Buttermilk-Spelt Sourdough Bread with Rye Sour

Buttermilk-Spelt Bread with Rye Sour

David Snyder

December, 2020

I had a quart of buttermilk in the fridge. I only needed a cup for pancakes. I hated to waste any. And I had some really nice rye sour left over from the rye breads I baked last week. And there was a newly-arrived bag of spelt berries in the pantry. So, I made Cecilia Agni Hadiyanto’s Buttermilk-Spelt Sourdough Bread using a rye sour for leavening.

1. Dissolve the rye sour in the water. 

2. Add the flours and mix thoroughly.

3. Place in a clean container with a tight lid and ferment at room temperature until ripe.

4. If not ready to mix the final dough, you can refrigerate the rye sour for up to 3 days.

Procedure

1. Mix all of the ingredients except the salt to a shaggy mass in a medium bowl and cover.

2. Autolyse for 30-120 minutes.

3. Sprinkle the salt over the dough and incorporate completely. (I use the pinch and fold method described by Forkish in “Flour Water Salt Yeast.”)

4. Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly oiled bowl with a cover.

5. Bulk ferment at 76-80ºF until double in volume (about 4-8 hours, depending on temperature) with Stretch & Fold in the bowl at 30 and 60 minutes and a stretch and fold on the board at 120 minutes).

6. Pre-shape round and cover. Let rest for 20 minutes or so.

7. Shape as boule or bâtard and place in a floured banneton. Cover with a towel or place in a food grade plastic bag.

8. Proof for 1-2 hours at room temperature, then cold retard for 12-18 hours.

9. Bake in a Dutch oven at 460ºF covered for 20 minutes. Uncover. Continue baking at 420ºF for 30 minutes. (The falling temperature approach is because this bread tends to darken very quickly due to the buttermilk. So keep an eye on it and adjust your oven temperature accordingly.) Alternatively, bake at 460ºF on a pre-heated baking stone for 15 minutes with steam then for 30 minutes at 44ºF for 25-30 minutes.

10. Cool on a rack thoroughly before slicing. 

I baked this loaf on a baking stone, and failed to heed my own advice, finishing the bake at 450ºF rather than 440ºF. It was  dark even for my taste. However, the flavor did not suffer. In fact, the crust was delightfully crunchy and very tasty. The crumb was moderately chewy and moderately sour. The taste was quite complex with some sweetness and nuttiness. There was nothing that suggested rye's contribution to the taste, but I have found from other breads that the effect of 10% rye is subtle but definitely a positive contribution to flavor.

This is a delicious bread I expect to make again.

David