Spelt Bread

[tristar]

<a href="http://nungkysman.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/imag0302.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-161" title="IMAG0302" src="http://nungkysman.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/imag0302.jpg?w=1024" alt="" width="1024" height="613"></a>

Ingredients:
350 grams of plain white flour
150 grams of wholemeal spelt flour
1 handfull of multi grain known in Noway as "5 korn blanding" a mix of wheat kernels, oat kernels, linseed, sesame seed, and sunflower seed
1 sachet of Instant Yeast
1 teaspoon of salt
320 millilitres of lukewarm water

Instructions:
Mix the sugar and the instant yeast into a jug filled with the lukewarn water.
Weigh the white, and spelt flour into a large bowl, add the salt and mix together.
Once the yeast has started to activate and become bubbly, pour it into the middle of the bowl of flour.
Stick one finger into the pool of yeasty water in the flour and start to stir the liquid around, slowly incorporating the flour, keep stirring the mixture until all the flour is incorporated, the mixture will  still be quite sticky.
With your fingers, now start to pull and roll the dough while it is still in the bowl, do not add extra flour, the dough will slowly become less sticky and your fingers will slowly become cleaner.
Once the dough has stopped sticking to your fingers ( there may still be a little stickiness left), turn the dough out onto a worktop and knead it, pulling and stretching for at least 5 minutes until enough gluten has developed in the dough such that if you make a thumbprint in, then it will spring back.
Wipe the inside of your mixing bowl with a little cooking oil and place the dough back into the bowl, cover the bowl, and place into a warm spot, until the dough has doubled in size.
Turn on your oven to 190-200 degC, making sure you have a rack on the middle shelf, and a large roasting tray in the bottom of the oven.
Turn out your dough and knock it down, knocking all the air from it, knead again, stretching and folding the dough for 3 or 4 minutes.
Prepare either a loaf tin or another container for your bread by sprinkling the bottom with flour, shape your dough, and place it into the container, and sprinkle more flour on top. Cover and leave once more until the dough has again doubled in size.
Place your container gently onto the middle rack of your oven, taking care to open the oven door for as short a period of time as possible
After a couple of minutes, take a small drinking glass of hot water, open the oven door and quickly throw the hot water into the roasting tray in the bottom of the oven, again keep the oven door open for as short a time as possible.
Leave the bread to bake for about 45 minutes, repeating the water thrown into the roasting tray, when the roasting tray is dry
After 45 minutes, take the bread from the oven and turn it out of the container, knock on the bottom of the bread and if it sounds hollow it is cooked, if it sounds dull, then put it back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes.
Once cooked, place the bread onto a cooling rack, until cool (if you can resist the temptation).
The steam will result in a beautifully crusty loaf.
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[wheels]

That looks superb.

Phil

[tristar]

Thanks Phil,

I had never had spelt bread before moving to Norway, There is one bakery here called Pågen that used to supply to the local Co-op, unfortunately the Co-op decided to produce their own range of breads and dropped the Pågen supplied one in an effort to promote their own. It seemed easier to start to make my own rather than searching the local shops to find another supplier!

This bread is a bit of a balancing act in that the gluten in the spelt flour develops at a different rate from that in the wheat flour, and it can actually be over kneaded!, The trick seems to be a relatively high hydration at 64%, and kneading for just long enough to develop the wheat flour glutens and not destroy the spelt flour glutens. It is a very nutty flavoured bread but with a gentle soft texture. It also makes an incredible crust as you can see, when the bread was cooling the crust was making cracking noises and you can see some of the cracks in the first photograph.

[wheels]

You know it's going to be good when you get those cracking noise. Thanks for the tips on using spelt, I wasn't aware of the differences.

Phil