Amazing whole grain (no flour) sourdough spelt bread

June 14, 2010 in Allgemein

Yes, it’s time for another bread post. From time to time I read a blog by a German baker. He does not only bake and sell bread, he also shares some of his recipes with his readers. Those recipes are wonderful and he usually adds very helpful instructions and tips. Some weeks ago he published a recipe for a 100% rye sourdough bread. The best thing about this bread is that it contains no flour. It made from 100% cracked rye (rye chops, rye groats,  rye meal, or whatever you call the stuff in English). You know, this is my favourite kind of bread. It is similar to German pumpernickel, just not as sweet. It is so awesome because it has an amazingly rich flavour, lots of nutrients, is dense, chewy, and moist, and it keeps so well, that you could probably send it to your aunt in Australia by ship without doing any harm to it. I made two versions of this bread. First I followed the original recipe to the t.

Bäcker Süpke's Rye Whole Grain with Sourdough

I liked the result and wanted to make a second bread. When I opened my flour cupboard in the evening to prepare the starter, I realized that I didn’t have any rye left. The horror. But then I heard the spelt whisper: “Please, take me.” (Those vegans, they think grains can talk. Must be lack of protein.)

So I made a second loaf  with freshly milled spelt groats and a couple of sunflower seeds.

spelt groats

This one came out even better than the first. It’s like the organic bread from my all time favourite bakery at my parents’ place. It’s some seriously good stuff.

Bäcker Süpke's bread made with spelt

Just like with any good bread, you need some time and patience to make this. And you should make this. You need to prepare the starter 20 hours before you start baking.

To make the starter:

150 g spelt groats
150 g water
1 tablespoon ripe sourdough starter (the stuff you keep in the fridge, also called “mother dough” or “mother starter”)

Put all ingredients in a bowl, stir until combined, cover with a plate or plastic and let ferment in a warm place for 20 hours.

This bread is not only made with a sourdough starter, it does as well contain a “Brühstück” (scald soak). For such a Brühstück grains and/or seeds are mixed with an equal amount of hot water. The soaked and softened grains add even more moisture to the bread. In this case the Brühstück is made from:

150 g spelt groats
150 g hot water

Pour hot water over groats and let sit for 3 hours.

After you’ve prepared your starter and have the Brühstück ready, you can start to make your bread.

Whole Grain Spelt Bread with Sunflower Seeds

(slightly adapted from this recipe)

300 g prepared starter
300 g Brühstück
150 g spelt groats
50 g sunflower seeds
125 g water
25 g sugar beet syrup or molasses (not blackstrap!)
10 g salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Knead until everything is well combined. The dough will not be like regular bread dough, but more like freshly prepared polenta or stiff oatmeal:

bread dough

Let the dough rest for 30 minutes, so that the grains and seeds can absorb the water. Transfer to a bread pan (lined with parchment paper or grease well). Cover with plastic and sprinkle with spelt groats. Let rise for 2 hours. The bread probably won’t rise as much as bread made from hite flour. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 250°C (480°F). Bake the bread for then minutes, reduce heat to 180°C (350°F) and bake for another 50-60 minutes. Remove from oven and let the bread rest for 24 hours before slicing. Top with your favourite vegan cheese or sausage, eggless egg salad, chickpea salad, Tartex or sunflower seed spread, etc.

Guten Appetit! By the way, would anybody be interested in a blog post about how to make your own sourdough starter?

This entry was submitted to Susan’s YeastSpotting.

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