Spelt Trials

Spelt flour is my new favorite grain. (If you're curious follow the link and get the basic information, or "google" it to find out even more.) Yesterday I used a very basic bread recipe with 100% spelt flour to see how it would turn out. First, here's the recipe:

1 Tbsp yeast
2 cups warm water
6 cups flour
1 tsp salt
3 Tbsp honey
2-3 Tbsp oil

I sprinkled the yeast into the warm water and added the salt, honey and oil, then let it set for several minutes to let the yeast activate. When the yeast started foaming, I added the flour all at once and let my machine do the mixing and kneading. Here's how the dough looked when it came out of the mixer bowl. Hmmm, already it feels stickier than regular wheat, but I didn't want to add more flour because it was already fairly heavy.


I put the dough in an oiled bowl and placed it in my warming oven to rise. (Microwave a damp wash cloth for 2 minutes. When the microwave is done slip the bowl into the microwave oven on top of the wash cloth and close the door (Don't turn it back on!). It's warm and steamy in there and there's no need to cover the bowl.) After about an hour the dough had risen well, but looked a little different than wheat. Kind of softer and spongier. I punched it down and let it rise once more, which only took a half hour.


Now the bread is divided, shaped, and placed into the pans to rise. I put it back into the "warming oven" (microwave) for another half hour. Looks like they are ready to go, but you can already tell by this photo that the rise seems to lack strength and elasticity. Spelt has a lower gluten count, so that may be one reason why. The baking oven has been set for 350 degrees, and now the pans went into the oven for 40 minutes.


All done! Uh oh, looks like I have baked a couple of bricks! I KNEW that last rise didn't look very strong! The crust is hard, so I'll let it sit awhile before slicing and testing the insides.


Here we go. My spelt "bricks" sliced very nicely. The inside is somewhat heavy, a little dense, but not dry and crumbly. The taste? It's good!! Mild and somewhat nutty and slightly sweet. Doesn't have any bitterness at all. I wouldn't use this for a sandwich because of the density, but it will be great with a spread or eaten with a chunky soup!


I'll definitely be trying this again. I'm doing some research on baking with spelt so next time I'll tinker with the recipe and methods slightly and see how things turn out. Keep watching for updates. Tonight, I think I'll make a thick soup of some kind and enjoy this delicious tasting bread with it. :)