Spelt Rolls

Since one of my last posts featured hand rolls and I strongly encourage baking them, I am now determined to make spelt rolls. A short while ago I really avoided spelt, but I have really morphed into a spelt fan!

Although spelt rolls are a bit smaller in volume, when baked correctly they are even greater in taste. 

In order to maintain the moisture and shelf life, this recipe gets a scald inclusion. The scald, with a TA of 171 is prepared the day before and stored in the refrigerator overnight. If prepared in advance, the scald is good for up to a week. 

The following mistakes happen again and again when making scalds:

  • Only hot top water is used
  • The water isn’t heated to the boiling point.
  • The boiling water is poured into the mixing bowl, then the flour is weighed. 

These mistakes lead to the following bake results:

  • Too soft dough
  • Sagging dough
  • Lack of shelf life
  • Dry crumb
  • Less kneading stability

The water used for the scald must be brought to the boiling point, because this is the only way to ensure that the starch gelatinization and the pre-swelling of the gluten take place completely.

Recipe

Scald:

  • 350g Spelt Flour Type 630
  • 250g Water

The water is brought to a boil, and immediately poured onto the “pre-weighed” flour in a mixing bowl. These two ingredients are briefly kneaded into a dough. Now cover and store the dough in the refrigerator. 

Attention: I made 3-times time amount of scald in order to make it easier to work. In addition, the scald can be kept for up to a week!

  • 480g Spelt Flour Type 630
  • 280g Water
  • 200g Spelt pre-dough
  •    14g Salt
  •    10g Yeast
  •   20g Liquid malt (Honey can be used as a substitute)

First knead all ingredients for 6 minutes at a slow speed (be careful! The dough appears too firm at the beginning, but decreases as the kneading time continues). Then the dough is kneaded quickly for 2-3 minutes. But you should watch the dough carefully, because when the surface of the dough begins to shine, you are already close to over-kneading!

After the mixing time the dough is given a 30 minute rest. After this time the dough is folded once and allowed to rest another 20 minutes. 

Now the dough is divided into 13 equal sized pieces and rolled into round dough balls.  Cover and let rest for about 15-20 minutes.

Now the dough pieces are formed into kaiser rolls- see here

To get a good shape I place the formed rolls on a baking pan with the star-side up. Poor shaping is often the result of handling the dough too much before it goes into the oven! Therefore, I use a very loose grip from the beginning. 

In order to achieve a strong oven spring, the spelt rolls should be placed in the oven at ⅔ proof. To get a nice rustic look on the tops I DID NOT spray with water before baking!

Bake the rolls with steam at 250°C reducing to 235°C 

BAKE TIME: 17-18 Minuten