[2017-013] Country Spelt Loaf

I've made substantial progress on my goal of baking and documenting 50 loaves this year, but I'm way behind on actually posting the results. This loaf was baked way back on January 26th, and I'm only getting around to posting it now. I have quite a backlog, actually -- apologies to anyone who might have been following along.

This loaf continues my fascination with spelt, which actually started on a trip through Italy last year, and had nothing at all to do with bread. While staying in Bagni di Lucca, we were served a regional specialty soup made with farro, beans, and tomatoes. It was really good, and I recreated it as soon as I got home.

While researching farro, I discovered it's just what the Italians call spelt, and spelt is just an ancient form of wheat, unmodified by the Green Revolution. So why not bake with it? It adds a nice nutty taste to the bread, and makes for a nice change of pace.

This particular loaf is strongly baked, and the crust was almost as shatter-y as I was hoping for.

Ingredients

• 400g King Arthur Bread Flour
• 100g whole sprouted spelt
• 150g wheat starter, 70% hydration
• 375g water @ 75°
• 12g salt

Process

• Turns @ 30 minute intervals for ~3 hours
• Proofed overnight in a cool kitchen in oval banneton ~8 hours
• Baked 20 minutes covered @ 500°
• Backed 30 minutes uncovered @ 450°