Spelt Whole Wheat or Dinkelberger Vollkorn

This month I baked bread using the pre-mixed flour given to me by Schmidt from Chiang Mai, Thailand. I choose Dinkelberger Vollkorn.

In this mix you find: spelt and whole wheat. As most of you know spelt is a very old type of grain. The Celts and Ancient Egyptians already cultivated it. Spelt emerged from the early types of wheat called in Germany einkorn or emmer. The spelt kernel is tightly surrounded by a grain hull, protecting it from pollutants, pests and during storage, from the loss of nutrients. Spelt contains the ideal combination of carbohydrates, fats, protein and dietary fiber. It has a nutty flavor and taste.

The original recipe uses baker’s yeast which I changed this for my own sourdough starter. I used the 100% sourdough starter. Normally sourdough gives the bread a slight sour taste, but it seems to me that using spelt this sourness balanced out.

I love to make artisan bread and love the shape made by hand. Normally I don’t use the bread pan but today is an exception. When I mixed all ingredients it became a soggy mass. The recipe said to mix it for 15 minutes, instead of the 5 minutes I’m used to. But, I followed the recipe. After 15 minutes it still was a soggy mass. I left it to ferment but couldn’t help myself and gave it 2 stretch and folds with wet hands. At the end of fermentation it was a well risen dough but still very sticky. At that time I decided to use the bread pan. On the top of the dough, I sprinkled flour. This broke open in the oven and gave the bread a nice appearance.

The crumb looks like a light version of dark rye bread, it’s moist, and smells very nice without sourness. The taste of this bread is mild which makes it bread for every day. 

Next time I will add some seeds such as linseed or sesame. It keeps the originality of spelt bread and gives it a little extra flavor. Such healthy flour doesn't need too much extras. 

Specifics

Name                                       Spelt Whole Wheat or Dinkelberger Vollkorn

Adapted from                           Schmidt
Yields                                       1 loaf
Dough temp.                             28°C
Autolyse                                   20 minutes
Mixing                                      15 slow
Fermentation                            30 minutes
Stretch and Fold                        2 after 15 minutes
Shape                                        bread pan
Proof at roomtemp.                   45 minutes
Bake 230°C                               35 minutes; 10 with steam and 25 without

This is what I used:
Bakers formula                         %        grams
Flour                                        100       500

Water                                       68        340

Levain starter 100%
stiff starter                                            25
unbleached all purpose flour                  60

water                                                    60

Final Dough
Dinkelberger Vollkorn                            500

Water                                                   340

Salt                                                       0                                                         
Stiff levain starter                                 145

This is what I did:
The night before I prepared the levain by mixing all ingredients in a plastic bowl, covering with plastic and leave to ferment for the night (8 – 12 hours).

The next morning I mixed all ingredients, except salt, until all combined. Cover and leave for autolyse for 20 minutes.

I added the salt and mixed for 15 minutes in my mixer. It still is a soggy mass.

Bulk Fermentation: transfer the dough to a slightly oiled container, cover and leave for 30 minutes. 

Stretch and Fold: after 15 minutes I stretched and folded twice.

Shaping: I loosely shaped the dough into a batard and placed it in the floured bread pan. I sprinkled flour on top of the loaf and covered with a tea towel  I let it proof.

Proofing: I proofed the loaf for 45 minutes.

Pre heating: I pre heated the oven to 230°C.

Preparing and Baking: When the oven is hot enough I boil water and pour it in a glass bottle with a long neck. I pour some boiling water on the hot stones and quickly close the oven door to keep the steam in the oven.
I place the loaf on parchment on a peel and scored it with one slash lengthwise. Transfer to the oven and quickly slide the loaf on the baking stone. After some minutes I add some more water to get more steam.

I baked the loaf 10 minutes with steam and quickly removed the parchment paper and the steam pan. I baked the loaf for another 25 minutes. Bake the loaf until the core is 98°C. The original recipe said to bake it for 60 minutes on a lower temperature, but that’s too difficult with my oven. This method works for me.

Cooling: Let the loaf cool completely on a wire rack.

I send this to Susan’s YeastSpotting to be placed in her showcase of artisan and home baked breads.