With a deliciously crusty exterior and chewy crumb, spelt sourdough bread is simple, wholesome, and long fermented for tangy sourdough flavor. You can easily prepare multiple loaves and store them in the fridge to bake hot, fresh bread for dinner throughout the week.
This sourdough spelt bread recipe is a great way to incorporate whole grains and ancient grains into your diet. Being very similar to my no-knead sourdough bread, the process and ingredients are simple and straightforward, while utilizing spelt grain. There are 100% spelt loaf recipes out there, and you can even use a spelt sourdough starter if you prefer, but I personally find this combination of bread flour with spelt flour to be the sweet spot.
This flour blend produces a tender crumb, plenty of air bubbles, a crispy crust, a sliceable loaf, and the nutty flavor that whole grain flours are known for. The crusty exterior makes it ideal for bruschetta, bread dipping oil, red pepper hummus, or serving with soups like slow cooker French onion and creamy carrot ginger.
So, What is Spelt Flour?
Spelt is an ancient whole grain wheat that acts similarly to all-purpose flour, but has a lower gluten content and slightly different gluten structure than wheat flour. These differences make spelt often more tolerable and digestible for those with gluten sensitivities.
Spelt is milled with the bran on, making it a whole wheat flour, and giving it a wonderful, earthy flavor that works well in breads, muffins, cookies, and much more.
Spelt is also packed with nutritional value in the form of fiber, iron, B vitamins, magnesium, zinc, and phosphorus. It is also much easier to work with than einkorn flour recipes, which is another ancient grain, and can generally be substituted one for one in most recipes calling for all-purpose flour.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Whole grain nutrition – Spelt offers more health benefits than regular all-purpose flour or even most modern whole wheat flours. It has a greater content of fiber, iron, B vitamins, magnesium, zinc, and phosphorus, while also being higher in protein and lower in gluten. Whole grains also have a deeper flavor and a heartier texture.
Sourdough simplicity – With a healthy sourdough starter, sourdough recipes are simple and nourishing. This simple recipe for sourdough spelt bread uses minimal ingredients and a straightforward process that works well for beginners or experienced bakers alike.
Versatile everyday loaf – The texture and flavor of this loaf make it the perfect bread to keep on hand. Slice and toast it to serve with breakfast, sop up soup with a crusty chunk, or smear it with butter and honey for a nourishing snack.
Ingredients
Bread flour – This helps maintain the structure of the bread, since spelt has less gluten content than regular wheat.
White spelt flour – This is spelt flour that has had the germ and bran removed, leaving a finer flour that lightens the texture of the loaf.
Whole spelt flour – Whole spelt is what you’ll typically find in the store. Since the germ and the bran remain in this flour, it gives a richer, whole grain flavor and heartiness to the recipe.
Active sourdough starter – To ensure the best rise, you need a starter that is recently fed, super active, and bubbly.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Tools You May Need
How to Make Spelt Sourdough Bread
Step 1: Feed your sourdough starter 4-12 hours before starting the bread, ensuring it is active and bubbly.
Step 2: Measure bread flour, white spelt, and whole spelt into a large mixing bowl. A kitchen scale works very well for this. Add sourdough starter, warm water, and salt to the flours, and stir until combined.
Step 3: Cover the bowl with a damp towel, lid, or plastic wrap, and let the dough rest for 30 minutes for the water to hydrate the flour. This process is called autolyse, and it allows all the flours to become hydrated.
Step 4: Since this is a no-knead recipe, instead of kneading the dough, we will use the stretch and fold method. Stretch and folds are accomplished by firmly grabbing the edge of the dough in the bowl and pulling upwards. This is the stretch. Push the dough that is in your hands back into the center of the bowl, making a fold in the dough, and press. Turn the bowl about a quarter turn, repeating the stretch and fold action – stretching up; pressing back down to the center. Repeat this process a total of 3-4 times. This is considered one round of stretch and folds. Repeat for a total of 6 rounds according to the following schedule.
- Three rounds of stretch and folds every 15 minutes.
- Three more rounds of stretch and folds every 30 minutes.
Step 5: Cover the dough with a damp towel or plastic wrap and allow it to bulk-ferment at room temperature until doubled. This may be anywhere from 3 to 8 hours, depending on the temperature of your home and the maturity of your sourdough starter. Be careful not to over-ferment, which may lead to a sticky dough that doesn’t rise. Over-fermenting can compromise the shape and structure of the bread.
Step 6: After the bulk fermentation, shape the dough into a ball by gently spinning it toward you on a lightly floured work surface. Leave the dough uncovered on the counter for 20-30 minutes. This allows the surface to develop a skin, so that it doesn’t stick to the tea towel or banneton basket during the overnight rise.
Step 7: Turn the dough over (the air-exposed, skin-side down) onto your lightly floured surface and shape again. I pull each side and fold it into the dough, rolling it up. Gently pull the bread dough against the countertop towards you, creating tension on the surface. This will provide better oven spring when baking and better structure in the final result, so don’t skip this step.
Step 8: Transfer to a floured banneton or bowl with a lightly floured tea towel, seam-side up. Cover with plastic (I usually use a large plastic bag) and proof 12-15 hours (or overnight) in the refrigerator. You can actually leave the dough for a couple of days in the fridge. It will develop a more sour flavor the longer it sits.
Step 9: After the final proof, preheat a Dutch oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour. Remove the dough from the fridge immediately before baking. Place seam-side down onto parchment paper, dust with flour on top, and score with a razor or lame.
Step 10: Place the parchment paper and dough into the preheated Dutch oven and cover with the lid. Reduce the oven temperature to 475 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 20 minutes. Take the lid off and bake for another 20 minutes or until golden brown. Set the loaf on a cooling rack and cool completely before slicing.
Tips
- I like the mix of whole spelt and white spelt, but you can substitute one or the other for all of the spelt component that you have.
- Wet hands help with working sticky dough, so give your hands a dip or a spritz of water while doing the stretch and folds.
- Whole grain spelt flour ferments quickly at room temperature, so stick to the recommendations to avoid over-fermentation and a sloppy dough. The cold proof is much more forgiving because cold temperatures essentially pause the sourdough fermentation process. This allows for preparing multiple loaves and keeping them in the fridge to bake later in the week.
- A dough scraper makes cleaning up your work surface super easy.
- Let the sourdough loaf cool completely before slicing to avoid a gummy texture.
- Store loosely covered at room temperature.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, spelt adds a wonderful flavor, and it produces a moist loaf. It also acts really similarly to all-purpose flour, making it pretty easy to handle while still giving the loaf structure.
Spelt sourdough is sourdough bread that uses some combination of spelt flour.
Yes. You can feed your starter spelt flour without any issue.
Spelt sourdough bread does contain gluten, but the gluten is more broken down via fermentation than a regular loaf, which may help with digestion. Spelt flour also has lower gluten content and a different gluten structure that may be more tolerable for those who are gluten sensitive. However, if you have celiac disease, stick with gluten-free sourdough and gluten-free starter.
You can store uncut bread in a paper or linen bag at room temperature. Once cut, store the cut side down on a cutting board lightly covered or keep in a storage bag at room temperature for several days. This bread also freezes well. To freeze, store the bread in an airtight bag or container once completely cooled. Freeze for 2-3 months and thaw at room temperature.
Baker’s Timeline:
This can be started or made at any time. I like to start doughs at night time so they can rise all night. In the morning, they are ready to shape and bake.
Feed sourdough starter with flour and water.
If the sourdough starter is mature, then proceed to creating the dough. Combine the ingredients, then cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
Begin stretch and fold schedule. First 3 stretch and folds, every 15 minutes. Last 3 stretch and folds, every 30 minutes. Cover the dough with a wet towel or plastic wrap and allow it to bulk ferment until doubled.
Shape dough. Sit out 20 – 30 minutes, uncovered. Turn over and shape again.
Transfer to a floured banneton or bowl with a floured tea towel, then cover with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator for 12 – 15 hours.
Preheat a Dutch oven at 500 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour.
Take dough out of fridge, dust with flour, and score. Turn the oven down to 475 degrees Fahrenheit, add dough to the parchment-lined Dutch oven, and bake for 20 minutes with the lid on. Remove the lid, then bake for another 20 minutes. Allow the bread to cool before slicing.
More Sourdough Recipes from the Farmhouse
- Sourdough Rye Bread
- Homemade Sourdough Bagels
- Sourdough Croissant Bread
- Easy Sourdough Dinner Rolls
- Soft Multigrain Sourdough Bread
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Spelt Sourdough Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups bread flour, 250 grams
- 1 1/2 cups white spelt, 175 grams
- 3/4 cup whole spelt, 100 grams
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter, 100 grams
- 1 1/2 cups water, 325 grams
- 2 teaspoons salt, 10 grams
Instructions
- Measure bread flour, white spelt, and whole spelt into a large bowl. Add recently fed and active sourdough starter, warm water, and salt to the flours, stirring until combined.
- Cover the bowl with a damp towel, lid, or plastic wrap, and let the dough rest for 30 minutes for the water to hydrate the flour.
- Grab the edge of the dough in the bowl, stretch upwards, and press back down to the center. Turn the bowl a quarter turn, and repeat the process 3-4 times. This is one round. Complete six rounds of stretch and folds.
- Three rounds of stretch and folds every 15 minutes.
- Three more rounds of stretch and folds every 30 minutes.
- Cover the dough with a damp towel or plastic wrap and bulk-ferment at room temperature until doubled. This may be anywhere from 3 to 8 hours, depending on the temperature of your home and the maturity of your sourdough starter.
- After the first fermentation period, shape the dough into a ball. Leave the dough uncovered on the counter for 20-30 minutes to develop a skin. This keeps it from sticking to the tea towel or banneton basket during the fridge rise.
- Turn the dough over (the air-exposed, skin-side down) onto your lightly floured surface and shape again, creating tension on the surface as you spin the ball of dough towards you.
- Transfer to a floured banneton or a bowl with a lightly floured tea towel, seam side up. Cover and proof 12 – 15 hours (or overnight) in the refrigerator.
- Preheat a Dutch oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour. Remove the dough from the fridge immediately before baking. Place seam-side down onto parchment paper, dust with flour on top, and score with a razor or lame.
- Place the parchment paper and dough into the preheated Dutch oven and cover with the lid. Lower the oven temperature to 475 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for another 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What kind of spelt flour do you like?
I can`t use bread flour. Is there a way of making the bread with only spelt flour?
Thank-you
Chava
Can you use all purpose? Bread flour could be swapped with bread flour.
I made this loaf twice and the end results were amazing!
I had a very hard time, though, with the dough.
The first time, the dough was very loose and sticky and I had a hard time shaping the boule. I realized afterwards that I put 50g too little flour (I used only white spelt).
The second time, I put the right amount of flour, of which 400g was white spelt and the rest was regular wheat flour. The dough was just as sticky and loose if not more than the first time. After the final proofing in the fridge, the dough stuck to the towel – I guess I didn’t put enough flour on the towel – so I reshaped it and put it back into the fridge for another 2-3 hours and then baked it.
Again – both times, the final loaf was delicious and had a great crumb, but I could barely work with the dough.
What should I do differently next time (I don’t have bread flour)? Should I use less water? More flour?
Thanks for your amazing recipes and tips!
Hi! My sourdough starter is all-purpose white flour. Does it matter what kind of flour i use in baking? The flours i use are einkorn, spelt, milled wheat…Ex. Do i need to use a spelt starter to make spelt bread? Or can i use any type of starter and use a combination of flours in basically any sourdough recipe?
You don’t need to bake with the same flour you feed your starter, but I think it’s better to stick to one flour for feeding the starter. For example, feed your spelt starter only spelt flour, but then when you bake bread you can use any flour.
Hello Lisa, I live in Germany and here we don’t have such a thing like bread-flour. I used normal spelt flour and milled my spelt to have the whole spelt. I then used half spelt flour & half whole spelt flour and a good and active starter. I also doesn’t let it ferment tooo long but the dough was very sticky and also after the night in the fridge the dough doesn’t went of the ball easily & sticked to it (I floured it really good before).
I baked it as you suggested but it doesn’t make such a beautiful crust with the elevation you have in the middle. Is there something I can do to elevate my dough? It has a lot similar sized (small) wholes/bubbles after baking.
Thanks so much for your help!
Sometimes to get a better spelt loaf, you can put more time and effort into the stretch and folds. Also if you autolyse your sourdough before baking with it, that can help!
My starter was not at peak, fed day earlier, refrigerated and it had fallen quite a bit. Still, loaf had very nice rise and crumb. S&F was hard, tight, but it all worked out great anyway. Thank you!
If I wanted to make 2 loaves from this recipe, is it as simple as doubling the ingredients or will that throw off the whole thing. I know Ballerina farms recipe is a 2 loaf recipe and that’s what I want to make with this one too.
You can double the ingredients to make two loaves.
Thank you for adding a spelt recipe. We are gluten sensitive and have been using all your sourdough recipes for awhile. Thank you! I’m looking at moving more into Spelt though and away from All Purpose. I’d love to stay away from Einkorn just because of the cost. If you could create more long fermented Spelt recipes, that would be awesome!!
I ran out of spelt flour (just had about 175 grams of it – and it was the whole grain kind), so for the other 100 g, I used all-purpose einkorn. I also added a couple of tablespoons of fresh rosemary. Wow – great bread! Easy to make, too!
Awesome! So glad it turned out!
Could you use whole spelt flour only? I understand the best results can be expected from mixing all together but I’m on a restrictive diet that only lets me have whole spelt flour. If I change that do I adjust anything?
I haven’t tried that, so I can’t say for sure what adjustments will need to be made. Spelt does not have as much gluten, so you’d likely need to make adjustments. Let us know if you try it!
Hey, I’m planning to also marking with just whole spelt flour. Have you tried it and did you make adjustments?
I just made a loaf using whole grain spelt and it is beautiful (I haven’t tried it yet but can’t wait until it cools!). I did have to add a little more water as the whole grain absorbs more – not sure how much – maybe a couple of tablespoons, but other than that it was fairly easy to make – Thanks for this recipe!