dough is rising higher with the two step levain because you slowed down the yeast? Often with a fragile gluten matrix, too much yeast can rip the matrix apart during the rise.
This did not occur to me at all. Interesting idea-but I just do not know! Spelt is mysterious !
with a rye starter (105g) instead of a spelt starter and sure enough about three + hours into the ferment, the spelt dough is tightening up with a folding so nicely! Did it in the bowl because until now the rye has made it is so sticky. But the dough is behaving itself now. I dont plan on a retard.
I frequently put it in the fridge just to calm down the fermentation before I bake it--I may have said this to you. Did you use a scald too?? I made one yesterday with a scald , a three step levain and using fresh ground Maverick spelt-which has a reddish tint:
Im afraid to show you my little loaf. I've been playing with an old rye starter and had 105g of slowish rye starter at peak. I should have given the dough more time another fold before trying to shape it. Ill go make a photo before the loaf is gone. It is tasty. Nice sharp edges with the bread cutting machine. Moist and flexible firm crumb. Top did not open much. Flour fine spelt.
IMG_1957.JPG
IMG_1959.JPG
You did get full fermentation and I think that if you use your rye starter to provide the seed for the process of creating the levain, you'll get better lift and also, try to underproof the spelt and you'll get more of an oven spring. It takes a bit of time for changing over one starter to another when one is rye and you are using in spelt. By just going through the process in three stages, you'll be all set.
New to the forums here... I just wanted to share a small thing. I've been baking 100% spelt bread for many years and have found a few things that overcome the gluten weakness and allow me to get the structure light and airy. First thing I use is flax seed. This seed gives off a clear goo when soaked and the clear good improves spelt bread a great deal. Second is same thing but with Chia seed. Soak it and you will see the gooey slime... and you can get white chia that is invisible in spelt bread, it also gives an amazing but subtle change in the bite, almost like miniature pop-rocks that somehow brings toast to life like never before. Lastly, I sometimes use psyllium husk as this is tasteless and gives a wonderful spring to my bread and works amazingly well when I'm doing spelt tangzhong milk bread or brioche. The last and most wicked thing that is almost unknown is Glucomannan. It's ground konjac root and actually good for you, but it adds the best structure I have found. I do fast spelt bread with normal dried yeast and it puffs like the best wheat bread. I've done simple sourdough and it will hold up amazingly well. So far, I have got to 110% hydration and made huge billowy milk bread using a Tangzhong, fat free milk and butter. There isn't much info on Glucomanna, but you can find the power online and add just a bit to the flour and swoosh it through. Because of the ability of glucomannan to absorb water, you can quickly find you get very manageable dough with 80+% hydration.
Thank you for posting your comments .I have not used any of these things but I am aware of chia, psyllium husk,VWG , yeast and flax and that so many, many other bakers like you use them. I have never felt the need to use these additions.
Hi BP,
Would you start a new post and would you write about your spelt loaves? I would love to have your method and recipe as I have done some bread with nagaimo - a gooey and structure effective natural addition to bread dough.
I usually bake with CLAS (concentrated lactic acid), will resume experiments with nagaimo, and will be on the lookout for your glucomannan !
konjac and another asian yam-nagaimo
To Ben Parry (above),I was very pleased to read your remark!! I wrote on another asian yam that I use in whole wheat pita and your remark on konjac had many similarities!!
Glad to hear about another useful yam!!
100% natural additives I feel are ok. I use a little to get a very specific loaf. For instance, I use a 10% Tangzong if I am making Hokaido milk bread and add a small amount of psyillium husk and a spoon full of glucomannan to get exactly the texture and rise. This bread is quite technical and to get the exact texture, it has to rise a lot, much more than you will get with spelt and nothing else. Same thinking for brioche, just a small amount of glucomonnan and you can get exactly the texture of wheat flour. Sure, for making sour dough, I guess nothing at all is needed, but I find I can get incredible ultra-light bread with a few natural additions and I would go as far to say that spelt with a few added natural ingredients can give lighter more fluffy bread than wheat.
I'm very interested in trying this recipe. I'm finding it hard to read and wonder if anyone has transcribed it. Thanks.
If you have questions, I'd be happy to answer them. I am not a good typist at all.
Not a problem George Q, I ended up being able to copy the recipe and did make the bread. It turned out really good and I plan to make it again. I will scale up the recipe to make a bigger loaf, increase salt to 2% and decrease honey a little, but those are personal preferences. I definitely think the multiple builds made for a more open crumb, probably the most open crumb I've had for a whole grain bread! I think I might try the method for other flours, too. Thanks for posting it.
If you think there's interest, I could post the transcription, maybe showing it to you privately first to make sure I got it right!
I am so happy that this worked for you SoniaR! I think that you should post the transcription and of course your bread too. There is a lot of flexibility built into it for additions and all other sorts of modifications. If you want, you can message me on this but I am interested to see how you did, but you sound pretty enthused. I have been playing with other ideas like the one below using old dough and spelt and it was such a simple loaf and an interesting one to bake.This is how it looks and is a small loaf but it is so easy to make and takes no time:
I had great success with GeorgeQ's 3-Build Levain Spelt Bread, found earlier in this thread. I decided to enter the recipe in an Excel spreadsheet as I do with all recipes I make. The blank column allows me to scale the amounts up or down with one formula (if you need more info on how, let me know). I took a few liberties when transcribing to help me clarify things in my mind. GeorgeQ, if I got anything wrong, please let me know! Below are GeorgQ's original amounts. I chose to increase salt to 2% and decrease honey a little. (I see when previewing what I pasted in below looks nothing like my spreadsheet version.)
Hi SoniaR!
i just checked back in and saw your post. I am just so happy that you found this useful. The only comment I have is that the spreadsheet reformatting confuses me. The three build are: A-overnight build, B- a fast fermenting 3 hour build and C-final dough. So if I think of them as (input, water, flour), the the first A is (starter 15g, 40g water , 60g spelt), the second build B is (output of overnight build of 115g, 40g water, 60g spelt flour) which yields 215g levain. Then from this last you use 115 g of Build B into the bread. The rest goes in fridge.
Is this what your spreadsheet is saying?
Thank you for writing this up- GQ
SoniaR, thanks so much for transcribing this recipe (and to George of course for sharing it). I have been baking 100% spelt bread for a couple of years and I have never had a nice crumb like the one in your photos, George. I am not a professional baker, I just love spelt bread. I have a couple of questions:
1) when do you suggest I start Levain A if my aim is to bake at 8am in the morning? I am not early bird and I have two children to prepare for school before I can even think of anything else.
2) I tend to use a rye starter, can I use it for this method/recipe or does it need to be spelt?
I live in the UK and use this wholemeal spelt flour: https://www.sharphampark.com/organic-wholegrain-spelt-flour/p8
I am no expert but I think it's pretty good. Any suggestions for a beginner much appreciated!
Rye starter is just fine for using as the starter but the levain used in the spelt bread is spelt except for the starter itself. Levain A purpose is to adapt the ecology of your starter to the one used in spelt bread-splet flour and around 70% hydration. The second levain is to be made right before you are going to mix the final dough. You could make Levain A and put it in fridge to be pulled out to use to make Levain B when it is convenient to you to make the bread. I wrote this up so others can use this recipe for spelt seelen-like Swabian ciabatta and you mix it up and throw in fridge and bake when you want. You'll be happy with the crumb on this too:https://breadtopia.com/german-souls-bread-schwabische-seelen/
Thanks GeorgeQ. I was wondering if, in the final dough, the folding that you do at 4.20pm and 5.30pm are stretch and fold?
Thanks for the link, I have used this recipe for spelt bread from breadtopia for years but I got a nice oven rise maybe just 2 or 3 times and I do not know why: https://breadtopia.com/spelt-bread-recipe/
My guess now is that the breadtopia method can easily lead to overfermentation because my kitchen is too warm at night (between 18 and 19.5 Celsius).
I realise I do not have a good sense of fermentation with spelt dough, I will try your method asap and let you know how it goes.
As a rule, spelt does ferment readily and even a few degrees can change the fermentation.For spelt, I think of rapid fermentation for first rise with lots of folds and for second rise, it happens in the fridge. If you take the dough temp, you will see it does not immediately go down so it can overferment there too. I do not as a rule, leave spelt out to ferment at night unless it is in the fridge and I am watching the temp to make sure it is cooling off...You are likely correct about the overfermentation, so utilize your fridge for second rise.
Hi SaraF
Sharpham Spelt is an original heritage variety and it's very good. But, it's Boutiques priced.
There are a lot of modern commodity bred spelt grains grown now. So some caution is necessary.
They Bakerybits They usually have original varieties are more moderate prices.
I hope this is useful... 18 months later!
first attempt at this 2 stage levain for me.
The crumb was very dense and the loaf felt very heavy, this is what id expect from a spelt or whole grain flour, still tasted good though.
My thinking is, the yeasts are exhausted and it loses its structure a bit too much when retarded over night, even in a cold fridge. Im going to try the same build again but this time bake it straight after the final proof.
And my husband loved it! I think it over-fermented slightly and the crumb could be coaxed to be more open on future bakes, but I'm really pleased with how it came out for the first attempt. Details of my bake here.
Thanks for the recipe!
The only differences were that I changed the amounts of starter, water and flour in the 3 stage build, so that I won't have to discard anything, and that I didn't let the dough get to room temp after removing from the fridge, but baked it cold.
Didn't expect getting such crumb with spelt:
You have made a great bread! Congrats! I bake it cold too ad there is no discard in the starters as this "discard" now begins as a new starter.
Thanks!
Given the frequency that I started baking this loaf recently, I suppose I can keep the stages for the next bakes, if they're not too far apart. Until now I just used a tiny amount of my rye/wheat cultures to build levain A.
I should mention that this has become my 'bread-and-butter' bread, so to speak, I really like the taste coming out of this recipe, it's not sour at all, and even a bit sweet sometimes. I usually like the sourness in rye and wheat sourdoughs, but for some reason, I like less it in spelt, so this perfectly fits my preference.
As can be seen below, I'm still working on finding the sweet spot of fermenting as little as needed for maximum spring. This time I went a little under I think, as in some areas (not the one below), the crumb was more closed than I'd like.
You are right that spelt has a flavor that is missed if it is very sour. What I look for in flavor in spelt is more a ripe fruit flavor like a peach....You can just rebuild the remainder of the starter with a little salt and it will be the beginning of your next spelt or other type of bread. Now, I just use spelt in place of wheat in my breads, for after all, spelt is in the wheat family. Glad to see that you are having fun with this!!
Hi there George, after a lot of reading into sourdough baking, I too attempted my first sourdough bread. I am wheat intolerant, so I was really happy when I found your recipe. For a first loaf, I am very happy!
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It did not rise all too much, but it is quite cold in my room (I'm a student haha and we share our electric and gas bills, we don't put the heat too high). I am wondering, as I am trying to learn about all the different variables, what would have made it rise more? I followed your recipe as much as possible, but for instance did not let the dough ferment 3-4 hours, but instead put it in the fridge overnight.
Also, I read about overproofing - can you explain what that is? Would love to learn! Once again, thank you for your recipe, the bread tastes delicious and is very filling!
Kind regards,
Lizayra
Hi Lizayra!! Your crumb looks terrific-nice fermented dough. A few of these remarks I hope will help you.
Overfermentation causes the dough to fall apart and in the extreme, it is a puddle. Every time you handle the dough, you are exposing the yeast and bacteria to new food. So, when you shape it you are giving them more food. but I would suggest that after shaping, let it be a room temp for say an hour as it will give the yeast a chance to grow before the cold. Once you put it in cold, the yeast sleeps first, then the bacteria and the bacteria will overtake the assimilation of the dough. So, ultimately the bacteria is quicker, so give the yeast a bit of a head start.
If you used a pan, it would rise higher, but the gluten of spelt causes it to go sideways. Spelt lacks the elastic component of gluten, but it has the extensible part . So, it will not snap back like wheat does, but it will stretch like saltwater taffy but it won't return to shape easily. This is why it spread, not that it did not rise.
So, because of all this, that is why I make so many stretch and folds to build the strength that I can. Spelt is more filling because it has more protein that usual wheat. I make spelt pizza and spelt can do most thing that you can do with wheat. After more experience, you'll be making ears too. Right now, focus on building strength as you have done-learn about lamination folds that can create strength for you and replace them for the stretch and folds. Here is a little reference for you on spelt:https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5988b9932994ca0cad689333/t/5da5db909b53bc3b094b387d/1571150740015/04_Spelt.pdf. And here is a video on lamination folds:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FSuv0eRmak I'll write more later but take a look at these two references. George
Hi there George,
Thank you for this information!! I understand the basics of sourdough baking and know about lamination, autolyse and those simple types of terms but it is extremely helpful that you gave me more information about spelt specifically. I have been baking with spelt only for three years now, but never bothered to look for the right sources (used trial and error instead). So far, I have found that spelt often needs a little bit more fluid and can take a bit longer to rise. In sweet baking, I often throw my flour through a sieve so that the big chunks are out - however in bread, I like the nutty and full flavour it provides.
I will look into the sources you provided me and will continue to share my progress! Also hoping to make some spelt croissants soon, very excited about that when I have a free weekend. Have a good Sunday evening!!
Kind regards,
Lizayra
Spelt has an unusual relationship with water. If you overwork the dough, it will let loose of the water and then reabsorb but in the process, it will be weakened. What I do is begin with lower hydration and after a series of stretch and folds, I add a little in say 15g. And continue with this. If you just add all the water all at once, you have saltwater taffy. But by bassinage, you can up the hydration as you treat the dough gentler and gentler.......I love spelt and here is a write up on spelt souls which I wrote up. This is absolutely painless way to handle spelt with great flavors and the dough can be in your fridge until you want to bake these up.Give this a try and they are like spelt ciabatta: https://breadtopia.com/german-souls-bread-schwabische-seelen/ and just use the spelt for the tiny bit of whole wheat. But check out the photo for bassinage of the spelt Seelen, it is striking how much water can be absorbed by the spelt but only after you have developed the gluten.
Thanks! When you say "utilise fridge for second fermentation" do you mean for Levain B? I am a bit confused here because I understood that Levain B should be left fermenting only for 3-4 hours. Do you mean to put in the fridge Levain A? Thanks!
I'm late to the party but just writing to thank you for this amazing recipe & informative thread.
I made a boule 1.5x the formula as given, using the entire 2-stage levain plus a soaker. I was out of the house longer than I anticipate & left the dough on the counter for 5 hours. No matter: I reshapedit and popped it in the fridge & it baked up great in the morning (though it needed 10-15 min more oven time than the recipe specified.
Thanks so much!
Rob
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Wow Rob, that is an awesome spelt loaf, well done you! I bet it is one delicious loaf.
Benny
Gee thanks, Benny. High praise coming from you.
A purist (my partner, for one) might say it's a tad sour. But I think it's delectable. I never knew whole spelt could get such oven spring and have such airy crumb!
As Benny said: Wow! Your spelt rocks like Mick Jagger! Your bread looks really wonderful and a great crumb too. I bake this recipe for spelt all the time and you'll find that it takes well to additions too like polenta, figs and roasted walnut altogether for 25% flour weight or making a crust of nuts and seeds like (unroasted) flax, sesame, nigella, anise and pumpkin.
thanks GQ.
I love the idea of adding figs & nuts.
You're the true rock star for sharing this great and versatile recipe!
Rob
I am shamelessly stealing the idea from Lionel Valinet-watch the video on how he incorporates the additions and the written recipe on how to make the polenta-it is a real fantasy bread! https://www.pratesiliving.com/techniques-for-baking-bread-from-master-french-baker-lionel-vatinet/ .Valient is a true master and is the one who set up SFBI originally .
what's the old saw: good artists borrow; great artists steal. Thanks for the link.
This pan loaf as well: https://www.theperfectloaf.com/whole-grain-spelt-pan-loaf/
I made it recently and was surprised by how well it handled and how delicious it was.
I made it again, as the 1st bake of 2023, this time as a batard.
My timings were all off (levains left languishing too long plus a slimmed-down refrigerator stint) and I wasn't consistent enough with the stretch & folds & shaping (I'll blame the champagne for that.)
Still, I'm not complaining:
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Thanks again & Happy New Year!
Rob
Happy New Year Rob! The crumb is still quite good and it is true that it is what is inside that matters most .Enjoy the New Year!
Excellent again Rob, you have conquered challenging spelt!
Benny
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Also this is my first post on tfl after lurking all fall/winter, I just had to report my results with this recipe!
i have a cold kitchen and I love baking with high percentages of whole grains, but haven’t felt confident in attempting a 100% whole grain, no bread flour, loaf until now! I got my hands on some Oak Manor whole grain spelt (i live in Ontario, Canada for the grainheads out there) and I had to try this! I knew things would progress slower than you observed, my kitchen rarely topped 71F thru this project. Still, I think I overproofed a bit as my oven spring is nowhere like yours (my shaping was probably more to blame, getting tension in this spelt was difficult, Im not a shaping expert at all)
The triple levain build and your rationale for it fascinated me so I followed the recipe very closely - and then I had a dental emergency so Levain B sat in the fridge one whole extra day!! I compensated by adding a little more (just 10g) of the levain to the final mix, and I also swapped honey for dark grade maple syrup.
I baked this on a stone (which im still figuring out), and it did see some okay spring in the oven - but nothing like yours or some others here - my preheating isn’t hot enough yet, I think. And maybe I over proofed it, or my levain delay burnt out some yeast
Regardless, it’s beautiful and delicious and the crumb is so soft, I can’t wait to make this loaf again and try for bigger rise with a tighter levain schedule and a steamier oven. thank you!
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Congrats! That looks beautiful and delicious.
Rob
Wow that is amazing for your first bake of a 100% whole spelt loaf. George’s formula really seems to work. I haven’t tried Oak Manor flours but I have seen them at Whole Foods. Where in Ontario are you? I’m in Toronto. Nice to see another Canadian baker on TFL.
Benny
thank you!! Yeah I’m in Toronto as well - so nice to find other local bakers here!
I grab my nice flours from Fiesta Farms mostly. And I wish Oak Manor sold in higher volumes than 1kg bags, but that’s all I’ve seen at any store. But I definitely recommend it, their spelt and rye have both been fresh and delish for me
I love Fiesta Farms and wander over there on occasion. Mostly I pick up my flours in Kensington Market.
Your bread looks wonderful! As you rebake this recipe a few times, you'll automatically tweak the recipe for your flours. It will be better and better. It is the flavor that matter the most .
this time with toasted cashews & chopped dates.
My starter -- fresh from the fridge after 6 weeks of inactivity -- was over acidic & under yeasted. And, due to weird scheduling, the 1st stage sat on the counter for 20 hours.
But, mmmmmm!
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Rob