Spelt loaf

Baked a spelt loaf this morning. Preparing the sourdough starter since 4pm yesterday. After first proofing, second proofing and finally put the loaf into the oven after 32 hours. A long process and therefore the loaf turned out quite sour.



Spelt flour is popular because it has a fairly strong nutritional profile. Spelt has slightly fewer calories than wheat flour and is somewhat higher in protein. The flour is easy to digest but is lower in fiber than wheat.

Spelt is a close cousin of wheat with less gluten and a a sweeter, more nutty flavour.

Although similar, bakers should be aware of some differences between spelt flour and wheat flour. For example, spelt flour is more water-soluble then wheat flour, so you need less liquid to get the dough to the right consistency. The gluten in spelt flour is also more fragile then the gluten in wheat flour, making spelt flour much easier to over knead then wheat flour, which has to be kneaded in order to strengthen the gluten. The low amount of gluten in spelt also means that products baked with spelt flour will not rise as well as products baked with wheat flour. (livestrong.com)