20220126 Michael's 100% spelt @ 100% hydration challenge
To learn more about concentrated lactic acid sourdough (CLAS), please see here [1] and here [2].
It must have been nearly a decade since I bravely "declared" to take up Michael's 100% spelt @ 100% hydration challenge. I haven't forgotten about it in all these years, but I haven't done anything about it either. Well, until now.
Back then, I was confident that, with double hydration, I could easily develop the dough with my Zojirushi, even if it's at 100% hydration. I'm still sure that will work. But these days, we all know that we can achieve similar results if we give the dough some time and a few folds. So instead of intensely staring at how my Zo is mixing, I will handle the dough (and the entire bake) with a minimalist approach.
Nowadays, the only white flour I keep is AP because I am tired of throwing away bags after bags of rancid flour. If I need any flour other than AP, I'd grind it fresh from whole grains. So I will be using fresh, whole spelt flour to take up Michael's challenge. I specifically made a spelt CLAS for this event so that my bread is truly 100% spelt.
So Michael, here it goes:
85% fresh, whole spelt flour, ground by Vitamix
15% whole spelt CLAS
22.5% water - whole spelt CLAS
77.5% water
2.3% salt
0.3% yeast
Mix
everything in Zo until barely incorporated; ~3 mins; DT 29C
Transfer the shaggy mass to a greased plastic container.
Bulk
30C x 150 mins
fold every 30 mins
Shape
Batard-ish
load it into a granite roaster
Proof
35C x 20 mins
Bake
Cold oven
Leave the lid on the roaster the whole time
Heat to 425F; ~ 24mins
425F x 45 mins (possibly can reduce 5-10 minutes next time; I'm still new to cold oven baking)
My "crème brûlée" whole spelt CLAS. It's so dark because I forgot I was making a new CLAS and left it in the Instant Pot for days.
A shaggy mass after a ~ 3-min mix
The dough at the end of bulk after folds at 30-min intervals
Read to prove
Baked
The tasty pancake - flavorful with a pronounced, lingering tangy aftertaste. Crisp and slightly "smoky" due to the charred (but not burned) bottom.