This recipe for spelt sourdough Italian bread turned out really great, but you MUST develop a strong dough and bake with plenty of steam in order to get the crumb structure desired. The hydration ended up just below 90%, and it turned out gorgeous. If you’re on the fence about how to make this one work, drop the liquid by 50 grams and it’ll be easier to work on the shaping and open baking.
Ingredients:
510 grams spelt, milled
435 grams water
50 grams boiling water (to make Yudane)
100 grams stiff starter (1 part starter, 2 parts flour, 1 part water)
10 grams sea salt
Optional:
1/8 tsp barley malt powder
1/8 tsp vitamin c powder or 10 grams lemon juice (1/4 lemon, squeezed)
How to Make it
Mill the flour. Mix 25 grams of the milled flour with 50 grams of boiling water to form a paste. Add it to your mixing bowl, followed by water and then the remaining ingredients. Knead in mixer until it’s smooth, shiny, and cleans the mixing bowl. If using the Zacme, knead on speed 6. If using a kitchen aid mixer or bottom motor mixer, knead for a few minutes followed by a rest for 15 minutes and then knead the dough again until smooth, shiny and it cleans the bowl. Do not let the dough overheat with bottom motor mixers, especially when making spelt sourdough Italian bread.
Laminate the dough:
Spread the dough out on an un-floured surface into a large rectangle. Use a bench (dough) scraper if needed to make it easier. Do not use flour during this step. Fold the short side of the dough into the center, then fold the opposite short side to the center. Fold those sections on top of each other. Stretch the short ends of the dough apart, and then fold into the center. Fold again, then round gently into a ball.
Bulk fermentation:
Do coil folds a few times during the bulk fermentation until the dough begins to hold its shape. It may take 3-4 periods of coil folds followed by 30-60 minutes of rest for making spelt sourdough Italian bread.
Let the dough ferment until risen by 75-100%.
Shaping
Shape the dough into the shape you like, and let proof in a banneton basket or a pan if you’re baking in one while the oven preheats to 450 F. If you like, you can do this stage in the fridge, which can be especially helpful with an open bake, such as for spelt sourdough Italian bread.
Scoring
Scoring the spelt sourdough Italian bread loaf is optional, but allows the loaf to expand in a predictable way. Slice on a 45 degree angle to the loaf, and in one swift slice if possible.
Baking
Bake with steam – lots of steam – if you want a good rise in the oven. I used ice cubes on the bottom of the oven with a soaking wet towel on the baking stone next to my loaf. I have a baking sheet upside down on the rack above the loaf to try to keep the steam contained. I also spray the loaf directly once it’s in the oven to make sure the spelt sourdough Italian bread has the correct moisture for a good bake.
You can also bake with a Dutch oven if you have one.
Cooling
Let the loaf cool for 3 hours on a baking rack OR IT WILL BE GUMMY INSIDE, and no one wants that.
Store cut side down on the cutting board, or in a paper bag to keep the crust crunchy on your spelt sourdough Italian bread. If you want to soften the crust, store it in a plastic bag or beeswax wrap to keep the moisture in, which will even out between the middle of the loaf and the crust.
How this changes from the Wheat Italian Bread base
We use the same amount of flour, but this time it’s all spelt for the spelt sourdough Italian bread recipe. Since we are using a stiff starter, which is more like a dough than a liquid, it allows for a slower fermentation without overly sour bread. The trade off? It takes 6-12 hours to go through fermentation, or the first rise. Try this recipe with 6 grams of yeast and see how it changes the rise time and the outcome.
Due to Spelt absorbing approximately 10% less liquid than hard wheat, we dropped the hydration by about that much and got similar results without needing to add vital wheat gluten. We don’t need to add barley malt powder or vitamin c, but if you want a little higher rise and softer bread I’d add at least the vitamin c. You can use 10 grams of citrus juice in place of the powder if you like.
