I like making 100% Spelt Sourdough every now and then and thought it was time to write down the formula that I use.  The Spelt flour I mill myself from Spelt berries I get from HiStakes-Spelt.com.  The milled flour is sifted to remove any large pieces so that I have a nice flour that is about 95% extraction.  The loaf turns out great so here is a picture of it.

 I like fermenting it in an oval basket with a slash right down the middle.

The Dough

Method

 I use a 100% Spelt Starter at 80% hydration and add that to the water.  I break the starter up in the water so that the water turns milky in color.  Then I add the Spelt flour to the water and briefly mix until the dough is a shaggy mass.  The dough is then left to rest for 30 minutes.  The salt is then added and mixed into the dough.  The dough isn't mixed very long as the gluten  of Spelt isn't as strong as Wheat.  The dough is then turned out into an oiled bowl to bulk ferment.  Bulk fermenting will depend on the temperature of your dough and room.  I don't do stretch and folds on the Spelt dough as I'm not sure the gluten would handle it.  The dough is shaped and placed into an oval basket to finish up fermenting.  It is still the middle of winter so I got a nice long ferment here.  I do the poke test to check and see when the dough is ready to bake.  To me the dough gets a certain softness to it when it is ready to bake.  I bake the loaf at 460°F for 45 minutes with the first 30 minutes under a roasting pan.  Here is the crumb shot.

I like the nice open crumb I get with this bread.  It is hard to believe that it is almost 100% Whole Spelt.  The initial flavor has a little sweetness to but as you chew on it you get a little sour flavor.  My coworkers really liked the bread and I never even told them that it wasn't Wheat.