Onion Lovers Spelt-Whole Wheat Sourdough

29Mar

If you don’t like onions, this one’s not for you!

I made caramelized onions in my slow cooker and used the water left over from the crying onions as part of the dough liquid. I used fresh milled spelt and Marquis whole wheat.

I definitely went overboard with the hydration on this bake, and I also let the bulk go too far. Spelt doesn’t do well if overhydrated, and it made shaping a little difficult.

Overall, the flavor is amazing, and with a few adjustments, this will be a keeper. If you are going to try this I suggest you lower the water amount by around 60-70 grams, depending on your flour.

The whole wheat was milled in my MockMill 200 and sifted with a #30 drum sieve, then re-milled and sifted with a #40 drum sieve. The spelt was milled and sifted with a #30 sieve and re-milled, but no additional sifting was done.

The dough was mixed using my trusty Ankrusrum and open-baked with steam.

This was baked as a large miche weighing a total of 1766 grams before baking.

Formula

Levain Directions 

Mix all the levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.

Let it sit at room temperature for around 6-7 hours or until the starter has almost doubled. Either use in the main dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.

 Main Dough Procedure

Note: I use an Ankarsrum Mixer so my order of mixing is slightly different than if using a Kitchenaid or other mixer. Add all the water to your mixing bowl except the 70 grams of water. Add all your flour to the bowl and mix on low for a minute until it forms a shaggy mass. Cover the mixing bowl and let it rest for 20 – 30 minutes.   Next, add the levain, salt, sour cream, and half the remaining water and mix on medium-low (about speed 3) for a few minutes until the water is absorbed, and turn the speed up a couple of notches for a few minutes until the dough starts to come together. Let it rest for another 20-30 minutes and add the rest of the water only if you feel you need it. Mix for another 8-10 minutes until you have a pretty completely developed dough, and then add the onions and mix until incorporated. You can also laminate the dough on your work surface and add the onions that way if you prefer.

Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl, and do several stretch and folds.  Make sure the dough is as flat as possible in your bowl/container, and measure the dough in millimeters and take the temperature of the dough as well. Based on the chart from http://www.thesourdoughjourney.com, determine what % rise you need and make a note. If you have a proofer, decide what temperature you want to set it at and what rise you are aiming for. If the dough is fully developed, you don’t need to do any stretch and folds, but if it’s not, do several sets 15-20 minutes apart.

Once the dough reaches the desired bulk rise, pre-shape and let rest for 15-20 minutes. Finish shaping and place in your banneton, bowl, or on your sheet pan, and cover it so it is pretty airtight. You will then place it in your refrigerator so you don’t want the dough to get a crust on it. I usually don’t leave the dough in the refrigerator for more than 12 hours because of all the fresh milled flour but it is possible to go longer.

When you are ready to bake, an hour beforehand, preheat your oven to 540°F and prepare for steam. Let your dough sit at room temperature while the oven is warming up. When ready to bake, score as desired. Prepare your oven for steam. I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water into the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.  I then lower the temperature of the oven to 450°F for a miche or 455°F for smaller individual loaves. Bake until they are nice and brown and the internal temperature is at least 205 – 210°F.

Take the bread(s) out of the oven when done and let them cool on a baker’s rack for as long as you can resist.