tiny tongue of the Swabian Alb with long-term fermentation // Germany tour // DIY German bread

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Ingredients for the dough

200 g spelt flour, type 630
200 g wheat flour, type 550
200 g rye flour, type 997
12 g salt
20 g yeast*
360 g lukewarm water*



Long pre-dough (preferment), preparation

Place the 200 g wheat flour (as mentioned in the recipe) into a bowl.
Take 120 g of the total water amount and dissolve 5 g* of the total yeast in it.
Add the yeast water to the wheat flour, mix with a spoon and by hand for about 1 minute / optionally knead briefly by hand.
Cover the bowl and set aside at room temperature for 24 hours.



Dough preparation

Place the preferment into the mixing bowl.
Add all remaining ingredients.
Crumble 15 g* yeast into the remaining 240 g water and dissolve.
Add this water to the bowl and knead everything for 5 minutes into a smooth dough.
Take the dough out of the bowl, perform one “stretch and fold,” then place it back into the bowl. Cover and let it rest for 1–1.5 hours (depending on room temperature).



Shaping and baking the bread

Divide the dough into two equal pieces.
Stretch and fold each piece, shape into a ball, and let them rest covered for about 15 minutes.
Round the dough pieces lightly again, shape them into oblong loaves, and place them seam side up on a floured couche (linen).
Lift the cloth slightly between the loaves (to form a fold) so they don’t touch.
Cover and let the loaves proof for 30–45 minutes.

After proofing, check readiness with the “finger test.”

Remove the loaves from the cloth: lift the cloth slightly so the loaf rolls onto your hand (or a board), placing it seam side down.
Place the loaves (with space between them) on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Make three diagonal cuts about 1 cm deep on each loaf, then place into the preheated oven (220°C) with steam, baking on the lower third rack.
After 10 minutes, release the steam and reduce the temperature to 190°C. Bake for another 20–25 minutes.

The bread is done when it sounds “hollow” when tapped!

Brush the still-hot loaves lightly with a starch-water emulsion for a nice glossy finish.




Key details

Kneading time: 1 min by hand (preferment), 5 min with machine on level 2
Shape: oblong, baked free-form

Fermentation time: 60–90 min bulk rise / 30–45 min final proof / 15 min relaxation

Oven: convection, lower third

Baking: 10 min at 220°C with steam → release steam, reduce to 190°C, bake another 30–35 min

Total baking time: 35–40 min



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Have fun baking!