Pot Bread – Slow-Risen Spelt Loaf with Sunflower Seeds

Here's how:

• 1

  Start by weighing or measuring out the dry ingredients and placing them in a mixing bowl.

   

• 2

  Stir crumbled fresh yeast into cold water and let it dissolve. Then pour the liquid into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir until smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit on the kitchen counter for 12–16 hours.

• 3

  Place the dough on a floured work surface. Fold the dough from each edge toward the center, then stretch it from top to bottom in a large bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 60 minutes or until it has doubled in size.

• 4

  Grease the bottom of the casserole dish with a little oil, or line the bottom with parchment paper. Place the casserole dish (about 22 cm) on the lower rack and preheat the oven to 230 °C using normal top and bottom heat.

• 5

  Once the dough has finished rising, remove the pot from the oven and sprinkle a little flour on the bottom. Be careful, as it will be hot from being in the oven.

• 6

  Place the dough in the pot, put the lid on, and place it in the center of the oven. Bake the bread for about 30 minutes with the lid on. Then remove the bread from the pot and bake it for another 10–15 minutes.

• 7

  Gently tap the bottom of the loaf. If you hear a hollow sound, the bread is done. You can also use a meat thermometer. When the internal temperature of the bread is between 96–97 °C, it is done. Let the bread cool on a wire rack.