Sprouted Spelt Beetroot Sourdough Bread

Simply love the thrill of slicing into a loaf of beetroot bread - full of anticipation, wondering what the colour of crumb will be.  Hoping to further improve the colour of my previously posted bread, I increased the amount of sourdough starter to 65% and used milk instead of water.  The higher acidity of the dough indeed improved the vibrancy of the colour.  This recipe uses cold dough, pre-heated dutch oven method. 

Further reading:   Health benefits of sourdough & How to make sourdough starter

Ingredients

116g      Active Sourdough starter
150g      Bread flour
  30g      Sprouted Spelt flour

100g      Roasted beetroot puree (whole large beet baked at 180°C for 40-50min, cooled and blended)
  20g      Fresh Milk  
1 capsule of powdered vitamin C (crushed using pestle and mortar)

    2g      Salt  
  14g      Butter

Instructions

1.    In the stand-mixer bowl, add beetroot puree, powdered vitamin C milk and starter.  Stir to mix well.
2.    Add bread flour and sprouted spelt flour.
3.    Using a wooden chopstick, stir to mix well.

4.    Use our hands and dough scraper, briefly knead the dough until a shaggy mass forms.

5.    Autolyse for 45min - 1hour.

6.    Add salt and butter.
7.    On speed 1, using the dough hook, knead the dough for 4min.
8.    Transfer the dough to a glass bowl.

9.    Cover the bowl.  After 30min, perform the first stretch & fold.   Repeat the stretch & fold for another 3 more times with 15min intervals.

10.  Proof another 45min-1hr or until double in size  (Total approximately 2hrs)

11.  Cover the bowl and chill in fridge for 1.5 hour - 2hrs.

12.  Pre-shape the dough into a boule.

13.  Cover and rest the dough for 15min.

14.  Final shape the dough into batard.

15.  Dust a proofing basket with rice flour.  

16.  Place the shaped dough into the proofing basket with its seams facing upwards.

17.  Proof the dough 1hr.

18.  Wrap the proofing basket and finish proofing another 3-5hrs in the fridge.

19.  Preheat the oven with the dutch oven to 240°C for 40min.

20.  Tip the proofed dough onto parchment paper.

21.  Score the dough.

22.  Take the dutch oven out from the oven.

23.  Remove the lid of the dutch oven and carefully lower the baking paper together with the dough, into the dutch oven.

24.  Put the lid back and put the dutch oven in the oven. 

25.  Bake for 30min at 220°C (the highest my oven can reach with a dutch oven in it).  As I don't like my bread to brown too much, I normally won't bake my bread too long.

26.  Transfer the bread onto a cooling rack.  Cool for at least 2hrs before slicing.

27.  Voila!  Beetroot Spelt Sourdough Bread is served!