October 17, 2020 - 3:31pm
Maurizio's Spelt Sourdough
I have finally managed bread with a significant content of spelt flour that didn't turn into a near-puddle before/during baking! I was really struggling with the elasticity it brings to the dough. But this time, while the bread is not super tall and did flatten out a little bit, it still has a decent shape. I was worried about scoring it too deeply which could cause more flattening, so I think I didn't score it deep enough... So the batard actually got some cracks on top.
I simply followed Maurizio's recipe: https://www.theperfectloaf.com/spelt-sourdough/
But the main point is flavour! I added a sesame seed coating, and together with the spelt this produces fantastic taste. And the crumb is amazingly soft, a bit shiny and almost moist.
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Comments
Very nice bake Ilya. I do like Maurizio’s recipes they are really well written and turn out great. The addition of the sesame seeds is a great idea.
Benny
Thanks Benny! I've had some issues with his recipes, and I thought it was because I was using different flours, but now I think it's because I was scared of slap&folds which he recommends in most recipes (also, in the old flat the worktop was not very smooth and dough would stick much more!). I was trying to substitute them by some Rubaud mixing, but now I tried them properly and actually love doing them. Very quick gluten development, and far less mess than I thought it was.
Re sesame seeds: I love them and I used to basically always add them on top! But then stopped because I thought they were masking the taste of the bread itself. It was time to bring them back! I also noticed that the sesame seeds on top of the crust taste far better than just toasted sesame seeds. I think the conditions there must be just right for the perfect flavour enhancement from heat.
Very nice.
Thank you!
I've found that I get taller loaves with Maurizio's recipes when I reduce the hydration. Have you experimented with that?
Thanks!
He always recommends keeping some water aside and seeing how the flour takes it... And I tried that, and I always felt like my flour could take the full amount, so in the end I added all if it. So I haven't tried reducing the hydration. But maybe I should!