Since several weeks I have two packages of Emmer and Einkorn sitting in my pantry, waiting for me to create a recipe with them. But I was always to short in time as I had to do a lot of recipe testing for the upcoming bread baking courses and for a magazine article. And so they where pushed deeper and deeper into the depth of the shelf. Sorting my baking supplies brought them back to my mind, as well as a package of dark roasted malt. And so I decided to combine Emmer and malt in one bread.

As I did not want to use a hot soaker or water roux, I decided to use a hydration of about 70% and a long period of stretch and fold in combination of a cold fermentation. With the stretch and fold the dough gains enough strength and the long fermentation give the flour enough time to soak up the moisture. But nevertheless is this a dough on the rather soft side and so it is needed to flour the proofing basket very well!

Due to the dark malt, the bread develops are dark crust and crumb with a malty flavour followed by nutty notes of the Emmer. The sweet Starter which is the only leavening agent develops a deep complexity without any acidity. This is a bread which I love!

Malty Spelt-Emmer

Sweet Starter

• 120g sweet Starter
• 120g spelt  flour Type 630
• 60g Water

Teig

• Sweet Starter
• 200g Emmer,freshly milled
• 600g spelt flour Type 630
• 600g Water
• 15g roasted dark malt (made of barley or rye)
• 20g Salt

Mix the ingredients of the sweet starter and let it rise for 2-4 hours at 30°C, until the volume has doubled.

For the dough knead all ingredients for 10 min at slow speed.

Ferment 3 hours at room temperature, stretch and fold the dough every 20 min.

Then place the dough in the fridge over night (about 12 hours)

The next morning; divide the dough into two equal pieces and form long breads. Place in a proofing basket with the seam side down.

Proof for 2 hours, in the meantime preheat the oven with a baking stone to 250°C.

Place the loaves in the oven with steam. Turn the temperature back to 200°C after 10 min and bake the bread for another  45-50 min.

Tip: You can bake the bread without roasted malt, too. The crumb will have a light colour and milder flavour then.