The Best Whole Grain Sprouted Spelt Sourdough Bread Recipe (No Starter Required)

Since we started the Weigh Down Lifestyle, we have been trying a lot of different whole grain sprouted spelt sourdough bread recipes. Two of our core philosophies at Weigh Down Lifestyle are:

• No eliminating food groups!
• Having delicious recipes that are both healthy and easy to make!

Part of the problem is that most bread that you buy at the market is filled with harmful chemicals and sugar. Second, lots of sourdough loaves need a starter, which can deter people from making delicious sourdough loaves.

So in order to solve these problems, we have been trying many different sprouted grain sourdough bread recipes. And we are happy to report that we have found…

The Best Whole Grain Sprouted Spelt Sourdough Bread Recipe (No Starter Required)

Time Required

Prep Time: 15 minutes followed by 60 minutes of resting and rising (x3)

Cook Time: 25 – 30 minutes

Ingredients & Materials

• 5 cups (1139 grams) of Whole Grain Sprouted Spelt flour
• 3 tablespoons (36 grams) of honey
• 2 tablespoons (30 grams) of apple cider vinegar
• 1-½ tsp (21 grams)  of salt
• 2 cups (16 fluid ounces) of warm water
• Add 3 tsp (approx 14.3 grams) of quick rise yeast.
• Ceramic, glass or plastic bowl – not metal
• Dutch oven or bread pans and pizza stone
• Wooden spoon
• Plastic bag with a tie of some type

Instructions

1. Measure out 2 cups (16 fluid ounces) of warm water. Place water into a ceramic, glass bowl or plastic, not metal. (Making Spelt sourdough in a metal bowl seems to stunt the action of the yeast, this is an important tip to take note of.)
2. Stir in 3 tablespoons (36 grams) of honey.
3. Add 2 tablespoons (30 grams) of apple cider vinegar.
4. Add 1 ½ tsp (21 grams) of salt.
5. Add 3 tsp (approx 14.3 grams) of quick rise yeast.
6. Mix all these ingredients together.
7. Add approx 5 cups (1139 grams) of Whole Grain Sprouted Spelt flour. Mix it together with a wooden spoon. This will form a sticky dough.
   It is important not to make the dough too firm, this will prevent the mixture from rising well. This dough will be sticky.
8. Place the round loaf in a bowl and cover with a plastic bag and tie it shut. Let this rise in a warm place for 45 – 60 minutes.
9. Open the bag and remove the loaf. To build the dough, stretch it 3 or 4 times. Do not knead the loaf as this will make the dough hard. After stretching, form into a loaf again and place back into the bowl. Seal with the plastic bag and again leave it in a warm place.
10. After 60 minutes the loaf should have doubled in size. Follow step 9 once again. After stretching, form into a loaf again and place back into the bowl. Seal with the plastic bag and leave it in a warm place.
11. After 60 – 90 minutes the loaf should have doubled in size. Follow step 9 once again. After stretching, form into a loaf again and place back into the bowl. This time place a sheet of parchment paper into the bowl and place the loaf onto it. Seal with the plastic bag and leave it a warm place.
    
    Alternatively you can cut the loaf into two halves and place them into two 8 X 4 inch bread pans lined with parchment paper. Let the dough double in size again (approximately 60 minutes).
12. Turn your oven to 425 degrees and place a dutch oven or a pizza stone inside the oven to warm it up.
    
    (If you don’t have a dutch oven and you are using regular bread pans, it is best to use a pizza stone or something of the sort to put the bread pans on.)
    
    Once the oven reaches 425 degrees, remove your dutch oven, place the risen loaf on the parchment paper inside the dutch oven, score the top with a knife, and place inside the oven with the lid on, or score the loaves in the bread pans and place the bread pans on the pizza stone inside the oven. You can cover the bread pans with aluminum foil if you like.
    
    Immediately turn the heat down to 400 degrees and bake for 20 minutes with the lid on. After 20 minutes, remove the lid and let the top get to a lovely brown colour.
    
    Total time for cooking is about 25- 30 minutes. 
13. When it is finished baking, turn the loaf(s) out onto a cooling rack. Let the loaf cool before slicing.

Want to know more about sprouted grains? Kayce wrote about the health benefits of sprouted grains here!

Did you enjoy our best whole grain sprouted spelt sourdough bread recipe? Let us know how your loaf turned out in the comments below!