Spelt Pre-dough

The Purity of Spelt Grain

Many consumers suffer from wheat intolerance and therefore often resort to spelt alternatives. The purity of the spelt product is therefore of crucial importance for these customers.

Currently there are three varieties of spelt:

• Frankenkorn, A hybrid of old varietes, currently the purest spelt
• Oberkulmer Rotkorn, Selected from an old Swiss variety
• Schwabenkorn, A hybrid of Roter Tiroler and Universität Hohenheim

In terms of baking, spelt has a higher protein content than wheat (13%) and the amount of wet gluten is over 30%, but it is not easy to handle in terms of baking. The reason for this is that the gluten is pliable and elastic, but at the same time very sensitive to “over-kneading”.

A big problem with spelt bread is the lack of shelf life. For this reason, pre-dough guidance should be considered.

There is, however, one essential difference in the management of spelt pre-doughs to wheat pre-doughs. Because the spelt gluten is very soft and tends to lose strength, it must be protected from further degradation during the swelling phase. For this reason, the spelt pre-dough should be prepared and stored cold.

Spelt Pre-dough:

• Water not warmed than 10°C
• Hydration (TA) 100% (200)
• Yeast as an additive
• Standing time 16-24 hours

Since spelt in particular plays a major role in organic production, the question of replacing ascorbic acid with a natural substance is of great importance here. For example, 0.1% acerola cherry powder can be added.