Whole grain spelt sourdough bread for baby (baby led weaning) – Another 3 ingredients and saltless baby sourdough bread for your collection. Sourdough breads are just healthy and flavourful. Your child will love this recipe!

I have a confession to make. Ever since I own a sourdough starter, I have not bake other types of bread nor did I enter a German bakery (unless necessary). Well, in the land of breads, where the bakeries have so many types of breads and rolls to choose from, my family decides to bake our own breads! 

If you are short of time, then you might want to refer to my quick baby spelt bread recipe. However, if you have the time and patience, then certainly check out this recipe or my whole wheat baby sourdough bread recipe.

Sourdough is absolutely my favourite way to bake bread because it is simply delicious, and my children love it. Once the sourdough starter is ready, it is actually easy to maintain. Most importantly, you can enjoy sourdough breads for many years, until you decide to stop. 

Sourdough bread is healthy for both small and big, since it is easier for kids to digest sourdough bread. Once again, this whole grain spelt sourdough bread would require you only 3 ingredients and zero salt. Since sourdough adds a tinge of flavour to the bread, it does not taste boring for your tiny friend.

Just a little disclaimer, I am not a nutritionist or physician. I am just a simple mum of 2 kids. You know your kids the best. If you think that your baby is ready for solids, you can try this recipe. If you are unsure, please consult your doctor. I personally introduce breads to my baby, when he was about 8 to 10 months, even though he was ready for solids at an earlier age. My kids have had no problems, and they love sourdough breads.

Ingredients/ Tips on making Whole Grain Spelt Sourdough Bread

Tangzhong/ Water roux/ Mehlkochstück: Tangzhong is a glue-like mixture made from flour and liquid. Whole wheat spelt flour dough tends to not hold up it shape well, and it does not bind well with water. As a result, we will need a water roux.

With the help of tangzhong, the dough will be firmer and easier to knead. In addition, the sourdough bread will rise higher than it normally would, and stay moist. Cook 1 part of flour to 5 parts of water in a small pot. It is important to constantly stir your mixture to prevent lumps. It might take some time for the water and flour to combine and form a gluey texture. The type of flour you used for the water roux should be the same type of flour you are using to bake.

Even though I always make my tangzhong fresh, you can make it in larger batches for freezing or chilling in refrigerator for future baking.

Water: It is critical to use warm water for your sourdough breads because sourdough contains active organisms, and they like it warm.

Whole grain spelt flour: Whole grain spelt flour is popular and common in Germany. It is also definitely a healthier alternative to all-purpose flour. Additionally, spelt bread contributes a unique aroma to your sourdough bread. However, do note that a whole grain sourdough bread tends to be more dense than a white flour bread because it contains less gluten.

Sourdough: Sourdough is a leavening agent in this case, and it takes longer to rise than breads made with yeast or with baking powder. There are several factors affecting the speed of your bread rising:

• Temperature is crucial: The warmer, the better and faster (about  21°C to 26°C). It depends on the temperature of the environment, you may need 8 to 24 hours for your bread to rise. However, do not bother too much about the time, simply observe the size of your bread dough. Since I prefer to rise my sourdough breads overnight, I find that about 21 °C works best for me. This is because the bread does not rise too fast, and I can enjoy my sleep (unless my kids decide to wake me up, fellow mums you know what I mean 🙂 ). The baby spelt sourdough bread rises faster in summer than in winter (which applies to all other sourdough breads as well). During winter, I would either place my sourdough bread dough near the heater or in the baking oven.
• Amount of sourdough: The more sourdough starter you use in your bread recipe, the faster the bread would rise. However, it also means that the sourdough flavour would be more intense as well. Since the spelt sourdough bread weights about 200g eventually, 2g of active sourdough starter is more than enough. Just let your sourdough relax and work on its pace.
• Age of the active sourdough: From my experience, young active sourdough starter tends to be less efficient than mature sourdough starter. This means that your bread might not rise as much as or as fast as you wish. Time is the solution. You will have to wait for your sourdough starter to age. It is definitely worthwhile. 

How to make Baby Whole Grain Spelt Sourdough Bread

1. Firstly, we will make tangzhong (aka water roux or Mehlkochstück in German). In a small pot, pour in water and add in the whole grain spelt flour. Over medium heat, cook and stir the ingredients continuously until a gelatinous mixture is formed.
2.  Turn off heat and let the Tangzhong cool down completely. 
3. In a small bowl, add in warm water, whole grain spelt flour, the water roux and the sourdough starter (according to the given order and sterilize your spoon with hot boiling water before taking the sourdough out of your container). With such a small amount of ingredients, it is easier to mix the ingredients with your hands. If you are using an electric mixer, mix the ingredients at the lowest level for about 3-5 minutes until you get a dough.
4. Spread some all-purpose flour in another small bowl and transfer the dough into the bowl. If the dough is sticky, simply spread some flour on your hands. 
5. Cover the bowl with a suitable cover, cutting board or a plastic to prevent the dough from drying. Thereafter, keep the bowl in a warm place (about 21 °C – 26 °C). The sourdough will work faster in a warmer place. 
6. After 2 – 8 hours, check if the bread dough has increase in size (it does not have to be double). Once it has increase in size, stretch and fold all sides of the dough with a dough scraper. If you do not have a dough scraper, you can use an old credit card which is no longer activated. If the dough gets too sticky, dip the dough scraper into a bowl of water or spread very little all-purpose flour to ease the folding. 
7. After which, cover the bread dough again and repeat step 5. Once the sourdough bread rises for the second time (it should roughly double in size) after about 2 – 8 hours, repeat step 6 and 5 once more. 
8. When the dough rises for the third time after 2 – 6 hours, spread a little flour onto your working space and transfer your sourdough bread from the bowl to your working top using your dough scraper. If the dough gets too sticky, dip the dough scraper into a bowl of water or spread very little all-purpose flour to ease the folding.
9. Do not knead the dough so that we can retain the air in the bread, simply form the dough into a round shape. If the bread dough gets too sticky, spread a little flour onto your hands. 
10. Place a kitchen towel in another small bowl and distribute a little flour all over the towel to prevent the dough from sticking to the towel. For one last time, repeat step 5 for another 1 – 2 hours. 
11. Preheat baking oven and cast iron pot with a lid to 250 °C. Once the oven is hot enough, take the pot out. Be careful, it is extremely hot! If you do not own a cast iron pot with a lid, then please refer to this post for an alternative baking method (from step 9 onwards).
12. Remove the cover of the pot and transfer the bread dough into the pot by simply grabbing the kitchen towel and bowl. Flip the bowl and the dough will drop onto the baking tray. Use a knife to score the surface of the bread and spread a little flour over the surface of the bread for a rustic look. 
13. Cover the pot with a lid (be careful, it is hot!) and place everything into the preheated oven. Lower the heat to 230 °C and bake for about 15 minutes. 
14. After 15 minutes, remove the lid of the cast iron pot and continue baking the whole grain baby spelt sourdough bread for about 10 minutes or until the bread turn brown/ crispy. It depends on your baking oven, you might need to adjust the baking time accordingly. Just have fun and try it out.
15. After baking, remove the sourdough bread for baby from the tray and place it on a cooling tray until it is completely cool down. Thereafter, you can store it in a cloth bag. Serve this bread plain or with some homemade baby fruit jam for breakfast. Finish it within 3-4 days.

You might also like

• 3 Ingredients Whole Grain Baby Spelt Bread Recipe
• Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread for Baby
• Sugar Free Homemade Jam For Kids

How to serve Baby Whole Grain Spelt Sourdough Bread

You can serve this whole grain baby spelt sourdough bread either plain or spread some healthy homemade fruit jam on top. This homemade jam is sugarless, and it is perfect for kids and adults. Depending on the age and preferences of your child, you want to cut the bread into smaller pieces.

How to store Baby Whole Grain Spelt Sourdough Bread

This spelt sourdough bread can be kept for 3 to 4 days. You should place it in a cloth bag and in a dry place. However, just try to finish up this bread as soon as possible. You can freeze this sourdough bread for baby for several months. However, fresh whole grain spelt sourdough bread for baby is just more delicious.

Have you tried this recipe? I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as my family does. Show me and tag me #chenguins on social media, so that I can see your recreation as well. Does your baby like breads? Tell me in the comment section below!

Until next time & guten Appetit!

Greetings from the Black Forest,
Pia

Print this recipe

Pin for later