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Spelt Bread Baked Without Clibanus
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To make spelt bread for a Roman legionaries’ encampment and not having a clibanus (see link: http://www.roman-reenactor.com/roman%20military%20bread%20making.html), but still wanting to bake the bread in a pot, I’ve collected directions from several online recipes and put them into one recipe for making spelt bread with the 8 slice marks (see attached photos of the bread).

Overview:
 
To make the spelt bread dough, I used a recipe by Ken Kramm I found on Youtube (link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVjt13Np07w).  In his recipe, bread making total time is 15 hours that includes a total rise time of about 14 hours (one 6 hours rise time stated and two other rise steps called for but not timed).  In the recipe below, the total rise time is about 8 hours.  I have not noticed a difference in texture or taste in the bread using either rise time.
 
To include more detail to the Kramm recipe on spelt dough stretching (and folding), I used Titli Nihaan’s directions in her Youtube video “Basic Spelt Bread” (link: Spelt Bread Recipe - - Yahoo Video Search Results).
 
From baker Jim Lehey’s book My Bread (see link: https://leitesculinaria.com/99521/recipes-jim-laheys-no-knead-bread.html), I used his process of baking bread dough in a 5-quart (4.7 liters) cast iron dutch oven (round pot with lid).
 
There is another spelt bread recipe on Youtube that uses a dutch oven to bake the bread but it takes much longer time due to a rise time of 12 hours.  It’s Deblishious.com  “Spelt Sourdough No Knead Bread” Recipe
(link: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=no+knead+spelt+sourdough+bread&view=detail&mid=B8E30C0A2A51E9263542B8E30C0A2A51E9263542&FORM=VIRE).
 
Below is the Ken Kramm-based recipe to make spelt bread.  The recipe assumes you've already made a spelt flour bread starter (at least 5-6 days old so you see some bubbles on top of starter).
 
If you need to make a spelt flour bread starter, here is a Youtube bread starter video link: Bread Starter Youtube - - Yahoo Video Search Results.
 
Spelt Bread Recipe:
 
Prep Time: 47 minutes
Rise Time:   7.75 hours
Bake Time: 45 minutes (preheat to 475 Fahrenheit (246 Celsius) first and bake for 45 minutes at 475 F). Use stove oven setting 475 Fahrenheit for Lodge (U.S.) brand dutch oven or equivalent covered pot with 3/16” (0.48 centimeters) thick wall.  Use stove oven setting 450 Fahrenheit (232 Celsius) for Le Creuzet (France) brand enameled cast iron dutch oven or equivalent covered pot with 1/8” (0.32 centimeters) thick wall and remove any plastic top knob and plug hole with aluminum foil when baking. If using a gas oven for baking the bread, place a cookie sheet on the bottom oven rack to shield the bottom of bread dough in the dutch oven from burning.
Total Time: about 9 hours 17 minutes
Yield: one approximately 9-inch (22.9 cm.) diameter round loaf
 
Ingredients:
 
5 US cups (1.2 liter) spelt flour
1- 1/2 US cups (355 milliliters) Brita filter (charcoal) filtered water, about room temperature
1-1/2 US tea spoon (7.4 milliliters) (10 grams) sea salt slightly ground in a mortar and pestle
3 US table spoon (44.4 milliliters) honey
1/2 US cup (118.3 milliliters) spelt flour bread starter
 
Directions:
 
Night before:
 
I'm assuming bread starter is already made and is refrigerated.  Measure 1/2 US cup (118 milliliters) of starter and enclose it in an air-tight container to proof/warm up overnight.
 
Next day:
 
Measure all dry ingredients, place in one bowl and mix them together.
 
Measure water, honey, and bread starter, place in a large bowl, and mix them together.
 
Gradually add the mixed dry ingredients to the mixed wet ingredients and blend together with a rubber spatula until all floured ingredients are incorporated into dough.  Either add small amounts (1/8 to 1/4 US cup (29.6 to 59 milliliters) of water if flour is still left on bottom of bowl so all the flour is mixed into the dough or add no additional water and just knead the dough so you work the flour left in the bowl into the dough.  I have done it both ways to make a successful bread.
 
For first time, take the dough and stretch it and fold half of dough on itself but only up to the middle.  Fold the remaining half on itself.  Rotate bowl a quarter turn and for a second time repeat the stretch and folding procedure.  Rotate bowl a quarter turn and for a third time repeat the stretch and folding procedure.  Cover the bowl containing dough with a cotton flour sack (flat, no-pile) cloth and wait 15 minutes.  Repeat above stretch and fold details and wait time 3 more times.  The final time will not require any 15 minutes wait since you will start the next step.
 
Place the covered bowl containing dough in a draft free and not cold location like an unheated stove oven and close the stove oven door and wait 5 hours to let the dough rise.
 
Have two bread boards or surfaces and place flour sack towel on one surface and sprinkle and rub spelt flour on towel to keep dough from sticking to towel.  On other surface sprinkle and rub some spelt flour on top of it.
 
Use rubber spatula to scrape dough out of bowl and onto the towel-free floured surface.
 
With your hands rubbed with the flour, gather the sides of dough together to form a ball.
 
Sprinkle some flour on top of the dough.
 
Place the dough, gathered side down, on the floured towel of the other board.
 
Fold the sides of the towel over the dough to enclose the dough.
 
Wait 2 hours for the dough to rise but start the next step 35 minutes before 2 hours rise time is complete.
 
After 1 hour and 25 minutes of dough rise time, place the bottom stove oven rack in the bottom slot and place the stove oven rack above it in the slot above the bottom slot.
 
Place the covered cast iron dutch oven in stove oven and on the second from the bottom stove oven rack and preheat the oven at 475 F (246 Celsius). See Bake Time above for temperature adjustment down for pot with thinner wall than the Lodge brand dutch oven wall.
 
When oven is preheated to 475 F (246 Celsius), start oven timer to 30 minutes.
 
When the last step is complete, and wearing oven mits over your hands, remove hot dutch oven from stove oven and place hot dutch oven on stove top grates.
 
If using a gas oven to bake the bread, place a cookie sheet on the bottom stove oven rack.  The sheet will prevent the bread bottom from getting charred while baking in the dutch oven.
 
With oven mits off hands, unfold towel from top of dough, move one hand underneath towel, and cradle dough.
 
Carefully place the cradled dough above and centered over the hot dutch oven being careful not to touch hot dutch oven with your bare hands. Slowly turn the dough over and place it in the hot dutch oven trying to center the dough as much as possible.  If dough makes contact with the sides of the dutch oven, you can scrape the dough from the sides with a wood fork or wood spatula.
 
With a small sharp knife, cut 4 about 1" (1.27 centimeters) deep slices across the top and through the center of the dough so you have 8 near equal pie-slice cuts appearing on top of the dough.
 
With oven mits on hands, put hot dutch oven cover on top of hot dutch oven and place the covered dutch oven on the second from the bottom stove oven rack.
 
With dutch oven cover on for the total bake time, bake dough for 45 minutes.
 
After bake time is up, wear stove oven mits on hands and remove hot dutch oven from stove oven and place hot dutch oven on stove top grates and, with stove oven mits on hands, remove hot dutch oven cover.
 
Have bread cooling rack on a surface and, with stove oven mits on hands, remove hot bread from hot dutch oven.  You may need to first lift the bottom of the bread up with a wood spoon or fork to get access to the bread.
 
Place the hot bread on the cooling rack.
 
You can serve the bread after it cools (about 1 hour after baking).
 
The cooled bread can be stored in a zip-lock plastic bag.
 
Comments:
 
The resulting spelt bread is dense like rye bread with a slightly tangy acidic and nutty taste.  The honey is not overwhelming so the bread is not like a dessert.  The acidic taste I'm guessing is due to the bread starter.
 
Let me know if you have any questions about the above recipe and also any suggestions you have to improve it.
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