Same Day Spelt Sourdough Bread

I feed my starter twice a day at 8am and 8pm and I start this recipe at 12pm. Your starter should double in size by 12pm if fed at 8 am. This means the starter is strong enough to produce a loaf. I typically bake my loaves at 6:00-6:30pm. Kitchen Temperature can affect how fast or slow your loaf rises during fermentation.

*Please note your starter strength is key. It should double in size with 4-6 hours after being fed to produce a successful loaf.

What you need

Nor Pro stainless steel loaf pan
Clear plastic shower cap
Kitchen scale
Olive oil
Small oven safe dish (for hot water to produce steam for oven spring)

Ingredients

500g spelt flour
300g water
100g active sourdough starter
10g salt
20g honey(optional)

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, combine the bread flour and salt and whisk. In a separate bowl combine the wet ingredients and whisk. Combine all ingredients until fully incorporated.
The dough will be soft but still relatively easy to handle.

Autolyse

Cover the bowl with a damp cotton towel and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. This allows the flour to absorb the water and makes it easier to knead.

Kneading

After the rest, it can be slightly sticky. Knead the dough for about 5-10 minutes or until it feels smooth and starts to develop structure. Spelt flour is delicate and doesnt need as much kneading as bread flour.

Shape the Dough

Using olive oil grease a glass 1.5 qt bread pan and lightly sprinkle flour on top of the olive oil to prevent sticking. This is important! Don't over use flour, you don't want the flour to burn and leave a bitter taste on the loaf. (You can always flip the empty glass pan over and gently shake to discard any extra flour residing in the pan.)
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a log to fit your greased bread pan. If you are limited on counter space or don't want to put the dough on a surface to shape, you can shape it in a large glass bowl and hold the dough with both hands and gently work and shape it into a log.
Place it seam-side down in the bread pan. You can gently press and flatten the top of the loaf to get it to settle into the corners of the bread pan.

Bulk Fermentation

Cover the bread pan with a plastic shower cap to prevent the top from drying out and let the dough rise at room temperature for 4-6 hours, or until it increases in size by about 50%. The loaf will be ready to bake once it reaches just under the edge of the pan.

Bake

Preheat your oven to 400°F (232°C). Fill a small oven safe dish halfway full with hot water to produce steam to help with oven spring. Place it on the bottom rack and wait 30 min before putting your loaf in the oven to allow the steam to build up.
Remove the shower cap and score. Place the bread in the oven and bake for 40min.

Cooling

Allow the loaf to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack. Let it cool for at least one hour before slicing. I allow my loaves to cool 3 hours before placing them in my bread box for the night. In the morning, I use a bread slicer to cut my slices for toast for the week