Spelt Sourdough Bread

100% spelt sourdough bread, made with only spelt flour. This lower hydration bread is easy to make, even for sourdough beginners.

Prep time: PT10M

Cook time: PT40M

Total time: PT770M

Rating

4.71 stars (41 reviews)

Keywords

sourdough, spelt flour, spelt sourdough

Ingredients

300 grams (10.6 oz) water (room temperature)
100 grams (3.5 oz) active sourdough starter
550 grams (19.4 oz) light spelt flour (also called sifted or white spelt)
10 grams (0.35 oz) fine sea salt

Cuisine

European

Steps

Add the water and starter to a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
Add the flour and salt to the bowl, and use a wooden spoon or spatula to mix until a shaggy dough forms. Finish mixing with your hands to fully incorporate the flour.
Cover the bowl and set aside to rest for 30 minutes.
Once the dough has rested, begin your stretches and folds. Do three rounds of stretches and folds over the course of an hour, once every 20 minutes.
Form the dough into a ball or boule by placing it onto a clean surface and using your hands to rotate until surface tension forms.
Line a proving basket with a tea towel and sprinkle with flour. Place the dough upside-down into the prepared basket.
Cover and set aside to rise at room temperature for three hours. The dough should visibly rise during this time. If it hasn't, let it rise for longer at room temperature (see pictures 6 and 7 in the step-by-step section above).
Place the dough into the refrigerator overnight, or for at least eight hours and up to 24 hours.
Place a heat-safe dutch oven into the centre rack of your oven and preheat the oven to 240°C (465°F). The oven must be this hot and the dutch oven preheated for the bread to turn out properly.
Turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper and score with a sharp knife.
Carefully remove the dutch oven and place your loaf into it, using the parchment paper as handles to lift the bread.
Bake for 20 minutes with the lid on, then remove the lid and reduce the temperature to 220°C (425°F) and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until browned to your desired degree.
Remove from the oven and cool in the pot for ten minutes before carefully removing the bread and cooling fully on a wire rack. It must be completely cool before slicing.
I recommend storing it in the pot you've baked it in, or freezing individual slices and toasting to thaw.

Nutitrion

Serving Size: 1
Calories: 229 kcal
Carbohydrates: 42 g
Protein: 8 g
Fat: 2 g
Sodium: 391 mg

Reviews

Sarata on 2026-05-20 (5 stars):
Hi, Done this recipe a few times. Sometimes it comes out a little blandish. AI claims it needs a little more salt 11-12 grams according to baker's percentages. I see you wrote above not to change salt amounts. Is that just not to reduce? Is it an issue to add? Also, you seem to shape before Bulk rise? Is that deliberate?
Sarah on 2026-04-05 (5 stars):
I am following a low FODMAP diet and wanted to try making a spelt sourdough. Although my starter is new, this turned out WAY better than I expected! I used 100% white spelt from a local mill in my state. I think I might try adding a little more water next time, but followed the recipe exactly. Mine was not quite as open of a crumb as pictured here, but still great. I added a little fresh rosemary and fennel seeds when combining ingredients. We will try your pizza dough next!! Thank you for developing such a robust recipe!
Lalita Doig on 2026-03-19 (5 stars):
I made this using my whole meal spelt starter. The loaf turned out really well and had a lovely flavour. I’ve had issues making spelt sourdough before but this is a great recipe that I’ll be using from now on. Thank you.
Dorota on 2026-02-06 (5 stars):
Hello Alexandra :) I just wanted to thank you for this wonderful recipe. I’m new to sourdough baking, and because of health issues I use only spelt flour—so your website is a true treasure for me 💛 I baked my first bread using this recipe and it turned out great. I’ve just finished my second loaf, and it looks even better! I can’t wait to cut it and see the crumb 😄 I was a bit worried because I forgot to stir the starter with water first and started adding the flour right away. I stopped midway, mixed everything well, added the rest of the flour, and kneaded by hand a little longer. Fortunately, it seems everything turned out just fine! Thank you again—I can’t wait to try more of your spelt recipes!