This has become one of my new favorites. It has that nutty spelt flavor, but I combine it with all-purpose flour so it’s not dense or heavy.It needs lots of stretch and folds and a long rise, but the taste is SO worth it.
As I said, we need a lot of stretch and folds since spelt has less gluten than regular flour. We need to develop the structure and get it smooth and elastic. The dough will tell you when it’s ready. Sounds cheesy, but it’s true! I usually start this in the evening and let it rise overnight, then bake it first thing in the morning.
Table of Contents
Ingredients and Tools You’ll Need
Look for the spelt flour in natural food stores or the organic section. Bob’s Red Mill is consistently good.
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This makes one loaf with about 16 slices. If you’d like to double or triple this recipe, or use metric measurements, you can make adjustments in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- digital scale
- Whisk, spatula, or wooden spoon
- Dutch oven
- Bench Scraper
- Parchment paper
- Tea towel or plastic wrap
Ingredients
- ½ cup active sourdough starter
- 1 ¼ cups warm water
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 cup spelt flour
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
Step One: Get Your Starter Ready First
About 4-6 hours before making dough, feed it: 25 grams starter, 35 grams flour, 35 grams water. Let it double and get bubbly.
Step Two: Make The Dough
Mix the warm water, active starter, salt, and sugar in your bowl.
Add the spelt flour and stir.
Then add the all-purpose flour and mix until you have a rough dough ball. Cover and wait 30 minutes.
Step Three: Stretch And Folds
Wet your hands so the dough won’t stick. Grab one side, stretch it up, and fold it over. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat until you’ve done all four sides. Cover, wait 30 minutes. Do this 3-4 times total.
After the last stretch and fold, flip the dough smooth-side up. Do 2-3 more rounds of stretching and folding, then you’re done with that part.
Step Four: Bulk Rise
Cover the dough and let it rise at room temperature for 8-12 hours until doubled. Cold house = longer rise time.
Step Five: Shape And Preheat
Turn the dough onto a floured counter and shape into a ball. Put it on parchment paper and either place it in a clean bowl or leave it on the counter while your oven heats.
Put your Dutch oven in the oven and preheat to 450°F. Let it heat for 20 minutes.
Step Six: Score And Bake
Score the top with a razor or sharp knife. Use the parchment to lower the dough into the hot Dutch oven.
Bake covered for 25 minutes. Remove the lid, turn the heat down to 375°F, and bake another 25 minutes.
Let it cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting. This isn’t optional – hot bread turns gummy when you cut it.
Serving & Storing
It makes incredible grilled cheese and French toast, but my favorite way to eat it is still warm from the oven with a generous swipe of salted homemade butter.
This bread stays fresh for 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
For longer storage, slice the whole loaf and freeze – then toast slices straight from frozen.
Make It Your Own
Here are a few ways to adapt the recipe.
- Swap up to half the spelt flour for whole wheat if you want a heartier loaf.
- Add 2 tablespoons of honey instead of sugar for a more complex sweetness.
- This dough also makes excellent dinner rolls – just divide it into 12 pieces after bulk fermentation and bake at 375°F for 20-25 minutes.
Troubleshooting and Help
Yep! Use a regular loaf pan or baking sheet, but place a shallow pan of water on the bottom oven rack to create steam for the first 25 minutes.
Give it more time: spelt can slow things down a lot. If it’s been 15+ hours and still not doubled, your starter might not be active enough or your house is too cold.
Nope, the stretch and folds need to happen before the long bulk rise. The dough structure develops during those folds, not during the rise.
Tap the bottom – it should sound hollow. Or use a thermometer – the internal temp should be around 200-205°F.
More Sourdough Bread Recipes
There are so many ways to enjoy sourdough bread. From your basic loaf to adding fun stuff, I hope you’ll find something you’ll love.
- Cranberry orange sourdough bread is perfect for fall or winter.
- You’ll love this easy no-knead sourdough bread.
- A slice of sourdough bread with gruyere and caramelized onions is the perfect side to a bowl of chili or soup.
- Enjoy this sourdough rye bread for Reuben sandwiches.
Printable Recipe
Sourdough Spelt Bread
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Whisk, spatula, or wooden spoon
- Bench Scraper
- Tea towel or plastic wrap
Ingredients
- ½ cup active sourdough starter
- 1 ¼ cups warm water
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 cup spelt flour
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Activate starter. 4-6 hours before, mix together 25 grams of starter, 35 grams of all-purpose flour, and 35 grams of filtered water. Stir and let it double in size and become bubbly. This will give you 100 grams of active starter.
- Make dough. Add the warm water, active sourdough starter, salt, and sugar to a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
- Add spelt flour. Add the spelt flour to the water mixture. Stir to combine.
- Add all-purpose flour. Next, add the all-purpose flour, using a wooden spoon or spatula, and stir to combine. Form the dough into a ball. Cover and let it sit for 30 minutes.
- Stretch and folds. Wet your hands with water (this helps prevent the dough from sticking to your hands). Pick up one side of the dough, stretch it, and fold the dough over. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat this process until all four corners of the dough have been stretched up and folded over. Cover and let it sit for 30 minutes. Repeat the stretch and folds 3 or 4 times. Flip the dough over. Cover the dough and let it sit for 30 minutes. Repeat the stretch and fold 2-3 more times.
- Bulk rise. Cover the dough and let it sit at room temperature for 8-12 hours or until it has doubled in size. The temperature of the room will affect the rise time.
- Shape. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Shape the dough into a ball and place it on a piece of parchment paper. Move it to a clean bowl (this will prevent spreading) or let it sit undisturbed on the counter while your Dutch oven preheats.
- Preheat. Place the oven racks in the lower two spots. Place your Dutch oven in the oven and preheat the oven to 450℉. Let the oven sit at 450℉ for 20 minutes to heat your Dutch oven.
- Score. Score the top of the dough with a pastry razor.
- Bake. Bake at 450℉ covered for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, remove the lid, reduce the oven temperature to 375℉, and bake for 25 minutes.
- Cool. Remove from the oven, transfer to a cooling rack, and cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting into it.
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Notes
Nutrition
Love,
