In my kitchen trials with spelt, I have found another ancient grain that I will be adding to my sourdough bread repertoire. With a long ferment, spelt takes on deep and delicious flavors similar to rye bread without any of the trouble. And baked as baguettes, this grain makes a crackling, crispy crust that is perfect for breaking bread.

Spelt Trial #1: Easy Spelt Sourdough Bread Recipe

In my first attempt to make 100% spelt sourdough bread, I followed this recipe from Wardee Harmon, who created her Traditional Cooking School online to honor her “grandmother’s cooking traditions and preserve them so that future generations can enjoy the health benefits, flavors and fun of traditionally prepared foods.”

Her recipe seemed straightforward and very simple, but I adapted it for just one loaf. 

Ingredients

  • 1½ cups (340 g ) sourdough starter
  • ½ cup (120g) Real Water
  • ½ Tbl (9 g) Real Salt®
  • 2½-3 cups  (350-370 g) spelt flour
  • coconut oil  or butter for oiling pans

Wardee Harmon is the author of the Complete Idiot’s Guide to Fermenting Foods and the lead teacher for Traditional Cooking School.

“Working with spelt is very different than working with wheat. You use less of it, for one thing,” she writes. “The dough seems wet — at least compared to wheat flour dough — but if you add more flour, the dough gets hard and the resulting loaf is usually dense and heavy. So, I’ve learned to resist the urge to add more flour!”

She also suggests you can “brush with oil or butter, or cover with a towel to keep crust soft.”

She claims this recipe can be used to make whole-wheat sourdough bread as well by just substituting the spelt for whole-wheat.

The character of my first loaf ever was nearly as deep and delicious as my rye breads, albeit a bit dense for my liking. But with a little more water, I bet I could open the crumb up some.

I think the problem is that she used 65% hydration, which would make the dough handle well, but it did not work well for me. So I am moving on to Trial #2 where I hope more water will open the crumb better.

Spelt Trial #2: Shipton Mill Spelt Sourdough Baguette

Shipton Mill in the UK has a community sourdough recipe site where they offered another simple recipe to bake but as baguettes. Once again the hydration seemed too low at 50% so I took the liberty to increase it to 70% hydration to see if I would have better luck.

Indeed I did!

Ingredients

Directions
  • 9 ounces (250g) sourdough starter
  • 3 cups  (360g) spelt flour
  • 1 cup (240g) Real Water
  • 2 tsp (12 g) Real Salt®
  1. Mix sourdough starter with spelt flour, water, and salt.
  2. Let rise for about 2 hours.
  3. Stretch and fold the “dough once during that time,” they recommended.
  4. “Move the dough onto a lightly floured surface and split into two pieces. Stretch each dough with fingers into the shape of a rectangle.
  5. “Shape the baguettes – roll up and move onto baking paper on the baking tray. Leave to rise one more hour.
  6. “Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Make a few cuts on the top of the baguettes. Possibly sprinkle with seeds.”
  7. Bake at 450°F (230°C) first ten minutes.
    Then another 15-20 minutes at 400°F (200°C). Leave to cool down.

Because I am a baguette bigot, there is no question that I will be baking this again, but I may push the hydration a bit higher still.

I was happy with the crumb on these baguettes, but there is no question that spelt is a lot like whole-wheat in how it bakes and slices. However, among baguettes, I have never made better. The aroma and crust are just superb.

I probably will need to mix it with some white bread flour to get the lightness I am after like The Perfect Loaf suggests. But I am going to give this one more try using Eric Rusch’s recipe from Breadtopia.

Spelt Trial #3:  Whole Spelt Sourdough Bread

Eric at Breadtopia, says, “Spelt is known for its health benefits and naturally sweet nutty flavor.”

Eric at Breadtopia offered this, “whole grain spelt recipe leavened with sourdough starter. A Breadtopia favorite,” he writes.  “Easy to make and surprisingly light for a whole grain bread. 

“This spelt bread recipe is as delicious and easy to make as it is nutritious. So when the inspiration strikes to get virtuous with your eating habits without sacrificing sensory pleasure, give this one a whirl.” (See how in his Part 1 and Part 2). I will be 

Where Can I Find Spelt?

Most grocery stores carry spelt flour either in the health food or specialty flour section. For example, Bob Red Mills Spelt is available in our local market. Online it is easy to order from Amazon.com.

If you are looking for whole spelt grain to mill at home, it is always easy to order from our partners at West Mountain Grains. That way I can be sure to have whole grain on hand to grind fresh.

Summary

I nearly always make my homemade Country Loaf with a cup of Einkorn and about half a cup of Rye added in. Freshly milled and added to my white wheat sourdough, there is a flavor that is hard to describe. But from now on, I can replace both those grains with 25 percent spelt and I will still get the flavor I am after with just one add-in. 

Tell us about your adventures in baking with spelt in the comment section below. 

Author: Darryl Alder lives with his wife in Riverside Lodge, which is their home along the Provo River in Utah. He is a retired career Scouter and outdoorsman who spent many hours over a campfire using a Dutch oven and loves sharing recipes for the kitchen and the campfire alike. You can read many of his recipes on this site by searching for Sourdough Saturday or Recipes on the top right-hand side of the blog