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 8:00-8:30pm in the Fall/Winter and 7:00-7:30pm in Spring/Summer. Kitchen Temperature can affect how fast or slow your loaf rises during fermentation.

• 300g spelt flour (whole or white)
• 200g bread flour (for added gluten strength)
• 150g active sourdough starter (100% hydration, fed and bubbly)
• 250g water (60% hydration of the total flour weight)
• 30g honey (about 1.5 tablespoons)
• 8g salt (about 1 1/2 teaspoons)

Mix the dough:
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the spelt flour, bread flour, and salt.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the sourdough starter, water, and honey until the honey dissolves.
3. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until a stiff dough forms. It will feel firm because of the low hydration.

Autolyse:

4. Let the dough rest for about 30 minutes to allow the flour to hydrate.

Kneading:

5. Knead the dough by hand for about 5-7 minutes. Spelt doesn’t need much kneading as bread flour, so be gentle to avoid overworking the gluten, which can make the dough collapse. Alternatively, you can use the stretch-and-fold method every 30 minutes during bulk fermentation instead of intense kneading.

Bulk fermentation:

6. Place the dough in a glass bowl, cover it with a damp cloth or plastic wrap, and let it rise at room temperature for 4-6 hours, depending on your room temperature. It should increase in size by about 50-70%. Spelt ferments faster than regular wheat, so keep an eye on it.

Shaping:

7. Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently shape the dough into a loaf by flattening it slightly, folding the edges in, and rolling it into a tight log shape
8. Place the shaped dough into a lightly greased glass bread pan.

Final proof:

9. Place a plastic shower cap around the top of the loaf pan to prevent the dough from drying out. Let the dough rise for another 2-3 hours at room temperature. It should rise to about 1.5 times its original size, just below or at the rim of the bread pan.

   Preheat the oven:

10. Preheat your oven to 230°C (450°F) about 30 minutes before baking. If desired, place a baking tray with hot water at the bottom of the oven to create steam, which helps with oven spring and crust development.

Baking:

11. Bake the loaf at 230°C (450°F) for the first 10-15 minutes to give it a good initial rise.
12. After the first 10-15 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 200°C (390°F) and bake for another 25-30 minutes until the loaf has a golden-brown crust and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

    Cooling:

13. Once the loaf is fully baked, remove it from the pan and allow it to cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing. This helps the crumb set properly.

1. Honey adds moisture, a slight sweetness, and helps with browning, making the crust a bit richer in color.
2. This recipe is at a low hydration at 60%. This will result in a firmer dough and a denser, more structured crumb. If you want a lighter loaf, you could increase the hydration slightly, but 60% keeps the dough easy to handle in the bread pan.
3. This recipe should give you a slightly sweet, nutty-flavored sourdough loaf with a firm structure, perfect for slicing.
4. After my loaf has cooled on a wire rack for 2-3 hours I store it in my bread box before going to bed. I don’t slice my loaf until the next morning.
Enjoy!