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Baking recipe · from the recipe book

Spelt Sourdough Boule with Parmesan and Black Pepper

A nutty, tangy spelt loaf with a crackling, cheese-flecked crust and a soft, even crumb studded with pockets of nutty Parmesan and cracked pepper, sized for sandwiches.

Spelt Sourdough Boule with Parmesan and Black Pepper

Ingredients

  • 3½ oz100 gActive sourdough starter (100% hydration)fed 4 to 6 hours ahead, at its peak
  • 13½ oz380 gWhole spelt flour
  • 1 cup120 gBread flour
  • 1½ cups345 gWaterlukewarm, about 80°F (27°C); divided
  • 1½ tsp9 gSalt
  • 1 cup grated90 gGrated Parmesandivided
  • 1¼ tsp3 gBlack peppercoarsely cracked

Steps

  1. The morning of mixing, give your sourdough starter its usual feeding and leave it at about 75°F (24°C) for 4 to 6 hours, until doubled, domed and bubbly; it is ready when a spoonful floats in water.
  2. In a large bowl, stir the spelt flour and bread flour with 320 g of the water until no dry patches remain. Cover and rest 30 minutes (autolyse).
  3. Add the sourdough starter to the dough and squeeze it in with wet hands until even.
  4. Sprinkle the salt over the dough, add the remaining 25 g of water, and squeeze and fold until the dough comes back together, about 3 minutes. This gives about 69% hydration (about 76% counting the starter's water) and about 1.8% salt; spelt dough stays softer than wheat, so handle it gently.
  5. Bulk rise covered at about 75°F (24°C) for 4 to 5 hours. During the first 2 hours, do 4 sets of stretch-and-folds 30 minutes apart.
  6. At the second set of stretch-and-folds, scatter 70 g of the Parmesan and all of the black pepper over the dough and fold them in until evenly spread. Set the remaining 20 g of Parmesan aside for the top.
  7. Bulk is done when the dough has grown by about 50%, looks domed and airy with bubbles at the edges, and jiggles when the bowl is shaken.
  8. Turn the dough onto a clean, lightly wet counter, pre-shape it into a round with wet hands, and rest uncovered 20 minutes.
  9. Shape into a tight boule and place it seam-side down on a sheet of parchment set inside a bowl. Cover and cold proof in the fridge for 12 to 16 hours overnight, until puffy and it springs back slowly when poked.
  10. Next day, put a Dutch oven with its lid in the oven and preheat to 475°F (245°C) for 45 minutes.
  11. Lift the cold dough out on its parchment, score a deep cross on top, and press the reserved 20 g of Parmesan onto the surface around the cuts.
  12. Lower the dough on its parchment into the hot Dutch oven, cover, and bake 20 minutes.
  13. Remove the lid, lower the heat to 450°F (230°C), and bake 20 to 25 minutes more, until deep golden and crisp and the center reads 205–210°F (96–99°C).
  14. Cool the loaf on a rack for at least 2 hours before slicing into 12 slices.

Food safety: Don't taste raw dough or batter: raw flour and raw eggs can carry germs.

Contains: Milk, Gluten.

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Saved in the Every Helping recipe book on October 24, 2026.

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