Whole Grain Spelt Sourdough Ciabatta Recipes

SPELT AND KAMUT WHOLE GRAIN SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• Autolyse
• Mix together the flour and most of the water (reserve 20g water) until completely incorporated. Cover and let autolyse for 1-2 hours.
• Bulk Fermentation
• Add the starter to the dough by spreading it on the surface, stretching and folding the dough over the starter and gently kneading it into the dough. Cover and let sit for about 30 minutes.
• Dissolve the salt into the 20g of reserved water and add the mixture to the dough the same way you added the starter. Cover the dough and let it rest for about 30 minutes.
• With 30 minutes rests in between each gluten development maneuver, coil fold the dough, then laminate it, and then coil fold it twice more. Here are videos of gluten development techniques.
• Let the dough continue to rise until it has grown by about 75% and has some surface bubbles. See photo gallery below for before and after photos.
• Calculating from when the starter was added, Version 1's bulk fermentation was 6 hours at room temperature, 12 hours in the refrigerator, and another 1 hour at room temperature. Had I not refrigerated the dough, I suspect 7-8 hours would have sufficed. Version 2's bulk fermentation was 5 hours at room temperature. This shorter time can be attributed to both the larger amount of starter and higher hydration of the dough.
• Pre-Shape, Bench Rest, Shape
• Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured countertop and pre-shape it into a ball.
• Lightly dampen the top of the dough or cover it, and let it rest for about 20 minutes. Prepare your proofing basket with flour.
• Shape the dough. Here are some videos if you want shaping pointers.
• Flour the top of the dough, flip it into your proofing basket and cover.
• Final Proof
• Let the dough proof until it has expanded in volume and looks a bit puffy. See the photo gallery below for before and after photos.
• Version 1 proofed 1.5 hours at room temperature and Version 2 proofed for 13 hours in the refrigerator.
• Bake
• Preheat your oven to 500F for 30 minutes with your baking vessel inside.
• Flip your dough onto parchment paper, score it, and load it into the hot baking vessel.
• Bake at 500F for 20 minutes with the lid on.
• Then, if you're baking in cast iron, slide a baking sheet under the vessels, same shelf, direct contact.
• Lower the oven temperature to 450F and bake for an additional 10 minutes with the lid on.
• Remove the lid and bake for 5-10 minutes more.

WHOLE GRAIN SPELT SOURDOUGH CIABATTA

Steps:

• Note: This recipe is for one large slipper. The photo gallery below shows two versions of the recipe being made at once, hence two slippers. If you want two (or three smaller) slippers, double the recipe ingredients.
• Sourdough Starter
• Build a 100% or higher hydration sourdough starter over a couple of days until it is more than 275g in weight, about 2 1/4 cups volume, active and floating.
• There are numerous, equally effective ways to get this amount of active starter. I fed my starter and refrigerated it at about 1 cup in volume. On baking day, I put 110g of starter in a large bowl, fed it 75g of all-purpose flour and 90g of water. In volume, this is approximately 1/2 cup starter, 1/2 cup flour and 3/8 cup of water. Several hours later, it was over 2 cups in volume and it floated.
• Autolyse
• At about the same time you do the last feeding of your starter, combine the whole grain spelt flour and water in a large bowl and cover. This will help build the gluten structure and enhance the flavor. If the dough seems too dry to incorporate all the flour, pause for a few minutes, mix again. Add 10g more water if there is still any dry flour.
• Mixing
• When the starter is ready (for me this is about 4 hours after feeding), add it, the olive oil, and the salt to the autloysed dough. Mix by hand until incorporated and continue to develop the gluten for about 2 minutes or until the dough passes the windowpane test. Use one hand to turn the bowl and the other hand to scrape, scoop, and pull the dough around the bowl. Because of the autolyse, this mixing takes less time than what I recommend in the white flour ciabatta recipe.
• Here is a video of mixing the dough with the all purpose starter from beginning to end in under 2 minutes, and here is a video of the last 30 seconds of mixing the dough with the whole grain spelt starter. Both videos show the windowpane test.
• After mixing, mark the time and room temperature if you like to track fermentation this way.
• Bulk Fermentation / Stretching and Folding
• Cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
• Do three gentle stretch and folds, spaced 25-30 minutes apart. Use damp fingertips to pull the dough from the sides of the bowl and fold it over (four sides, twice around). Cover after each stretch and fold.
• Let ferment until puffy and roughly doubled. This was about 3 hours from mixing at 74F for me.
• Shaping and Proofing
• Heavily flour your countertop, then scrape or pull the dough out of the bowl onto it.
• Flour your hands repeatedly and gently slide your fingers under the dough from all sides to pull it outward into a square shape about 1/2 an inch thick. Both versions of this dough are more delicate than white flour ciabatta dough, so work slowly until you get a feel for it.
• Using a bench scraper, fold the dough in half. Brush off the extra flour on the top, then fold it in thirds (see gallery below). Let the dough rest about 20 minutes.
• Prepare a piece of parchment paper, on a floured couche or tea towel, on a small flipped over cookie sheet. The couche/towel should be floured in case it touches the top of the slipper when you cover the slipper. The cookie sheet is under the towel to be a flat surface if you want to proof in the refrigerator.
• Fold the preshaped dough in half as it will have spread while resting. Consider a second fold for the all whole grain dough which spreads more.
• Using a bench scraper, transfer the slipper to the parchment paper.
• Dust the top of the slipper with more flour, and loosely cover it with the tea towel or couche.
• Let it proof for 30 minutes to 1 hour at room temperature, or 1+ hour in the refrigerator.
• Oven Prep and Baking
• If you have a baking stone, put it in the oven. You can also cook the slippers on a metal cookie sheet or upside down cast iron pan. (Do not use a dark non-stick surface because of the high oven temperature.)
• Prepare to create steam early in the baking process. You can put a cast iron pan on the shelf under the baking stone. Or you can create a drip system by putting an aluminum pan with a pinhole in the oven under the stone, and a metal cookie sheet on the base of the oven. When making the pinhole, test over your sink that water drips through it about 1-2 drops a second. This system was devised by Breadtopia community member @peevee. My heating element is exposed on the bottom of my oven, so the aluminum pan drips onto the bottom of the oven rather than a cookie sheet, which works fine too. (See gallery for photo of setup.)
• Preheat your oven and stone to 500 F for 30 minutes before the dough finishes proofing. If you are baking on a cookie sheet, a 15 minute preheat should be enough.
• When proofing is complete, remove the tea towel from under the parchment paper and slipper, and slide the parchment paper and slipper onto your preheated stone. You can use a pizza peel or the same upside down cookie sheet to transfer the paper and slipper.
• Immediately pour a cup of water onto the aluminum tray or cast iron pan that is under your stone, and quickly close the oven door to trap the steam.
• Bake at 500 F for 10 minutes. Then remove the parchment paper and rotate the slippers 180 degrees if your oven seems to brown unevenly.
• Bake an additional 8-10 minutes at 450 F.
• Important After baking, turn off the oven, crack open the door a couple of inches, and leave the slippers in the oven for another 5 minutes. This will make the crust crunchier.
• If you make rolls or larger slippers, adjust your cooking time accordingly. Internal temperature should be about 205 F.
• Let cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.
• For most purposes (olive oil and tomatoes, butter and blue cheese, BBQ pulled meat), I like to slice a slipper horizontally and then into roll-size pieces 3-4 inches wide.

SPROUTED WHEAT SOURDOUGH CIABATTA

Steps:

• MIXING AND BULK FERMENTATION
• Combine all the ingredients in a stand mixer with dough hook attachment. Mix on low speed about a minute until combined and then scrape down the sides. Then mix on medium-low speed for about 5 minutes and then transfer the dough to a clean bowl. Alternately or additionally, mix in a bowl with a stiff spatula and then with the Rubaud Method for 2-10 minutes (the longer time is if you take breaks). After mixing, note the time and room temperature if you like to track fermentation this way.
• Cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
• Do three gentle stretch and folds, spaced 25-45 minutes apart. Use damp fingertips or a dough scraper to pull the dough from the sides of the bowl and fold it over (four sides, twice around). Cover after each stretch and fold.
• Let ferment until bubbly and roughly doubled. This was a little over 4 hours from mixing in summer house temps (75-78F).
• SHAPING
• Flour your countertop, then scrape the dough out of the bowl.
• Flour your hands and gently slide your fingers under the dough from all sides to pull it outward into a square shape about 1/2 an inch thick. Do not flour the surface of the dough as this will be the interior of your slippers.
• Using a bench scraper, fold the rectangle of dough in half on itself. Then cut the dough in pieces. I went with five small slippers, almost like large rolls. Of note I did not do a bench rest and reshape. It was about 10 minutes from bowl to couche.
• Using a bench scraper and your free hand, transfer the slippers to the channels of a heavily floured couche or tea towel. The slippers will scrunch up a bit as you gather them, but you can adjust and stretch them out again as you lay them in the couche.
• Loosely cover the slippers with the couche itself or with another tea towel.
• PROOFING AND OVEN PREP
• Let the slippers proof for about 30 minutes at warm room temperatures, longer in cool temps.
• If you have a baking stone or steel, put it in the oven. You can also cook the slippers on a metal cookie sheet. (Do not use a dark non-stick surface because of the high oven temperature.)
• Prepare to create steam early in the baking process. You can put a cast iron pan on the shelf under the baking stone. Or you can create a drip system by putting an aluminum pan with a pinhole in the oven under the stone, and a metal cookie sheet on the base of the oven. When making the pinhole, test over your sink that water drips through it about 1-2 drops a second. My heating element is exposed on the bottom of my oven, so the aluminum pan drips onto the bottom of the oven rather than a cookie sheet, which works fine too. (See gallery for photo of setup.)
• Preheat your oven and stone to 500 F for 30 minutes as the dough proofs. If you are baking on a cookie sheet, a 15 minute preheat should be enough.
• BAKING
• When proofing is complete, flip the slippers onto pieces of parchment paper, and slide the slippers onto your preheated stone. You can use a pizza peel or a cold upside down cookie sheet to transfer the slippers.
• Immediately pour a cup of water onto the aluminum tray or cast iron pan that is under your stone, and quickly close the oven door to trap the steam.
• Bake at 500 F for 10 minutes. Then remove the parchment paper and rotate the slippers 180 degrees if your oven seems to brown unevenly.
• Bake an additional 5-10 minutes at 450 F.
• After baking, turn off the oven, crack open the door a couple of inches, and leave the slippers in the oven for another 5 minutes. This will make the crust crunchier.
• Internal temperature should be about 205 F.
• Let cool on a rack for about one hour before slicing.