Sourdough Spelt Flatbread
If you want sourdough bread but don’t want to turn on your oven or bother with shaping and scoring, this is for you!
I’ve made these flatbreads countless times. You can use it in place of naan to scoop up curries or use it like a wrap and put sandwich fillings in it or even just spread avocado or, my personal favorite, peanut butter on it and eat it as a snack.
The best part is, you don’t have to turn on your oven, there’s no proofing step, and you can easily make these within one day. Consequently, I make these quite often when I’m busy (or in the summer when it is too HOT to turn on the oven) but still want some fresh sourdough bread.
I make this dough with 50% spelt flour, which is not only a healthy whole grain, but also very extensible, which means it is fairly easy to roll out into flatbread shape. If you don’t have access to spelt flour, use whole wheat or white whole wheat in its place. You’ll have to increase the hydration in the recipe by 20 grams. See notes on the bottom of recipe card.
The first several steps are similar to making your standard sourdough loaf. Where this recipe differs, however, is that you do not shape or proof once it is done fermenting. Once the dough has doubled, you can either make the flatbread right then and there or put the dough in the fridge to make later. The dough can stay in the fridge for up to four days (Yes, you heard that right, I have made the dough four days before cooking the bread, and it turned out fine!). This dough is very forgiving. If you’ve already mastered making a standard sourdough loaf, you will have trouble messing this one up.
Sourdough Spelt Flatbread
Ingredients
- 150 grams active sourdough starter*
- 260 grams water
- 6 grams salt
- 200 grams whole grain spelt flour
- 200 grams bread flour
Instructions
- Mix the active sourdough starter, water, and salt in a large mixing bowl (2.5 quart is ideal).
- Add the spelt flour and the bread flour and mix, mix, mix until it becomes a shaggy dough.
- Gently knead the dough with your hands until it forms a ball. Cover and allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes. This will develop the gluten.
- After 30 minutes, perform your first stretch and fold. Take one corner of the dough and stretch it out as far as you can without ripping the dough. Stop when you feel the dough start to tug back. Fold this piece over onto the dough. Continue for all four corners. Allow to rest for another 30 minutes. You will perform at least three stretch and folds in thirty-minute intervals.
- After 30 minutes, perform the second stretch and fold in the same way you did the first. Wait another thirty minutes and perform your third stretch and fold.
- If you are uncertain if the gluten has developed, perform a windowpane test. Stretch the dough until you can see light coming through it. If it breaks, then the gluten needs more development, and you can perform a fourth stretch and fold. If it doesn’t break, then you can start the bulk fermentation (or first rise).
- Allow the dough to rise for 3-6 hours. The amount of time the dough needs to rise will depend on the strength of the starter, the temperature, and the flours used. The dough should double in size (if using a 2.5 quart bowl, it will nearly fill the bowl).
- Once the dough has risen, you can either store in the fridge to make within the next four days, or you make right away. Once you are ready to make your flatbread, start step nine.
- Place your cast iron skillet on your stove top and turn on your stove to medium high heat.
- Take your dough out onto a floured surface and gently shape into a circle. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, divide the dough into six pieces. Each piece should weigh about 130 grams.
- Use a rolling pin to roll each piece into an oval. You do not need to get it too thin yet as we will stretch it out with our hands before putting it onto the skillet.
- Take one piece and stretch it out with your hands until it’s about 1/8 inch thick. It should be thin, but not so thin that you can see through it.
- Place the dough on the hot skillet and cook on each side for two minutes. You will know when it is ready to flip as the dough will start to bubble. Then, once it is flipped, you will know it is ready to come off the stove because it should puff up. If it doesn’t puff up, check on it after two minutes, as if the skillet isn’t hot enough, it might not puff up.
- Continue until you have cooked all six pieces. And, there you have six beautiful flatbreads!
- These don’t last as long as sourdough loaf and are best consumed within two days. If they go stale, you can reheat them on the stove or in the microwave to soften them. They can be frozen for up to a year.
Notes
Supplies
2.5 Quart Mixing Bowl with Cover
Fork for mixing
Kitchen Scale
9-inch Cast Iron Skillet (or similar pan)
Bench Scraper or Sharp Knife
Rolling Pin
- The inoculation, or amount of sourdough starter, for this dough is quite high. I made this choice because I wanted this dough done FAST. However, if you need more time or live in a warm environment, you can lower the inoculation to 100 grams.
