Dan Lepard's Spelt and Corn batch rolls

We lived for awhile in Oslo a couple of years back.  I remembered when I did my daily supermarket shopping, there were many kinds of Spelt bread or Rye bread on the shelves.  I thought Norwegians are really lucky as they are able to find such good quality bread.



Back in Melbourne, Spelt flour is a pricey product.  A loaf of Spelt bread may cost a bomb in the local Supermarket.

Spelt is actually an ancient cereal grain. It gives you a nutty, slightly sweet flavour.  Compared to wheat flour, spelt flour is richer, has many nutrients such as proteins and minerals.  Spelt can also be used as a substitute for wheat or white flour when used in baking.

      Recipe: Dan Lepard ( The Guardian)
     Ingredients
     75g cornmeal / polenta
     200ml boiling water
     300ml cold water
     1 tbsp honey
     1 tsp yeast
     300g spelt (or wholemeal)flour----I used wholemeal spelt flour
     200g strong white flour
     1 tsp salt
     Oil and flour, to finish

     Method

     1.  Pour boiling water onto the cornmeal and stir, leave it for 15 minutes.  Whisk in cold water, honey and yeast.  Add in flours and salt, mix to a soft dough.  Let it rest for 10 minutes.

     2.  Scrape dough out on oiled working surface, knead 10 seconds, return dough to the bowl, cover and leave for 20 minutes, let it rise slightly.

     3.  Divide into 8 pieces on a floured surface, roll them into balls.  Place them into two rolls of four, just touching.  Flour the top, cover and leave for about 45 minutes or, until it has risen by half.

     4.  Flour the top again, bake at pre-heated oven 240C (220C Fan assisted) / 465F /gas mark 9 for 20-25 minutes.  It's done if it just coloured on top.  Let it cool on rack.

note: I placed a pan with boiling water at the lowest shelf of the oven throughout the baking session.