Sprouted Spelt Bread

The HBinFive Baking Group made sandwich breads this month. Sprouted Wheat Bread is one of my favorite sandwich breads so I decided to continue my experiment with different types of sprouted grains and come up with a new sprouted grain sandwich bread. I used my favorite sprouted bread recipe, but substituted spelt grains for the whole wheat grains and spelt flour for the whole wheat and bread flours. The finished bread is very tasty.

I milled spelt grains into flour and sifted part of the flour twice to remove a good bit of the bran.  I substituted the sifted spelt flour for the bread flour and the unsifted spelt flour for the whole wheat flour called for in the original recipe.

In the photo below, the sifted flour is shown in the top left.  The whole grain flour is in the bottom right and the sifted bran is shown in the bottom left.

 

Sprouted Spelt Bread Recipe

Adapted from The Pleasure of Whole-Grain Breads by Beth Hensperger

Makes: 3 Medium Loaves or 1 Pullman Loaf and 1 Small Loaf*

*The original recipe makes three medium loaves. I decided to make one loaf in my Pullman pan and one loaf in my small loaf pan.  I used about 2/3 of the dough for the Pullman loaf and the rest for the smaller loaf.

 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (4 oz) warm water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons (1 1/2 packages) active dry yeast
• Pinch of sugar
• Pinch of ginger
• 2 cups (260 g) whole spelt flour
• 1 cup (85 g) nonfat dry milk powder
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups (12 oz) warm water
• 1/4 cup (3 oz) honey
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• Sprouted spelt berries, chopped (see method below)
• 4 cups (540 g) spelt flour (sifted once to remove the bran and germ)
• Wheat germ, for sprinkling (optional)
• Melted butter, for brushing (optional)

 

Directions:

Step 1: Sprouting the Spelt Berries

Duration: 2 to 3 days

Makes: ~2 cups

1/2 cup raw spelt berries

Place the spelt berries in a bowl and add tepid water to cover by 1 inch. Let stand at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours.

 

Drain the spelt berries and rinse with fresh water. Place in a 1-quart jar. Cover with cheesecloth and secure with a rubber band. Place the jar on its side in a warm, dark place. Twice a day, rinse and drain the berries with tepid water poured through the cheesecloth.

 

How long should you sprout the berries? Sprout the berries just until the tiny sprout is barely beginning to show and the grain itself is tender – this could take anywhere from 18 hours to 36 hours, depending on the temperature in your house. If the grain sprouts develop long enough for diastatic enzymes to get started, it will make the bread very gooey and it won't bake through. 

 

Additional posts and helpful information on sprouted bread:

• How to make sprouted bread
• Sprouted Bread with sprouted wheat & bread flour
• Sprouted Wheat Bread with sprouts and no flour - Take Two
• Sprouted Wheat Bread with sprouts and no flour - Take One
• Sprouted Einkorn Bread with no flour
• Sprouted Einkorn Bread with flour

 

What if you’re not ready to use the sprouts just yet? Refrigerate the sprouts in a plastic bag for up to 3 days. 

I sprouted the spelt berries for a couple of days, then refrigerated them for a few days until I was ready to bake the bread. Just remember, they will continue to germinate while in the refrigerator.

 

When you’re ready to bake the bread, grind the berries in a food processor or blender. Be careful not to over process; the berries should be chunky.

 

Step 2: Making the Bread

Pour 1/2 cup warm water into a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast, sugar, and ginger over the water. Stir to dissolve and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.

 

In a large bowl using a whisk or in the bowl of your mixer, combine the whole spelt flour, milk powder, and salt.

 

Add the warm water, honey, and 4 tablespoons butter. Mix by hand or beat in the mixer for 1 minute. Add the yeast mixture and beat 1 minute longer. Add all the spelt berries and the spelt bread flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating on low speed until a soft dough that just clears the sides of the bowl forms.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until soft and spongy, 1 to 2 minutes for a machine mixed dough and 3 to 4 minutes for a hand-mixed dough, dusting with flour only 1 tablespoon at a time, just enough as needed to prevent sticking.

 

Place dough in a lightly greased deep container, turn once to coat the top with oil, and cover with plastic wrap.

 

Let rise at room temperature until double in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

 

Grease a Pullman pan and an 8-by-4-inch loaf pan and sprinkle the bottom and sides with wheat germ.

Divide the dough into two pieces.  Use about 2/3 of the dough for the Pullman loaf and the rest for the smaller loaf or divide it into three pieces to make three medium loaves. Shape the dough into balls, cover them with plastic and let them rest on the counter for 10 to 15 minutes.

 

Shape the large dough ball into a cylinder shape.

 

Place the cylinder in the Pullman Pan and cover it with the lid.

 

Flatten the smaller dough ball on the counter and pat it into a rectangle.  Then, roll it up jellyroll style into a loaf shape. Press the seam closed with your fingers and place, seam side down, into the prepared pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until level with the rims of the pan, about 1 hour.

 

About 15 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and position a rack in the center of the oven. Bake the loaves for 45 to 50 minutes, or until crusty and golden. Remove the loaf from the pans to cool on a rack and brush the top with melted butter (if desired).

 

Let the loaves cool, then slice and enjoy. I like this bread, it has a great flavor.  It makes a great grilled cheese sandwich and tastes yummy spread with jam.

 

 

Thanks for joining me in the bread-baking blog. 

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy