Russian Spelt Loaf

This was a really nice set of loaves. They had good rise for spelt, and a wonderful, richly nuanced sour flavor! As with most of these “let’s test this starter out” loaves, this is very straight-forward and no frills. You could add whatever fats to it with yogurt, butter, and/or eggs, swap your water over to milk, beer, or other fun things. You also could add seeds, cheese, onions, chiles, bacon, whatever!

Here’s what you’ll need

800g spelt flour (28.2 ounces or a scant 7 cups)

1 tablespoon salt

300 grams Russian spelt starter (my guess is 2 cups)

400 grams (1.6 cups) water

Here’s what you do!

Mix together the flour, salt, and starter, then cover let rest for 30 minutes. Mix/knead in the water, which takes about 10 minutes. Let sit another 30 minutes, covered.

Next, you’ll knead for 5-10 minutes, then let it rise 7-8 hours. Cut into 2 parts and shape your loaves. Rise 3-4 hours more.

Bake Time!

Heat oven to 450F/230C/GM8. If you’re using a Dutch oven or cloche, you want to stick that in the oven before you turn it on. Once heated, put loaves in and bake for 25 minutes, then rotate loaves and give another 20 minutes. Thump the bottom to make sure it sounds hollow, and if not return it to the oven for 10 minutes at a time. I find that since spelt tends toward denser loaves, the bake times can be a little variable.