Vienna Bread recipe using white spelt flour
made with the Semi Leaven Method.
Vienna Bread using white spelt flour is a lovely way to use spelt. Because of the faster leavening time, the spelt has less chance of getting damaged (spelt being 'brittle', it needs to be treated carefully when using straight sourdough recipes - more on that later though)..It also lends itself well to this style of lighter, faster recipe.
These recipes, while developed for hand kneading, do very well in a mixer, where development is more easy to do. In this recipe, though, I've gone for a number of short 'turns', rather than 'kneads' to get the development needed (pun absent but begging), over quite short intervals. Like all the recipes in the site so far, this one is a hand kneaded bread, but with a fair amount of attention required. The idea is to get a large number of 'turns' into the dough - I tend to do a quick turn every fifteen minutes or so initially.
Like the other semi leaven recipes in the site, the time frame for the whole thing, from beginning to end is fairly short - as little as four hours if you need to rush it through. Obviously, this is much faster than the typical sourdough recipes in the sourdough recipe section. Handling time is in short bursts, with about six or seven 'turns' ideal.
The Vienna Bread from this recipe is very suitable for daily use, and especially for something like a Sunday afternoon alfresco or picnic. The flavour is milder than a sourdough, but still you get that sensational aftertaste, making you just want to eat more.
This bread can use any form of starter you have - liquid sourdough starter, old dough sourdough starter, over ripe or unripe sourdough starter, even unused dough from your last batch.
Vienna Bread Recipe with white spelt (semi leaven method):
You'll need:
 1.3 kg of organic white spelt flour (regular plain flour will do if you are unable to access organic flour, or are a cheapskate, like me, at times...)
You an now buy organic white spelt flour right here at the SourdoughBaker Shop Ingredients Supply Section. We deliver overnight via Australia post to most places in Australia, for a total cost of only $10. Buy bulk specialty flours, at our already discounted prices, and save at least 12%. Check out our 5 Packs!
300 grams of sourdough starter - old dough, wet starter, leftover dough, whatever
you have.
600 - 700 ml of warm water - we need a tough dough, and not too soft!
6 grams of dried yeast. This tiny amount will work wonders.
24 grams of cooking salt. 
You'll also need:
Two flat baking trays. This recipe makes Vienna shaped Batards.
Making a 'Sponge'
using sourdough starter and yeast:
 Mix almost all the fairly warm water (warmer than luke warm) with the Starter, stirring them together to combine with a heavy whisk or a fork, till it's softened all the starter. You can leave this to stand for ten minutes if you like - it will help loosen the starter if it's stiff.
Sprinkle about 400 grams of the flour over the mixture and add the yeast. Whisk it all together to form a loose paste with a heavy whisk. Allow to stand, covered, in a warm place for an hour to form a sponge. You'll notice the sponge structure after this time already forming. Gluten develoment here we come!
Allow to stand for an hour or two in a warm place. You should observe a large amount of fine bubbles developing in the mixture. To improve the texture of the sponge as it forms, you can lightly whisk it about halfway through. Because the mixture will rise, use your dough bowl or large container for this process. You don't want a sponge disaster at all.
Add in the rest of the flour and combine the wet and dry ingredients. You may need a splash more water to do this, but be sparing - at this stage the dough looks dry, but it will soften soon.
 Knead with both hands roughly till they form a big chunk of dough, no matter how rough. Rough is good. Cover, and leave in a warm place.
Allow to rest for fifteen minutes or so.
Give it a turn, as per this article: Needing to knead - dough technique for the non baker. Allow to rest another fifteen minutes.
Add salt by wetting the dough with either a spray gun or wet hands, sprinkling the salt over the top of the wet dough. You will notice a dramatic transformation from the rough chunk you left an hour ago to this smooth thing in your hands now. That's 'Delayed Salt' at it's finest.
Knead it in until combined, which will be when the salt can't be felt as you knead. Round the dough, and leave with the seam on the bottom.
 Let the finished dough rest and rise for about fifteen minutes. Take it out of the container it's in, and place on the table. Give it a turn and return to its resting box or bowl. Repeat this process every fifteen minutes, initially about four times.
 The idea is to get as much development as you can without stressing the delicate spelt flour. If the dough begins to tear, just let it rest for an hour and proceed to the next (cut and roll) stage.
Allow to rest for half an hour or so, and repeat the turning process a couple of times more. Your dough should feel very silky and stretchy now.
Now cut the dough into two chunks of roughly one kilogram each. Round them, with the seam at the bottom. Rest for an hour or so. Again, if you poke the dough and it resists, it isn't ready yet. If it feels like it is giving in, it's ready.
 Form into two cylinders, just by squeezing the bottom in with the outside of both hands, as if you are holding an open book. Spray or wipe with water, and dust with semolina flour. Place on pre oiled flat bread trays.
Slash with 3 diagonal cuts, or whatever suits your style. Allow to rise, covered, for an hour - this bread rises quite a bit. If you're time poor, just bake when it's risen enough. But if you have the time, let it grow till it's very soft. Just handle it carefully till you get the oven door shut.
Bake at 180 degrees in a prepared oven (see 'how to use an oven properly') for 15 minutes.
Wind the oven down to 160 degrees and bake for a full hour. It won't darken very much, but the crust will grow thicker, the longer you bake it.
If you like a really thick crust, wind the oven down to 150 and bake for another half hour. 
This recipe tends to be a winner every time - keep it in mind when you're a bit time pressed, or want to use some starter which might not be ideally ripenened. Because of the small amount of yeast, the state of your sourdough starter is largely irrelevant to the result.
Other Sourdough and Semi Leaven Recipes in this site include:
White Sourdough, using a wet starter 
White Sourdough Recipe, using the old dough method 
Spelt Sourdough Recipe
Wholemeal Sourdough Recipe
Light Rye Sourdough Recipe 
Medium Rye Sourdough Recipe
Light Wholemeal Semi Leaven Recipe
Light Rye Bread (Semi Leaven) Recipe
For more Sourdough Breadmaking information, recipes and resources - read on!
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Some of the things you'll find in the SourdoughBaker Shop include:
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Happy Sourdough Baking!
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