Easy Italian Spelt Bread
This Easy Italian Spelt Bread is a light, rustic loaf with a rich flavor and great texture, made using spelt flour and instant yeast so it comes together faster.
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 252kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 cups Spelt Flour
- 3 teaspoon Instant Dry Yeast for Bread
- 1 ¾ cups Warm Water about 100-110°F / 38-43°C
- 2 teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix ⅓ of the flour with the instant yeast, and ⅓ of the water. Stir until just combined then let it rise covered in a warm place for 30 minutes.
- After the first rising time, add the remaining flour, water (a bit at a time until you reach the right consistency), and salt. Let it rise covered for another 30 minutes.
- Once risen, gently turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, shape into a round loaf. Let rest/uncovered for 10 minutes.
- Stretch and roll the dough again into a loaf, then let it rest again another 10 minutes.
- Do the same stretch and roll, but this time cover the loaf in flour and move it into the rising basket. Let it rise for about 2 hours.
- Meanwhile, place your Dutch oven (with lid) in the oven and preheat oven to 450°F (230°C).
- Carefully remove hot Dutch oven, place the loaf inside (on parchment if you like) seam side down. Make a few shallow slashes on top with a sharp knife. Cover with the lid and bake for 35 minutes.
- Remove the lid and bake for another 5-10 minutes until the crust is golden brown.
- Remove the loaf and let it cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- Not all flours are the same, plus altitude may affect the end results. Add water a little bit at a time to reach the right sticky consistency of the bread dough. If you're unfamiliar with bread baking it might take a couple of trials and error to get the right result.
- Remove the baked bread immediately from the dutch oven and let it cool on a rack to avoid overbaking it and get a gummy texture from the steam.
- A cast iron dutch oven is preferred over an enameled duct oven since some manufacturers don't recommend preheating empty enameled dutch ovens.
- If you get a tough bottom crust, next time try putting a baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven to reduce the heat. Not all ovens are the same.
Nutrition
Calories: 252kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.04g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.001g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Sodium: 469mg | Potassium: 34mg | Fiber: 9g | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 3mg
