Homemade bread from spelt flour never fails to produce a fragrant, fiber-rich loaf. Since spelt flour is weak and requires a little reinforcement, we chose to mix it with Manitoba flour, a strong flour that's ideal for long leavenings.
Spelt bread with Manitoba flour and sourdough
We use a leavening basket as it helps the dough maintain its shape and height during the leavening process. If you don’t have one, use a strainer covered with a soft linen cloth. Our recipe also calls for sourdough, which results in a more fragrant bread.
Ingredients:
1½ cups water
2 cups Manitoba flour
2 cups spelt flour
2 Tbsp. sourdough
2 tsp. salt
Method:
Pour the flour into a large bowl. Add the sourdough and water, and start kneading. Add salt and continue kneading for at least 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth.
Flour a cleaned work surface. With floured hands, turn the dough out onto the surface and form a ball. Dust the bottom of the leavening basket with flour and lay the dough on top. Cover it with a cloth and let rise for at least 8 hours in a warm and dry place (around 75°F).
After doubling in volume, turn the dough out onto the floured work surface once again and roll it out gently using floured fingertips. Fold the dough in three sections three times. Then form a ball again, and transfer it to the leavening basket to rise covered for one more hour. Repeat these steps two more times.
At the end of the last leavening, preheat the oven to 475°F and very gently pour the dough onto a baking sheet lined with baking parchment or simply sprinkled with flour. Place in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 425°F and bake for another 30 minutes.
