This is no joke my first blog post ever… it scares the living crap out of me and makes me want to leap up and down at the same time. This whole “food blog thing” as I have been calling it has been simmering around in my mind for more than a year now. Over the past 4 months or so it literally feels like there has been a bug sitting in my ear going “hey Sophie”… “hey Sophie”… “HEY SOPHIE”… reminding me every.single.damn.day about getting this blog going.
I’ve had to let go of A LOT to even get to this point of clicking publish. I’ve let go of it all looking and feeling perfect, from the photos, to the site layout, to every word I am typing right now. I’ve let go of needing to have a bunch of recipes already here before launching it out into the universe. Let go, let go, let go. I feel like I’ve gone from looking 3000 feet down the road to simply looking at my feet on the ground and just figuring out what the next step is. So here it is… the next step.
My Mom and I have been making this spelt flour no knead bread recipe for years now. Bread is also the first thing we ever made with Spelt flour. It took a lot of tinkering (thanks Mom!) as we couldn’t find any recipes at the time. There are lots of no knead bread recipes out there now, but I still have a hard time finding ones made with ancient grain flours (at least ones that are in English). Don’t feel daunted by all the directions! This really is super simple once you get the hang of it and once your hands know the feel of it.
Here’s to letting go, taking a step forward and maybe eating a fresh piece of bread slathered with butter while doing it. 😀
Happy baking!
Update February 2018: Finally getting around to sharing this quick video to show you how simple it is to fold this slack and sticky spelt flour no knead bread dough. Enjoy!
If you liked this recipe you are going to love these ones!
Seedy Spelt No Knead Bread
Sunflower Flax Seed No Knead Spelt Bread
Cinnamon Raisin No Knead Spelt Bread
Spelt Flour No Knead Bread
Ingredients
- 100 g organic whole spelt flour
- 300 g organic all purpose, unbleached spelt flour (also called white spelt flour)
- 1 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp instant yeast
- 300 ml room temperature water (assuming room temperature of 21 degrees Celsius)
Instructions
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In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and yeast. In a measuring cup, measure out the water. Add the water to the dry ingredients and mix the dough until it is completely incorporated and it sticks to your fingers. Cover the bowl with a clean dish towel and let the dough rest for 20 minutes so the flour can absorb the water. After the rest, stretch and fold the dough by grabbing a piece of it from the outside edge then gently lift and fold that piece of dough over to the other side. Continue around the dough in a clock-wise fashion until the dough has tightened.
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Cover the bowl again and let it sit at room temperature until the surface is dotted with bubbles and the dough has doubled in size (approximately 7-8 hours depending on your room temperature, see note 1)
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When the first rise is complete, place your heavy cast iron pot and lid into the oven and pre-heat the oven to 475 degrees F. Position the rack in the lower third of the oven. The pot needs to pre-heat for at least 30 minutes.
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Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the dough out of the bowl in one piece. Using lightly floured hands gently pat the dough out into a rectangle. Fold one short side of the dough into the middle and then fold the other short side on top. Then fold the dough in half the other direction. Dust lightly with flour, gently cover with the kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let rest for 5 minutes. While you are waiting, lightly flour a banneton basket or crumple a square piece of parchment paper, flatten it out again and line a medium sized bowl with it. Use your fist to push the paper down into the bowl and your other hand to smooth the creases of the paper around the inside and top edge of the bowl. Repeat the folding process outlined above a second time or shape into a boule.
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Repeat the folding process outlined above a second time, let the dough rest for 5 minutes and then repeat the folding process a third time or shape into a boule. With lightly floured hands, lift the dough and place it seam side up in the banneton basket or seam side down in the parchment lined bowl. Cover and place on the counter next to the stove for 20 minutes for the second rise. To test if the dough is ready, press, do not poke, the tip of one floured finger quickly and lightly, about half an inch, slightly off center, into the crown of the dough. If the indentation remains but springs back slightly, the dough is ready for the oven. If the dent fills in, give the dough another 5-10 minutes to rise and re-test.
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Remove the pot from the oven and remove the lid.
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If using a banneton basket, place a square piece of parchment paper on the counter and gently flip the dough on to it. Score the dough using a lame (or use a sharp pair of scissors to make 3-4 shallow cuts at a 45 degree angle along the center line of the dough) to assist in "oven spring". Lift the dough by holding the corners of the parchment paper and lower it into the pot.
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If using a bowl, first lift the dough out of the bowl by holding all corners of the parchment paper and lower it into the pot. Then use a lame and score the dough (or use a sharp pair of scissors to make 3-4 shallow cuts at a 45 degree angle along the center line of the dough) to assist in "oven spring".
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Cover the pot with the lid and put it back into the oven. Reduce the heat to 450 degrees F and bake for 30 minutes.
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After 30 minutes, remove the lid and continue baking for another 10 minutes until the bread is a lovely chestnut brown. Remove from the oven, carefully lift the bread out of the hot pot and place it on a rack to cool thoroughly. If you have an instant read thermometer, the bread is done when the internal temperature is 190-200 degrees F.
Recipe Notes
- I am assuming a room temperature of 21 degrees C here. If your room temperature is higher your dough will take less time to rise, if you room temperature is lower your dough will take more time to rise. At this point you can also place the covered dough in the fridge to slow down the fermentation process. Bring the dough back to room temperature and ensure it has doubled in size and the surface is dotted with bubble before continuing.
- Unless you will consume all the bread within 2-3 days, cut it in half after it has completely cooled and store one half in the freezer. When you are ready for another half loaf, use your hands to moisten the entire outside with water and place in pre-heated 350F oven. Bake for 8 minutes or until the crust is hard to the touch, remove and let it finish thawing in the center. It will taste like freshly baked bread!
Variations:
Rye and Spelt No Knead Bread
- Change the flour proportions to 50g whole spelt flour, 250g all purpose spelt flour and 100g dark rye flour.
Fig and Fennel No Knead Spelt Bread
- Add 1/2 tbsp fennel seeds, 1/2 tsp anise seeds and 75g chopped dried figs to the flour mixture before adding the water.
Awesome job Sophie. This is very exciting. Spelt flour is on my shopping list now. I love this bread! Thank you for doing this!!!
Thanks Gabby! I use Anita’s Organics Spelt flour. They are out in Chilliwack, but pretty much every natural/organic grocery food store carries them.
Congrats on your first blog ever. Your enthusiasm bubbles over. Great recipes Sophie. Like the tips on measuring for accuracy using a scale. Very NB in my experience.
Where did you get the large cast iron pots with lids.? Good for the biceps.
Thanks Lynn! I definitely notice a difference using a scale to measure flour than just cup measurements, especially when making bread. I use round Kitchenaid cast iron casserole pots with lids for my bread. Bought them at Canadian Tire as they go on sale fairly regularly.
I was looking for spelt bread without yeast as well. Any chance you know how to make regular bread like that too?
Hi Wendy, thanks for stopping by my blog! Do you mean making spelt bread with levain? I have tinkered with it a little, but haven’t gotten to the point yet where I’m confident enough to put that recipe up on the blog. Hopefully soon!
Hi Sophie! I am officially a fan of your blog! I love the German inspired recipes as I am a Canadian living in Germany. Also because this bread turned out amazing!
I have tinkered around with this recipe a few times now using different types of spelt but I’m wondering if you have tried doing it using only whole grain spelt flour (400g whole spelt). If so, would you recommend adjusting the water and yeast ratios?
Hi Carly, it makes me so happy to hear that you are a fan! I am very much inspired by German recipes as I have been very fortunate to enjoy my Oma and Mom’s German cooking and baking all my life. I have made the bread with only whole spelt flour in the past, it’s a lovely, dense loaf likes the ones you can find in Germany. You will need a little more water but the yeast amount can stay the same. Let me know how it turns out for you!
Hi Sophie! Made this spelt bread and it was delicious, thank you for the recipe! Was wondering…would it be possible to refrigerate the dough at any point before baking? I was thinking at the point when it is put into the bowl with parchment paper….to sit in fridge overnight and bake in the morning? What do you think? Linda
Hi Linda, thank you so much and yes absolutely! I’ve slowed down the dough in the fridge during the initial rise after you first mix it together and while it is sitting in the parchment lined bowl. 🙂
Hi Sophie, I only have white spelt and rye flour. Have you tried just white spelt for this recipe? Otherwise could I use 100g rye and 300g white spelt flour? I’m just not clear on the purpose of the whole wheat spelt flour in the recipe, thanks! J
Hi Jen, you can definitely just use all white spelt flour instead and/or use a combination of rye and white spelt flour. I would be cautious about how much rye flour you add as it has very little gluten and will make the dough harder to handle. However, it will add a depth of flavour that white flour alone just doesn’t have. I would suggest starting with 50g rye and 350g white spelt. Flavour is also the main reason for the whole spelt flour in this bread. Happy baking!