ye olde bread blogge

My success with whole-spelt flour has been limited so far, up to a point where I wanted to abandon the idea of using it ever again. Although delicious, it does bake to a rather dry crumb. Using sourdough, a soaker and a little fat is recommended (or increase fermentation times of a direct dough drastically). And then I did remember Einkorn greatly increasing crust and flavor of most hearty and whole-grainy breads I’ve added it to. Spelt is no exception, it also benefits from the powers of Einkorn, here added in a soaker. I also put the whole tin with the dough inside one of those fancy baking bags used for the Sunday roast because I’ve had about one meter of it left. Haven’t cut into it yet, but looks promising fresh out of the oven. The lemony aroma of coriander dancing under my nostrils at this moment next to the warm and robust smell of whole grains is quite seducing. Stay tuned for crumb piccies…

…the bread is dense, moist and has that wonderful crispy Einkorn-crust, which I have grown quite fond of. The coriander is barely offering anything substantial to the flavor, it is the aroma that enters through sidestreams which augments the fine taste that this otherwise simple and bold loaf of bread provides.[/babble]

Spelt-Einkorn bread with coriander

Einkorm soaker

• 100g coarse Einkorn meal
• 100g water

Let stand at room temperature for at least 4 hours.

Dough

• Einkorn soaker
• 180g whole-spelt sourdough, hydration: 80%
• 280 whole-spelt flour
• Enough water to make a loose dough, 26°C, approx. 150-200g.
• 1 tsp of crushed coriander seeds
• 5g fresh yeast
• 9g sea salt
• 15g sunflower oil

Mix briefly with a fork, let stand for 15 minutes, mix again. Let stand for 20 minutes, then give it a turn. Let stand for additional 45 minutes at room temperature.

Dust the dough with rye flour, give it a turn, then dust again. There should be thin coating of rye flour on the dough (some of the flour will be incorporated, that is okay, but use only a little flour). This will make pouring the dough into the tin easier.

Let rest for 20-40 minutes. The short final rise will make for a dramatic burst of the crust and prevent the weak dough from collapsing under its own weight. Bake in a small and narrow tin at 240°C for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 200°C and bake for further 40-50 minutes until the crust is a golden brown.