Breadmaking FAQ

  • Q: When I bake with spelt my bread has insufficient volume. What do you suggest?

    Generally when people are not having success with their spelt bread it is caused by the following:

    1. Incorrect water amount. A loaf that has too much water is sticky and weak and will not be able to hold the gasses that are produced during the fermentation process. On the other hand, a dough that does not have enough water will be very dry and dense. This dough will not rise properly because the water in the loaf never fully gets into the protein and there is nothing to hold the loaf up, also the dense loaf is too tight to allow the yeast gases to expand the loaf. A correctly wetted dough will be both soft and dry. With a little experimentation you can get the results you want.
    2. Incorrect mix. Too little mix will cause the dough mass to be crumbly and will never develop the protein to where it can expand properly, conversely, a dough mixed too long will break down the fragile protein strand that hold the gases and they become weak and do not hold up. Again a properly mixed dough will be both soft (pliable) and dry.
    3. Old or outdated yeast.
    4. Fermentation time. A good rule of thumb is to let your dough sit in a warm, dry area, covered, for about two hours before working into rolls or bread.
    5. Excessive or too little rising time. Gain a good rule of thumb is 45 minutes to an hour after the dough has been shaped it should be ready to go into the oven. Allow the loaf to rise in a damp, warm environment. The loaf should feel slightly tender but never weak when it is put into the oven. If it's too firm, give more time and if it is weak, its too late to save and start over.