PKD Recipes

Spelt Bread White Sandwich

Some differences when using spelt:
Spelt grain contains only 5% of phytates whereas wheat contains 95%. When incorporating spelt into an existing recipe, reduce the liquid by 10-15%. For non-yeasted bread reduce the knead time by ⅔ and allow 30 minutes rest at least for full development. I find the time and patience needed for baking non-yeasted spelt bread so very relaxing. This recipe requires spelt flour and water.
NOTE
Try baking on flower days from Maria Thun’s biodynamic calendar. She has experimented practically applying Rudolph Steiner’s techniques to everyday life including when to grow certain things, when to taste wine and when to bake. An iPhone app for flower days is available.
Rudolph Steiner on Bread baking. “Honey and salt stand at opposite poles . . .and create a dynamic field. Salt and honey take their place and the bread rises under the influences of tension between them. The bread rose steadily around 6 am, whereas yeast bread rose at midnight.” Consider trying to freshly grind flour from grains.

CHEF
Rise 12-24 hours
If using cold refrigerated chef (previously left over levain) about a half a day before baking your next loaf, allow it to come to room temperature. Mix the refrigerated previous chef with ⅓ cup of water and ½ cup of spelt flour. Allow it to sit out on the countertop in a glass jar for 12-24 hours or until it develops fine bubbles. For its rising I keep it in a glass covered jar with a rubber band to mark the beginning of the rising. Once it has fermented (12-24 hours) this becomes your chef for baking today. Adding almond milk to replace the water in a recipe makes for a softer crust.

WATER CHOICES
Mineral water
Filtered water
City tap water that has been left out overnight to dissipate any residual chlorine.

FOUR STEPS to bake non-yeasted bread:
CHEF Step 1
LEVAIN Step 2
BAKING Step 3
LEFTOVER LEVAIN Step 4
= = = =

CHEF Step 1 – Takes 4 days to make.
DAY 1
3 Tbsp water
5 Tbsp spelt flour
PREPARATION
First add water then add flour. Some add a tiny pinch of yeast known as Sekowa Bachferment special to assure a vibrant CHEF. Many have not found this step to be necessary. Add all to a tall 2-3 quart clear glass container with a lid. Stir well making a thick, soft dough. The exact consistency of the dough will vary with the flour. Do not add more flour or water. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula, cover tightly with a lid and let stand in a moderate area (about 70ºF) for 24 hours.
Put a rubber band around the jar at the top line of the mixed CHEF. With a rubber band in place, one can easily view the amount the Chef has risen. 70º is the temperature in a wine cellar or basement. The refrigerator is too cold for a beginning CHEF. Try a cool corner of the kitchen counter top or the back of a closet. Avoid placing the CHEF on the top of the refrigerator as this area contains refrigerator coils, undesirably warming the CHEF too quickly. For tropical environments or in the summer months, one may wish to use a thermometer to find a cool area of the kitchen or place the CHEF into the refrigerator at night and remove it in the morning.

CHEF Step 1
DAY 2
3 Tbsp water
5 Tbsp spelt flour
PREPARATION
When you first observe the CHEF in the morning it will have doubled in volume. You can tell this has happened by observing the previously placed rubber band marking the beginning volume. First add water then add flour. Stir vigorously adding fresh oxygen to the CHEF . Place in a 70ºF draft-free place for 24 hours. The CHEF should have the consistency of soft dough. Consider adding a little more flour or water to create this texture.

CHEF Step 1
DAY 3
3 Tbsp water
5 Tbsp spelt flour
Add water first then add flour. CHEF will now have the texture of a thick batter and will have doubled in volume. Let it stand at 70ºF in a draft free place for another 24 hours.

CHEF Step 1
DAY 4
After 3 days, on the fourth day, skim off any accumulated liquid. The fluid on top might look a bit dark. Bring the CHEF once again to room temperature. This may take about two hours. Add ⅓ C. water and ½ C. flour, stir rapidly, aerating the 3-day-old-CHEF. The CHEF is now fully ripe, with many bubbles and a batter like consistency, similar to pancake batter. It is ready to be added to the next step. If you do not want to bake bread today, refrigerate the CHEF up to 3 days.

LEVAIN Step 2
rise 6-10 hours
1 ¼ cups of spelt flour
Use all the CHEF

LEVAIN Step 2
Preparation
Bring the CHEF to room temperature. 2 hours will bring a refrigerated CHEF to room temperature. Add flour directly to the batter-like CHEF. Stir vigorously adding fresh oxygen to the mixture. This should make the mixture very stiff. This stiff batter is important for ripening the CHEF. If the batter is too water-y it becomes very sour and tangy. Scrape down the sides and let stand in a cool 70ºF draft-free place for 6-10 hours, or until doubled. Inside a bread machine with the machine unplugged will do nicely or in the oven. Do not let it rise beyond 10 hours or there will not be enough strength in the LEVAIN to encourage the bread to rise.

LEVAIN Step 2
This makes 2 loaves
Rise 6 hours
Ingredients
1 C. levain
add chef to 1 ¼ C. spelt allow to rise 6 hrs
Put the remaining levain aside or add it to the chef for another baking day.
Rise levain 6-10 hours.(not more than 10 hours)

MAKING BREAD
5 ½ – 6 C. spelt flour with germ non-bleached
2 C. warm almond milk
4 Tbsp Tupelo honey
1 Tbsp Himalayan salt

MAKING BREAD
Preparation
Knead 15 minutes
If you can stretch the dough without it breaking, that means the gluten is well-developed and your dough is ready to rise.
Combine the chef, ⅔ C almond milk, 3 tablespoons tupelo honey mix until frothy. Mix the flour with salt together. Add a cup at a time of dry ingredients. Knead adding more flour about 15 minutes or use a bread mixer. Using the dough hook attachment on a standing mixer, knead the dough for 8-10 minutes.

BAKING Step 3
Rise 2 hours
Clean out the mixing bowl and film it with a little oil. Form the dough into a ball and turn it in the bowl to coat with oil. Cover the bowl with a plastic bag and let the dough rise in the bowl in a warm spot until doubled in bulk.

BAKING Step 3
Rise 30 minutes
Sprinkle a little flour on the counter and turn the dough out on top of the flour. Divide the dough into two. Shape each half into a ball. Let the balls rest for 10 minutes.

BAKING Step 3
Line a large loaf pan with parchment paper or use 2 traditional loaf pans. Shape each ball of dough into a loaf and transfer to the loaf pan. The surface of the loaves need to be stretched taut; this helps them rise and prevents an overly-dense interior. Let the loaves rise a second time until they start to dome over the edge of the pan.
Rise 30 minutes in a pan.

PREPARING TO BAKE
Rise 2 hours if put into the refrigerator.
At this point you can put the dough in the refridgerator overnight. Once it comes out of the fridge, cover and allow it to rise for an additional 2-4 hours until doubled in volume.
Rise 2-4 hours if refrigerated.

BAKING
IMPORTANT STEP
Score loaf
Pre-heat the oven to 450º F.
Using a very sharp serrated knife or a single-edge razor blade, score the loaf by making quick shallow cuts ¼ – ½ inch deep cuts along the top surface. I always seem to forget to score the loaf. This allows the loaf to split in a beautiful fashion while baking. Immediately turn down the heat to 375°F and bake
Bake 30 minutes.

BAKING
Creating Steam
Get an old cookie sheet, place some rocks in it and fill it with water. Place it on another shelf and allow the oven to steam up. Alternatively get a spray bottle. Fill it with water and spray the walls twice in three minutes once the bread is baking. The technique is to quickly spray the inner walls and the floor of the oven with cold water from spray bottle or splash water into the oven from a bowl. The idea is to create an abundance of hot steam. Avoid hitting the light bulb in some ovens, or it may burst. Close the oven door to trap the steam, wait three minutes and repeat the process. Or use steam from a steam oven and spray with steam.

Alternatively one can heat at 450º, a clay vessel and its cover in the oven about a half hour before baking. Transfer the uncooked dough to the clay vessel and cover with the heated lid and bake.

BAKING
Finished loaves will be golden-brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Remove the loaves from the pans and let them cool completely before slicing.

COOLING BAKED BREAD
Allow the bread to cool before slicing. 24 hours is best. I cannot wait and slice into it first thing. The bread is difficult to slice at this point. If I do wait several hours before putting the entire loaf through a slicing machine the bread behaves much differently.

LEFTOVER LEVAIN Step 4
Earlier you had some left over levain to save for another baking day. Take the left over levain and add to this ⅓ cup of water + ¼ cup of spelt flour; adding the water first. Mix well to aerate, adding fresh oxygen. Allow to rise a bit while you finish baking the bread then place in a cool area or in the refrigerator (I put mine in the wine cooler) for baking another day. This then becomes your new CHEF. Some have tried freezing the chef while they are traveling.

LEFTOVER LEVAIN Step 4
For a sweeter bread, fed the CHEF twice in a 24 hour period just before baking your next loaf. To bake your next loaf, allow CHEF, flour, water, and mixing bowl, all to come to room temperature. The process for making these non-yeasted breads is indeed a long one, but once you experience biting into a savory warm slice of spelt bread, made fresh from your own stone lined oven, you will be handsomely rewarded through your efforts.

Spelt Bread

Some differences when using spelt:
When incorporating spelt into an existing recipe, reduce the liquid by 10-15%. For non-yeasted bread reduce the knead time by ⅔ and allow 30 minutes rest at least for full development. I find the time and patience needed for baking non-yeasted spelt bread so very relaxing.
CHEF
rise 12-24 hours
If using cold refrigerated chef (previously left over levain) about a half a day before baking your next loaf, allow it to come to room temperature. Mix the refrigerated previous chef with ⅓ cup of water and ½ cup of spelt flour. Allow it to sit out on the countertop in a glass jar for 12-24 hours or until it develops fine bubbles. For its rising I keep it in a glass covered jar with a rubber band to mark the beginning of the rising. Once it has fermented (12-24 hours) this becomes your chef for baking today. Adding almond milk to replace water in this recipe makes a softer crust.

Water Choices
Mineral water
Filtered water
Tap water that has been left out overnight to dissipate the chlorine.

Four steps to bake non-yeasted spelt bread.
CHEF Step1-One begins with CHEF
LEVAIN Step2-Second is the LEVAIN
BAKING Step3-Third step is BAKING the bread
CARING LEFT OVER LEVAIN Step4-Making a new CHEF
= = = =

CHEF Step1 (Takes 4 days to make)
Day 1
3 Tbsp water
5 Tbsp spelt flour
Add water first then add flour.

I have been told to add a tiny pinch of yeast (Sekowa Bachferment special) to assure a vibrant CHEF. I have not found this step to be necessary. For first time bakers, try a tiny pinch of yeast to assure that you produce a vibrant CHEF. Because I have PLD, I omit adding any additional yeast.

Add all to a tall 2-3 quart clear glass container with a lid. Stir well to make a thick, soft dough. The exact consistency of the dough will vary with the flour. Do not add more flour or water. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula, cover tightly with a lid and let stand in a moderate area (about 70ºF) for 24 hours. Put a rubber band around the jar at the top line of the CHEF. With a rubber band in place, one can easily view the rising CHEF. 70º is the temperature in a wine cellar or basement. The refrigerator is too cold for a beginning CHEF. Try a cool corner of the kitchen counter top or the back of a closet. Avoid placing the CHEF on the top of the refrigerator as this area contains refrigerator coils, undesirably warming the CHEF too quickly. For tropical environments or in the summer months, one may wish to use a thermometer to find a cool area of the kitchen or place the CHEF into the refrigerator at night and remove it in the morning. Or if you happen to have a place about 70º like a wine cooler, then this is perfect for a developing chef.

CHEF Step1
Day 2
3 Tbsp water
5 Tbsp spelt flour
When you first observe the CHEF in the morning it will have doubled in volume. You can tell this has happened by the previously placed rubber band marking the beginning volume. Add water first then add flour. Stir vigorously adding fresh oxygen to the CHEF. Place in a 70ºF draft-free place for 24 hours. The CHEF should have the consistency of soft dough. Consider adding a little more flour or water to create this texture.

CHEF Step1
Day 3
3 Tbsp water
5 Tbsp spelt flour
Add water first then add flour. CHEF will now have the texture of a thick batter and will have doubled in volume. Let it stand at 70ºF in a draft free place for another 24 hours.

CHEF Step1
Day 4
CHEF is now fully ripe, with many bubbles and a batter like consistency, similar to pancake batter. It is ready to be added to the next step. If you do not want to bake bread today, refrigerate the CHEF up to 3 days. After 3 days, bring the CHEF again to room temperature, add ⅓ cup water of water and ½ cup flour, stir rapidly, aerating the 3-day-old-CHEF.

LEVAIN Step2
rise 6-10 hours
1 ¼  cups of spelt flour
All the CHEF
Bring the CHEF to room temperature.  2 hours will bring refrigerated CHEF to room temperature. Add flour directly to the batter-like CHEF.  Stir vigorously adding fresh oxygen to the mixture. This should make the mixture very stiff. This stiff form is important for ripening the LEVAIN.

LEVAIN Step2
If the batter is too water-y it becomes very sour and tangy. Scrape down the sides and let stand in a cool 70ºF draft-free place for 6-10 hours, or until doubled. Inside a bread machine with the machine unplugged will do nicely. Do not let it rise beyond 10 hours or there will not be enough strength in the LEVAIN to encourage the bread to rise.

PREPARING TO BAKE
Ingredients
⅓ C. water
1 C. LEVAIN (save remainder for baking another day)
1 Tbsp Himalayan pink crystal salt
2 ¼  – 4 C. spelt flour

PREPARING TO BAKE
Preparation
Bring LEVAIN, flour, water, and the mixing bowl, all to room temperature. If your flour is cold from being kept in the fridge, warm it a little. Taking these extra steps helps the bread to rise nicely. It behave quite differently when all ingredients are first brought to room temperature. Mix LEVAIN and water with a wooden spoon or a wire whip. Continue stirring until the mixture is slightly frothy and the LEVAIN is partly dissolved. Add 1 cup of flour and stir until well combined. Add salt and just enough of the remaining flour to make a thick mass that is difficult to stir. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead or put in a bread mixer with a dough hook for 15 minutes. Add more flour until the dough is firm and smooth, about 25-50 times. Stop kneading when the dough is soft, and a little dough pulled from the mass springs back quickly. Shape into a ball.

PREPARING TO BAKE
Rise 2 hours
Cover and let the dough to rise for 2 hours. Try a deep wide bowl, cover with a huge plate to keep drafts away. If you have a bread machine, lightly oil the inside of the machine. Keep the bread machine turned off with the door closed, a perfect place for a 2-hour rise.
Rise 2 hours.

PREPARING TO BAKE
LET THE DOUGH REST
rest 30 minutes
Deflate the dough by pushing down in the center and pulling up on the sides. Knead the dough very lightly to form a tight ball. Place it on a lightly floured board. Cover with a clean damp canvas or linen cloth. Place in a moderately warm 74º – 80º draft free spot for 30 minutes.

PREPARING TO BAKE
SHAPE THE LOAVES (5 minutes)
rest 5 minutes
Knead dough very lightly to form a ball. Flatten with the heel of your hand on a lightly floured surface into a disk about 8 inches in diameter. Shape dough into a torpedo or fit it within an oiled bread pan or line your bread pan with parchment paper. Knead it tightly.

PREPARING TO BAKE
SECOND RISE OF THE DOUGH (2 hours)
rise 2 hours
Place the dough seam side down in a traditional bread-baking pan that has been lightly oiled or place the loaf seam-side up in a well-floured couche within a basket. A basket or bowl with a diameter of 8 inches and a depth of 3 – 4 inches will do. Lay inside a clean, lightweight even linen towel dusted with flour. By letting the dough rest in a cushioned, floured container, this will give a loaf that will take on the shape and markings of the basket. The crust will be thicker and bolder from the extra flour becoming embedded in the dough upon rising. This creates a rustic, earthy looking crust. Place in a moderately warm 74º – 80º F draft free spot until almost doubled in volume, approximately 2 hours. Sometimes I wrap everything with a thick towel to protect the rising bread from any drafts. Cover and allow it to rise for an additional 2-4 hours until doubled in size. Or place it in the fridge overnight if you wish to bake the bread the following morning.

PREPARING TO BAKE
REFRIGERATED DOUGH
rise 2-4 hours if refrigerated
When the dough is shaped it is at this point that the dough can be put into the refrigerator overnight. Refrigerating overnight is an important step to decrease the phytic acid content. The following morning (if you have placed the loaf in the refrigerator overnight) allow it 1-2 hours to come to room temperature and allow it to rise an additional 2-4 hours.

BAKING
IMPORTANT STEP
Score Dough
Using a very sharp, serrated knife or a single-edge razor blade, score the loaf by making quick shallow cuts 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep along the surface. I always seem to forget this. If baking in a basket or free form, use a well-floured smooth linen or smooth cotton towel (called a couche) as an aid, gently roll one loaf from the couche (towel) onto a lightly floured wooden plank (known as a peel) so that it sits seam side down. Use the peel to slide the loaf onto the hot baking stone. At this point if you want a free form flatter rounder bread, just place it on the heated stone. I sometimes prepare my breads free form by braiding the dough and allowing it to rise. Once I preheat the oven and pop it in, spray the walls, I pull up a chair and watch the show unfold as the bread beautifully starts rising taking on a golden brown color. This glorious piece of dough made with water, salt, and flour suddenly are transformed as they begin to expand, inflate and take on a life of their own. The aromas fill my kitchen.

BAKING
Pre-heat the oven to 450º F about 45 minutes to an hour before you are going to bake. Position the baking stone in the center of the oven. When the dough is first put into the oven spray the oven walls with water from a sprayer. Repeat this in about five minutes and again in another five minutes.
Preheat your baking stone or oven to 450º.

If you are lucky enough to own a combi-steam oven such as the Miele, there is a spelt bread Masterchef mode.

BAKING Step3
CREATING STEAM
Quickly spray the inner walls and the floor of the oven with cold water from spray bottle or splash water into the oven from a bowl. The idea is to create an abundance of hot steam. Avoid hitting the light bulb in some ovens, or it may burst. Close the oven door to trap the steam, wait three minutes and repeat the process. Alternatively get an old pan fill it with clean rocks and pour water over the heated stones. I use both techniques. Or heat a clay pot and its cover in the oven transferring the risen ready to bake dough into the heated clay pot.

BAKING
Bake for 25 – 30 minutes. Rap the baked loaf with the back of your knuckles. If it sounds hollow, it is done, if not bake for an additional 5 minutes.
NOTE.
Now I try to bake bread on flower days according to the bio-dynamic methods described by Rudolph Steiner. There is an free online calendar here. Or Marie Thun’s calendar can also be purchased.

COOLING THE BAKED BREAD
Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting for 24 hours. I usually cannot wait and a slice into the freshly baked bread straight away. It crumbles and is difficult to slice. Then I do wait 24 hours before putting it in a bread slicing machine. The bread behaves much differently when allowed to cool. The texture is firmer.

CARING LEFT OVER LEVAIN Step4
Once you have measured out the LEVAIN for the Spelt Bread Recipe, you will have a bit left over. Add to what you have left-over, 5 tablespoons of water (⅓ cup) and 8 tablespoons of flour (½ cup). Add the water first, then flour. Mix to aerate. Allow it sit out while the bread bakes; then place in a cool place like the refrigerator. This becomes your new CHEF.

CARING LEFT OVER LEVAIN Step4
For a sweeter bread, fed the CHEF twice in a 24 hour period just before baking your next loaf. To bake your next loaf, allow CHEF, flour, water, and mixing bowl, all to come to room temperature. The process for making these non-yeasted breads is indeed a long one, but once you experience biting into a savory warm slice of spelt bread, made fresh from your own stone lined oven, you will be handsomely rewarded through your efforts. Early on I did a taste test. I thought my first loaves were flat and I assumed the taste would also be flat. I compared a slice from a commercially made loaf of non-yeasted spelt bread to my own, and my own won hands down.