Sourdough Asiago Rosemary Spelt Bread

The fragrant aroma of rosemary used to greet me every time I walked out my front door and down the walkway. Until this past winter that is, when my huge rosemary bush bit the dust.

The rosemary bush grew beside the rose bush which is right next to the driveway. It started out as a little plant, but kept growing and multiplying until it got huge. I had to prune it and dry the herbs frequently so it didn’t take over the front walkway.

Whenever I baked bread or made a dish that called for fresh rosemary, it was so convenient to just walk out the front door and cut a few springs. The plant had faired well the past several years, but this winter was just too much for it. It froze and never came back to life. I had to let it go. (Sad face)

I miss my rosemary bush so I just bought a new plant. This time, I’m going to plant it in my herb garden so it has plenty of room to grow without my neighbors wondering what has taken over my front walk. The herbs in my raised bed are doing very well so I think the rosemary plant will like it there.

Now I’ll have to walk around the corner to cut a sprig or two, but it’ll be nice to go for a walk in the garden even if that garden is just a few raised beds.

 

Sourdough Asiago Rosemary & Pepper Bread made with Spelt

Adapted from: Asiago Rosemary Pepper Bread from April 2014 edition of Coastal Living Magazine and Rosemary Bread from Classic Sourdoughs by Ed Wood and Jean Wood

Makes: 1 large loaf

I enjoy using rosemary in breads because it enhances the flavor, especially when paired with olive oil.  Ever since we made the Potato and Rosemary Bread in the BBA Challenge, I’ve had a fondness for breads flavored with rosemary.

This bread is infused with flavor due to the fresh rosemary, but it also includes cracked black pepper and Asiago cheese. I super charged it further by making it with sourdough instead of dried yeast.

The dough is filled with cheese and herbs on the inside and sprinkled with more cheese on the outside. This gives it a crispy and cheesy crust and a fluffy crumb.  It tastes great plain or used as a sponge for dipping in olive oil.

 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sourdough starter, 100% hydration, recently fed
• 1/2 cup warm water (105° to 110°) *
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups white Spelt flour, more for sprinkling if necessary
• 1 cup whole grain Spelt flour
• 1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded Asiago cheese, divided
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

* If you use regular bread flour instead of Spelt, you may need to increase the amount of water used, but add it gradually, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Procedure:

Day 1 Morning: Feed your Sourdough Culture

Refer to this post on how to activate a starter or feed your starter according to your feeding schedule.  Just make sure it’s 100% hydration.

Day 1 Evening: Mix the Dough/Bulk Ferment

Combine the active sourdough starter, warm water, and olive oil in a large bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon to break up the starter. 

Stir in the flours and next 3 ingredients until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in 1 cup cheese; knead 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic.

Shape dough into a ball, and place in a lightly greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover with plastic wrap and let it proof overnight at room temperature, about 70 degrees F. The loaf should double in size during the bulk ferment.

Day 3 Morning: Shape & Retard Loaf in Refrigerator

Ease the dough out of the bowl onto a floured working surface. Let it rest for 30 minutes, then shape the dough into a round loaf and place it in a lined or unlined floured banneton basket. Place the basket in the refrigerator to retard for at least 5 hours. I did this in the morning and baked the loaf in the afternoon.

Day 3 Afternoon: Score and Bake the Loaf

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. for at least 30 minutes with the Emile Henry Bread Cloche on the bottom rack.

Remove the loaf from the refrigerator and gently flip it onto a round piece of parchment paper cut to fit the bottom of the bread cloche. 

Score the loaf using the pattern of your choice. Make 3 or 4 (1/4 inch wide) slices into top of loaf. The dough is really easy to score after it’s been retarded in the refrigerator.

Combine the egg and 1 tablespoon water and brush on top of dough. Sprinkle the loaf with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese.

Carefully remove the bread cloche from the oven and gently slide the loaf (on the parchment paper) onto the preheated cloche base.  I used a pizza peel to do this.

Bake covered with bread cloche dome lid, 30 minutes, then remove the lid and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes longer, or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped.  Let it cool completely on a wire rack.

 

 

This sourdough bread is a cheesy and rosemary delight.  Because of the oven spring, the loaf took over the base of the cloche.

Happy Baking!

Cathy

 

EZ DOH Crusty Spelt Bread

For my next experiment with the EZ DOH bread dough maker, I made whole wheat bread using an overnight sponge. I’ve made this bread several times; each time with a different type of flour. This time, I used a mixture of white and whole grain Spelt.

 

Using an overnight sponge helps with gluten development.  This is particularly useful when working with ancient grains because they generally have a weaker gluten structure. Allowing the final dough to ferment for a longer period of time also aids with gluten development.

Due to the weaker protein structure, spelt doughs also benefit from a shorter mix.  It’s generally better to mix them by hand or utilize a shorter mix on first speed in a stand mixer.  Due to these characteristics, I felt this would be a good dough to test in the EZ DOH unit.

This bread can be baked in a regular loaf pan or as a freeform artisan loaf.  I tried it both ways (see photo below).  The loaf on the left is made with white and whole grain Spelt.  The loaf on the right is made completely with whole grain Spelt and baked on a baking stone using steam.

 

This post documents the process for the loaf bread. If you want to learn how to bake the hearth-style loaf, refer to the Einkorn Bread made with an Overnight Sponge post.

 

crusty Spelt Bread

Makes: 1 Loaf

Adapted from: Bread Science by Emily Buehler

Ingredients:

Sponge:

• 187 g (1 2/3 cups) white Spelt flour
• 140 g (2/3 cup) water (50 to 55 degrees F.)
• 1/8 tsp. instant yeast

Final Dough:

• 210g (~1 3/4 cups) whole grain Spelt flour (plus more for sprinkling)
• 327g Sponge (all of it)
• 140g (2/3 cup) water (60 to 65 degrees F.)
• 1/2 tsp. instant yeast
• 2 tsp. salt

 

Directions:

Mixing the Sponge:

Mix the sponge 12 to 15 hours before you plan to make the dough. If the temperature is cooler in the house, then use warmer water, if it is warmer in the house, then use cooler water. Final temperature should be about 65 degrees F.

I mixed the sponge in the EZ DOH and let it rest in the unit overnight.

 

After the overnight rest, I added about half the water to break up the sponge. I mixed the sponge and the water for a minute or so, then I added the dry ingredients and starting mixing while I gradually added the rest of the water. I mixed until all of the dry ingredients were incorporated into the dough. Then I removed the handle assembly and kneaded the dough just a bit (in the bucket) with my hands.

 

Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let the dough bulk ferment for 1 hour. Fold and turn the dough in the bowl or take it out and perform a fold on the counter or work surface.

Place the dough back in the bucket, cover again, and let it bulk ferment for another hour.

After the 2 hour fermentation, shape the dough into a loaf shape. Place the loaf seam side down in an 8 1/2” x 4 1/2”  loaf pan. I used a glass loaf pan.

I scored the loaf before the final proof so it wouldn’t deflate the dough. This is recommended for weaker doughs.  It also gives the scores more definition after baking.

 

Let the loaf proof for an hour.  It probably won’t double in size during the proof, but the oven spring should be very good.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.  The crust should be brown and crusty.

Remove the loaf to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.

 

The EZ DOH bread maker lives up to its name.  It’s really easy to use.  I like it although I have found that it does require a bit of hands on kneading.  If you’re making breads by hand, this shouldn’t be an issue because you want to get your hands on the dough to make sure it’s developing properly. 

The EZ DOH is a useful tool for mixing no knead breads and for making breads that require a longer fermentation time to develop the gluten.

Happy Baking!

Cathy

 

Spelt & Rye Loaves with Cranberries & Walnuts

The bread of the month (BOM) for the Artisan Bread Bakers is an adaptation of one of Jeffrey Hammelman’s breads. The BOM version includes raisins and hazelnuts, but I didn’t have any hazelnuts so I used walnuts. I really enjoy cranberries and walnuts together in bread so I also substituted craisins for the raisins.

 

I’ve made white breads and mixed grain loaves with cranberries and walnuts before, and I really enjoy them but this time, I wanted to change things up a bit. I used all-purpose spelt instead of bread flour and whole grain spelt instead of whole wheat flour. I also added about10% home-milled rye flour to round out the flavor.

For this experiment, I had the opportunity to taste test VitaSpelt Whole Spelt Flour. Purity Foods graciously sent me some samples of their whole grain flour and Spelt Berries to bake with. I already use (and enjoy) their all-purpose white Spelt so I was only to happy to try some of their other products.

 

Spelt & Rye Loaves with Cranberries & Walnuts

Adapted from: Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes by Jeffrey Hammelman.

Makes: 2 Loaves

Ingredients	Weight/Volume	Baker’s %
All-Purpose White Spelt Flour	475 g	52%
All-Purpose Whole Grain Spelt Flour	343 g	38%
Whole Grain Rye Flour	90 g	10%
Water, lukewarm	555 g	61%
Salt	17 g (~1 T)	2%
Yeast	4 g
Walnuts, roasted & coarsely chopped	136 g (1 cup)	15%
Craisins	136 g (scant cup)	15%

 

Method:

1. Place the craisins in a glass or bowl and cover them with boiling water (do not discard the water). Soak the craisins for 15 to 20 minutes.

2. In the meantime, roast the walnuts in a pan on top of the stove until golden and fragrant. Roughly chop the nuts.

3. Drain the craisins. Reserve the craisin water for use in the dough. You will need to add more water.

Note: Because I used Spelt, I used less water than the original formula. I ended up with about 110 g of water when I drained the craisins. I reserved this amount in a separate measuring cup.  Then I measured out 471 g of additional water in a different measuring cup.  I used all but about 26 g of the water I had measured for a total of 555 g. You may need more or less water depending on the type of flour used.

4. Add the flours, salt and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Combine with a dough whisk. 

5. Add the water gradually while mixing on first speed to incorporate the dough.  Mix for three minutes on first speed, then increase to second speed and mix for an additional three minutes.

6. Since Spelt is picky about being over mixed, I incorporated the nuts and raisins by hand.  If you are using bread flour and whole wheat flour, you can use the stand mixer to incorporate the nuts and raisins.

 

7. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and allow to ferment for two hours, folding the dough after one hour.

 

8. Shape into round or oblong loaves and proof for 70 minutes. I shaped one oval and one round loaf.

9. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. about 30-45 minutes before you plan to bake the bread. Place a baking stone on the bottom rack and a steam pan underneath or a cast iron skillet on the top shelf while the oven is preheating.

10. Carefully remove the proofed loaves from the bannetons (onto parchment paper or a baking peel). Score the loaves using the pattern of your choice. I used different scoring patterns and lames for each loaf. I used a straight-scoring lame on the round loaf and a curved lame on the oval loaf.

 

11. Slide the loaves (on the parchment paper) onto the preheated baking stone.  Add hot water to the steam pan or 3 or 4 ice cubes to the cast iron skillet.  Spritz the walls of the oven with water.  Immediately close the door.

Bake the loaves for about 35 minutes. The breads might darken fast due to the craisin water, so watch them closely and reduce oven temp if necessary.

12. Remove the loaves to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.

 

These loaves are slightly nutty and chewy and very flavorful. The bread tastes great warm with butter or toasted for breakfast or a snack.

I enjoyed baking with the VitaSpelt from Purity Foods. I appreciate the opportunity to test it and look forward to experimenting with it some more. 

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy

Speedy Gonzalez Spelt Bread with a Hat

The Back to the Future, Buddies revisited Cuban Bread this month. Carola, the hostess of the group, called it Speedy Gonzalez Bread because you can make it in about 2 hours (from mixing the dough to taking it out of the oven). I thought that name was very appropriate.

Since I’ve made Cuban Bread before and this version is made with spelt, I decided my bread should be named Speedy Gonzalez Spelt Bread.

 

Cuban Bread is generally made with a small amount of lard or fat which is what differentiates it from French and Italian Breads. It is typically shaped long like a baguette, not in a round shape. So, as Carola surmised, this bread wouldn’t be considered true Cuban Bread, but it sure is good.

These round loaves would make great bread bowls. I thought about making bread bowls to hold the white turkey chili I made from leftover Thanksgiving turkey, but my son wanted to take some bread back with him to school. I ended up making two bigger loaves so they would be sliceable.

Refer to Renee’s post, if you want to see how these loaves can be shaped and served as bread bowls.

 

Cuban Spelt Bread

My original blog post for this Cuban Bread can be found here.

Carola made several different versions of this bread. Visit her blog for more details.

Makes: 2 medium round loaves or 4 smaller loaves

Ingredients:

• 460 g all-purpose spelt flour, plus additional for dusting
• 175 g whole grain spelt
• 11 g instant yeast
• 15 g (1 T) Kosher salt
• 25 g (2 T) raw sugar
• 60 g ground flax seeds
• 420 g lukewarm water, more if necessary
• Sesame or poppy seeds for sprinkling, optional

 

Directions:

1) Mixing the dough

You may use a stand mixer for this part, but I prefer to do it by hand.

Place 300 g all-purpose spelt and 175 g whole grain spelt in a large mixing bowl. Add the instant yeast, salt, sugar and ground flax seed meal. Make sure the salt doesn’t touch the yeast. Using a wire whisk or large spoon, stir until the dry ingredients are well blended.

Pour in about half of the warm water and stir with a wooden spoon or Danish dough whisk until thoroughly incorporated. Gradually add in the remaining water and work in the remaining flour (using fingers if necessary), a little at a time until the dough takes shape and is no longer sticky. I only used about 420 g of water. You may need more or less depending on the type of flour used.

 

2) Kneading the Dough

Sprinkle the work surface with flour. Work in the flour as you knead, keeping a dusting of it between the dough and the work surface. Knead for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic, and feels alive under your hands. Use a light hand if you are working with spelt.

 

 

3) Bulk Fermentation

Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and put in a warm (26-37°C/80-100°F) place until double in bulk. I let mine proof for about 30 minutes in a proofing box at 80 degrees F. The original recipe says to let if proof for 15 minutes, but I was preparing the chili so I let it proof a little bit longer.

 

4) Shaping the Loaves

Punch down the dough, turn it out on the work surface, and cut into two pieces.  Shape each piece into a round and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

 

5) Preparing the Loaves for Baking

If you’re using seeds, now is the time to add them. Spritz the loaves with water and sprinkle the sesame or poppy seeds over the top. I used black sesame seeds. I found that using my index finger to pick up the seeds and gently press them into the spritzed loaves made the seeds stick better. I added the seeds on top and on the sides.

 

6) Scoring the Loaves:

With a sharp knife, razor, or lame, slash an X on each of the loaves or score them using the pattern of your choice.

I used my new Mure & Peyrot Adour lame to score a design I’ve been wanting to try. This lame is designed for curved scoring so it was perfect for this particular method.

For this scoring technique, take the lame (or razor blade) and slide it around the top of a round loaf to form a top. If you score it at the correct angle, the edges of the top will develop a sharp ear while baking. I still need some practice at that. Mine ended up looking like a hat with rounded edges, but for my first try, I’m okay with that.

 

7) Baking the Loaves

Place the baking sheet on the middle shelf of a cold oven. Place a pan of hot water on the shelf below, and heat the oven to 205°C/400°F. The bread will continue to rise while the oven is heating. Bake for about 40-50 minutes, or until the loaves are a deep golden brown. Thump on the bottom crusts to test for doneness. If they sound hard and hollow, they are baked.

 

6) Cooling the loaves

Cool the loaves on a wire rack for about an hour before slicing. My loaves cooled while the chili was cooking. They were ready to be eaten when we were ready for them. I like it when that happens.

 

I had forgotten how easy this bread was to make. It was the perfect bread for holiday weekend baking.  The spelt adds wonderful texture and flavor without making the bread heavy. We enjoyed this loaf with the turkey chili.

Would you like to bake with the Back to the Future, Buddies bread baking group? Visit Carola's website, "Sweet and That's It" (or click on the image below) for details.

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy

Honey Graham Oatmeal Spelt Bread

The Twelve Loaves’ Baking Group has been celebrating its one year anniversary this month. I’m still playing catch up from being out of the country so I’m getting this post in just under the wire.

The group decided to celebrate the event by allowing us to make our favorite bread. That’s an easy one!  My family’s favorite bread by far is Oatmeal Bread. There’s just something so comforting about it.

Making this bread brought back fond memories. Oatmeal bread was one of the first breads I learned to make in my bread machine oh so many years ago. My sons still request it.

 

This time, instead of making the bread in the bread machine, I made it completely by hand; no mixer, or bread machine, just a Danish dough whisk.

I took the characteristics of the oatmeal bread we know and love, and enhanced it by using spelt and graham flours. This updated version is nutty and chewy and full of whole grain flavor. 

 

Honey Graham Oatmeal Spelt Bread

Makes: 1 Loaf

Adapted from Honey Graham Oatmeal Bread

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose Spelt flour
• 3/4 cup Graham flour
• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• 2 teaspoons instant dry yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 1/3 cups warm milk (I used almond milk)
• Extra oats for sprinkling on top of loaf, if desired

 

Directions:

1) Mix the dry ingredients (flours, oats, yeast and salt) together in a large mixing bowl.

 

2) Incorporate the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly but gently using a large wooden spoon or a Danish dough whisk.

 

3) Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead it gently for a few minutes until you have a workable dough.

 

4) Place the dough in a clean, greased bowl and cover it with plastic wrap.

 

5) Let the dough bulk ferment for about an hour, or until doubled in size.

 

6) Remove the dough to a lightly floured surface and gently pat it into a rectangle shape to fit the size of your bread pan.  I used a 9” x 5” nonstick bread pan.

 

7) Starting from the short end, roll the dough up jelly roll style.

 

8) Place the dough seam side down in a bread pan sprayed with olive oil or other baking spray.

 

9) Spray the top of the loaf lightly with water and sprinkle additional oats, if desired. Cover the loaf with plastic wrap and let it proof for 30 –45 minutes or until it crests about 1” to 2” over the rim of the pan.

 

10) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

If desired, score the loaf with 3 diagonal slashes using a lame or serrated knife.

 

11) Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 200°F or the dough sounds “hollow” when you thump the top of it. If the bread appears to be browning too quickly, tent it with aluminum foil for the final 10 minutes of baking.

 

12) Remove the bread from the pan to a cooling rack and let it cool before slicing and serving.

This bread has been Yeastspotted.

My oldest son is staying with me right now so the timing was just right to make this homey bread. This is a healthier version of the oatmeal bread he grew up eating.  It’s a little bit denser and chewier, but delicious nonetheless.

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy