Once you’ve mastered the basic white sourdough loaf, an entire world of flavor opens up when you start experimenting with alternative grains. Two of the most rewarding grains to introduce to your sourdough journey are rye and spelt. Both are ancient, nutrient-dense, and bring incredible depth of flavor to your bread.

Why Bake with Rye?

Rye flour is beloved in European baking, particularly in Germany and Scandinavia. It has a distinctly earthy, slightly sweet, and robust flavor that pairs beautifully with the tang of sourdough.

Baking Characteristics: Rye contains significantly less gluten than wheat, and the gluten it does contain is much weaker. A 100% rye dough will feel more like wet clay or paste than a stretchy, elastic bread dough. Because of this, it’s highly recommended to start by replacing just 10% to 20% of your bread flour with dark rye flour. This gives you the incredible flavor of the rye while still maintaining the strong structure of the wheat.

Why Bake with Spelt?

Spelt is an ancient species of wheat. It has a wonderful nutty, slightly sweet flavor. Many people who have mild sensitivities to modern wheat find spelt easier to digest, though it still contains gluten and is not suitable for those with celiac disease.

Baking Characteristics: Spelt has plenty of gluten, but it’s highly extensible (stretchy) and less elastic (springy). This means a spelt dough can spread out and flatten if it’s not handled carefully. When substituting spelt into your recipe, you may need to reduce your hydration slightly, as spelt doesn’t absorb water quite as greedily as modern bread flour.

A Simple Blended Recipe

For your first foray into these grains, try this simple baker’s percentage blend:

• 80% Strong White Bread Flour (for structure and rise)
• 10% Whole Spelt Flour (for nutty sweetness and extensibility)
• 10% Dark Rye Flour (for earthy depth and intense fermentation)

This combination yields a loaf with a beautifully complex flavor profile while remaining easy to handle and shape.

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Shop the Tools for Sourdough Baking

Sourdough baking is a labor of love, but having the right tools makes all the difference. When working with different grains, accuracy and handling are key:

• Kitchen Scale: Precise hydration is absolutely critical when blending different flours like rye and spelt. These scales are reliable and precise.
• Dough Scraper: Rye dough is notoriously sticky. A good scraper is essential for handling it. Get your dough scraper today.
• Proofing Baskets: These flours can sometimes weaken the dough structure; a banneton supports it during the final rise. Get round baskets or oval baskets.
• Bread Baking Stone: For that perfect rustic crust. Discover our recommended bread baking stone.

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