Comments on: Spelt bread

By: Anguskirk

Anguskirk — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 12:10:14 +0000

Thanks! During many years of breadmaking I’ve found that lengthy and elaborate kneading just isn’t necessary, and I didn’t give the Spelt loaf any special treatment.
I use a similar kneading method to the one in your recipe but don’t stretch it as much, pushing into the dough with the heel of my hand until it is just long enough to fold in half. Then I turn it and repeat until it is completely smooth without any dry or flaky bits, which usually takes only a few minutes.
IMHO, the reason your loaf wasn’t as light and even as it could be might have been due to the gentle stretching and folding before the second proving. I simply bashed the gas pockets out of my dough as usual and chafed it to fit a tin. It was baked for 15 minutes at 230C (gas mark plus another 15 minutes at 200C (mark 6)

By: theordinarycook

theordinarycook — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 09:35:58 +0000

Hi Angus, that looks like a good recipe. Do you knead it well, as you would for a white loaf, or is there less kneading involved? I sometimes make a pure spelt loaf, but it’s not as light as I would prefer it to be. Although, having said that sometimes a denser loaf is very nice indeed. Kath

By: AngusKirk

AngusKirk — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 17:09:48 +0000

I agree that Spelt is delicious. I made a loaf today using my normal recipe:

600 gm Sharham Park Organic Stone Ground Spelt flour
330 gm water
1 tsp quick yeast
10 gm salt
1.5 tbsp olive oil.

It rose extremely well and made a beautifully light and tasty bread, showing that it is not always necessary to add strong white flour. There is said to be a wide variation in the quality of gluten between different cultivars of Spelt which could explain why some people have difficulty with it. (And no, I don’t have any connection with Sharham Park!)

By: theordinarycook

theordinarycook — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 14:05:32 +0000

Hi, I must give crumpets another go, I didn’t quite get the temperature right last time and burned the bottom before the middle was cooked. I don’t think using different shaped cookie cutters was a very good substitute for uniformly sized crumpet rings though so will have to try and purchase these first.

By: Wendy

Wendy — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 11:39:39 +0000

I love that book! I got it as part of my birthday present last year and made crumpets… must try the spelt bread now. Lickedspoon – tell Daniel it is a great book and a great read!

By: Chelsea buns « The Ordinary Cook

Chelsea buns « The Ordinary Cook — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 08:57:04 +0000

[...] butter and milk. Using your hands mix to a sticky dough. Knead the dough, as described in the spelt bread recipe until the dough is silky and smooth. Rinse the bowl clean and dry well and place the dough [...]

By: theordinarycook

theordinarycook — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 06:31:30 +0000

Well, that’s fantastic. It’s a great book that I will be using again and again.

By: lickedspoon

lickedspoon — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 23:18:55 +0000

I’m so pleased your loaf was such a success, lopsided or not! It was a lovely surprise to see this post as Daniel is a friend of mine and I worked with him on this book . It’s great to see that it’s being used and enjoyed – he’ll be thrilled.

By: theordinarycook

theordinarycook — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 19:36:16 +0000

I have just taken a look at the said baguettes- I have a lot to learn it seems!

By: Tracy (Amuse-bouche for Two)

Tracy (Amuse-bouche for Two) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 19:29:05 +0000

Oh, no…your bread looks just amazing. I love the color and the texture. I was hanging my head low over my baguettes when I saw the ones on Kiss My Spatula’s site the very same week.