Hi ! Can you tell me how long did you let the dough to proof?
Believe it or not, I can answer this question about bread I baked more than a year ago because of my obsession with both bread and photography. I was able to look up the photos by date and look at the time on them 
Bulk Fermentation 10 hrs (February cold house), see time stamp on photos as well as growth of the doughs (not sure why I transferred the spelt doughâŚmaybe to see bubble on sides).
Final Proof 1 hour
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Wow, thank you for all the pics and info 
. Lucky me ! I hope I will make it better next time, because, first time was flat 
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I tried this recipe yesterday. Had a few âproblemsâ. Used a rye starter. Dough was exceptionally sticky As others have mentioned. So much so that i could barely fold it and stuck all over my hands. Added more flour to the board each time I folded it. Bulk fermentation was complete at 9 pm so I shaped it as best I could, lined a large bread pan with towel sprayed with a little oil, floured, bran, covered with plastic, put in refrigerator. Took out in am, let set on counter 3-4 hours, baked in clay baker, took lid off after 35 minutes, temp was 160, 10 min later it was 208!! Darn. Nice oven spring, nice color but the crust is very thick. I used 3 tbs honey as called for and donât like it. Other than being too sweet, it is delicious. Just gotta cut the crust off.
Bread baking schedule did not go as planned because I started about noon. My starter was ready! Just have to figure out how to post a picture
Hi Eric, greeting from the UK. I am very new to bread baking and only been baking for last couple weeks. So far have baked 5 breads in total all sourdough wholemeal spelt. I love your videos which makes all steps crystal clear. My first ever bread was a beginnerâs luck 
Baked in a Le Creuset stone round pie dish covered with another round pie dish!
Next four breads were a little less successful. Two of them didnât raise well and were flat, last one was a little doughy and under cooked inside while tough crust outside, although thermometer was showing 88C. Another difference in the last one was I have proofed it in the oven at around 25-30C as it was freezing cold here. It was risen a little extreme and very puffy before baking. What is the best practice on proofing the dough in the oven? Can I bake in cast iron le creuset? Your advice is much appreciated on the above. Many thanks
I donât know what is wrong, but I failed again My dough doesnât look so hydrated at first mix, I tried to add a liite more water. In the oven, it raised a bit, but it was almost unbacked at the end. The bread was very heavy.
Hi. Just joined the forum. Iâm looking for a recipe using white spelt and a spelt starter. It doesnât have to be 100% spelt - and Iâd like to use the white spelt if possible. I do have the whole spelt as well.
Thanks,
Sharon
Hey Eric, you are a GENIUS! I have been trying to bake my own 100% Spelt Sourdough recipe over the last 2 months and whatever I tried, I seemed to produce the same horizontal and dense loaf. I was losing faith. But today I tried your recipe and method - the results are stunning and delicious, I am SO PROUD. Thank you. For me the crucial elements were probably the addition of the Agave to boost the starter, the way of folding and not handling the dough too much and the cloche which is just great for the rise (I was using a casserole pot before). Can I ask if you have any advice on adding seeds? Where would you introduce them? Should they be pre-soaked?
Vanessa
Hi @eric, how much instant yeast would I need to replace 1/4 cup of sourdough starter in your Spelt recipe? Am I right in guessing about 1/4 tsp of instant yeast? Thanks in advance for your answerâŚ
I followed this procedure exactly as outlined in the video and weighed all the ingredients. When I went to form the loaf, the dough was less like a wet dough and more like a batter. It spread out on the counter and I had to scrape it into the proofing basket. Any troubleshooting ideas for why my dough was so runny? Itâs pretty warm here, did I let it sit too long overnight?
Hi Eric,
Can you tell me if Sprouted Spelt flour can be used the same way whole spelt flour is?
Also, what is the protein count for spelt flour?
Love your website
Thank you,
Zazzi
Hi Eric,
This is really a great recipe. Iâve been using it for several months now and itâs the only type of bread we eat at home.
I have a little question. Iâm in the process of preparing your recipe now, and somehow I must have gotten the flour - water ratio wrong. The dough is way too dry. I continued anyway and let it rest. So far Iâve folded it once and am waiting for the second time. My question is can I still add water to the dough or is it too late now?
Maybe too late for the loaf you are/were working on, but in case not, or for future reference, you can definitely add more water pretty much any time during the bulk (long, first) proofing phase. The earlier the better, but even right up to the end if you need to.
Yes, was a bit too late for that batch, but itâs good to know for the future.
I ended up using the dough to make pizza. Turned out quite nice.
Thanks for your help
hi, thanks for posting this recipe, love spelt! I prepped some yesterday and baked it this morning, turned out really well, tastes fantastic! Usually avoid US recipes, I have lots of cups, they are all different sizes, so was pleased to see that you gave metric measurements. I too have a âRomertopfâ, brilliant for baking practically anything from roasts to bread. Sometimes I use an iron âdutch ovenâ but the great thing about the romertopf is that, being clay, if you soak it in water first, it steams the bread as its baked, gives a great crust. Thanks again.
Great looking bread, Steeveb. Question for you - Since youâre soaking your Romertopf before baking, then I gather youâre not preheating the baker before putting the dough in to bake. Are you not having issues with the dough sticking to the Romertopf?
Hi Eric. Thanks for the compliment! The Romertopf (RT) I have has an internally ribbed bottom, presumably to allow fats to drain. The first time I used it to bake bread was a real nightmare, the bread got stuck on the ribs and getting it out was âdifficultâ to say the least. What I do now is, invert the RT, so that the bottom becomes the top, fill what is now the bottom about a third full of water then lay the âcoverâ upside down into that and then fill the cover about half full of water. I leave this to soak for at least twenty minutes, though usually longer, (the clay absorbs water slowly), basically the longer the better, overnight while the dough is doing itâs stuff, why not? I then place the RT as a âwholeâ unit into a warmed oven 100c (300F) and heat it to about 180c (350F). I then take the RT out and whack up the oven as far as it will go. After a leisurely sprinkle of rye or corn flour onto the base of the RT the dough is âtippedâ in, then after ten to fifteen minutes or so placed back in the oven. Iâve found that the RT I have still has lots of moisture retained in it and as long as it is not âcoldâ my RT seems to be able to cope quite happily with these changes of temperature. Obviously if you put it into a hot oven from stone cold youâll have a problem. Since I began using the âcoverâ as the âbaseâ (with a sprinkle of rye) after giving it a few minutes the bread lifts out quite easily.
Ha! Spoke too soon, the very next time I made it, it stuck!
It occurred to me that soaking the base of the romertopf prior to baking was stupid, pointless and asking for trouble as one only wants it to steam from the top. To be safe I now put a layer of non stick oven paper in the base.
Made this half a dozen times now, always turns out perfectly (apart from the sticking episode), definitely my favourite bread.
Personally I find three tablespoons of honey too much, I just use one tablespoon of good quality honey.
Also, last couple of times Iâve made this Iâve added caraway seeds, really good match.
