Bake Affair Organic Spelt Sourdough, 80 g

The organic spelt sourdough by Bake Affair results in particularly aromatic bread and pastries made from spelt flour. Sourdough bread tends to stay moist and taste fresher longer than bread made with only yeast.

Acidity: 38 - 42

Preparing the starter: The starter usually needs 7 days at room temperature to mature before you can bake sourdough bread with it. At warmer ambient temperatures (20-29°C) it can be ready in 4 to 5 days. Below are instructions to make it at room temperature.

You will need a large, clean glass or plastic container with a lid that has a capacity of at least 600 g. A 1-litre mason jar with a lid is also suitable.

Day 1: Mix 50 g light spelt flour, 1 tbsp spelt sourdough and 60 g tap water in your container. It is best to xix these ingredients with your (clean!) fingers until the mixture resembles a thick paste. It should be mixed by hand for the first two days as this encourages wild yeast and natural bacteria that ensure good fermentation. Then place the mixture in your jar and cover the jar opening halfway with the lid (do not tighten). Let it rest for at least 24 hours.

Day 2: On the second day the dough should already smell slightly sweet. Add another 50 g of light spelt flour and 50 g of water to the dough. Mix the ingredients together by hand. The dough should be a little creamier than the day before. Cover the jar opening halfway with the lid on - do not tight. Let it rest for another 24 hours.

Day 3: The starter is already starting to change and takes on a slightly sour, yoghurt-like smell. On day 3, add a further 50 g light spelt flour and 50 g water to the dough. From now onwards you can use a spoon to stir until the dough is again a creamy paste. Place the lid halfway over the jar opening and let it rest for another 24 hours.

Day 4: By now the starter should have started bubbling and developing a smell similar to tart apple cider. Repeat the steps from Day 3 and let rest for another 24 hours.

Day 5: By now your starter should look fairly active. "Feed" it again by adding 50 g spelt flour and 50 g water. Stir well again and leave it half-covered with the lid for another 24 hours.

Day 6: If your starter is full of bubbles, It'S almost ready. Feed it one last time as you did on Day 5 and let it rest half-covreed for a further 24 hours.
If your starter hasn't developed any bubbles by now, "feed" it with a little whole grain spelt flour instead of light spelt flour and keep it in a warm spot (between 28°C and 32°C). Place it for example next to the radiator, in a fermentation box or wrapped in a towel on a hot water bottle.

Day 7: Your sourdough starter is now ready. You can keep it in the fridge from now on. "Feed" it every 10-14 days by doing the following: Take 50 g of your sourdough starter and mix it with 50 g water and 50 g flour. Let it rest at room temperature until it has doubled in size (this can take between 3 and 6 hours). Then place it back in the fridge.
To increase the amount of your starter, you could for instance take 50 g of your starter and add to it 225 g each of flour and water and you will end up with 500 g of starter.

Baking with sourdough starter: To make your sourdough, use about 10 - 30% starter for flour. That means for every kilogram of flour in your recipe, take 100 - 300 g flour and the same amount of water and mix with 10 - 30 g of sourdough starter.
The leavening power of the sourdough starter improves with age. Because the sourdough starter does not have much leavening power at the beginning, you should also add yeast when baking bread initially. If you want to bake pure sourdough bread without adding any yeast, you should make sure that your sourdough is particularly active. To do this, refresh the starter once or twice and let it sit until it has doubled in size before using it in your dough.
If the sourdough is allowed to rise at room temperature, it will take longer and will develop a stronger, more sour flavour If it is allowed to rest at warmer temperatures (between 28 and 32 °C) it will rise faster and develop a milder flavour.