Two days before baking
Feed the sourdough starter with at least several tablespoons of water and flour, equal amounts of each. Leave the starter at room temperature.
One day before baking
7 ½ dl (3 c.) water
2 dl (¾ c.) sourdough starter
12-14 dl (5 – 6 c.) whole grain spelt flour
12-15 g salt (ca 2 ½ tsp)
Seeds or dried fruit, optional
Place the water and starter in a large bowl. Mix until the starter is well mixed with the water.
Add seeds or dried fruit, as desired, flour and salt. Knead the dough very well either by hand or with a machine. If kneading by hand, it will take at least 20 – 30 minutes and if using a machine at least 10 minutes. Other flours will need to be kneaded longer than spelt. Once well kneaded, place the dough in bread forms so that they are about half full. You can also make buns instead of bread. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for at least 12 – 15 hours or until the dough just reaches the tops of the forms. Or place the bread in the refrigerator for at 18 hours and then remove and allow to finish rising at room temperature. Doing this will reduce the sourness in the bread compared to allowing it to rise completely at room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 200° C (400°F) (for convection oven) or 225° C (440°F) (for regular oven). Bake for 40 – 50 minutes or until the bread has browned and sounds hollow when knocked on, both top and bottom. The bread needs to reach an internal temperature of 96-98° C (204-208°F). Depending on the oven, you may need to raise or lower the temperature. If you want a hard crust on the bread, you can place a pan with water in the oven while baking or spray the bread with water 5 minutes before the end of the baking time.
Remove the bread from the oven and allow to cool. Do not cut the bread until it has completely cooled, otherwise moisture is lost and the bread will dry out faster. The bread keeps best in a paper bag in the pantry.
Tips
You can use different flours such as Öländ wheat, einkorn, emmer, etc. if you desire.
You can increase the salt to 22 g if you would like a salter bread.
If you like seeds or dried fruit, here are some good choices: flaxseeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, raisins, figs or apricots.