Fun with Spelt

When the Anadama loaf was coming to an end, I decided to dig up some spelt flour that was sitting in the downstairs fridge. My intent was just to use some of it in a simple lean sourdough loaf.

There was nothing fancy about this loaf unless you count soaking the whole wheat flour as an esoteric measure. The starter was built up using the same flour percentages as the dough- 70% BF, 20% Golden Buffalo WW, 10% spelt. I added 6g of light dry malt extract to the dough flour instead using maple syrup or honey. From there, I went through the usual procedures for a 1-2-3 loaf.

The crust could've been darker but at the point I pulled the loaf, the internal temp was already 203F. I waited 3 hours before slicing the loaf and I should've waited another hour. However, it was lunch time. The crust had softened a little but I accept the trade off between that and cranking up the oven when the air conditioning is running. It still tastes good and there was the shiny gelatinization obvious in the alveolars. It's not perfect but it's a formula that works.

July 8 is almost over and still no ripe tomatoes. I like to brag about having ripe tomatoes by or just before July 4. All the garlic has been dug up and set to drying. The artichoke garlic was puny this year so it's time to peruse the catalog of Filaree Farms to build up that variety for next year's harvest. The porcelain garlic did well and is in such numbers as to save for seed garlic and eating as well. Enough of the standard purple is adequate for transplant. As long as I don't get too taken away with my gardening self, I already have plenty of work in the future to get a bed ready for next year.
The burpless cucumbers have started to produce but I find the bush plants are a PITA. They sprawl everywhere and lack the flavor of my climbing variety, Marketmore 76.
The jalapenos have grown to size so I need to pick them to stress the plant for more production. They go well with the chile de arbol in a pico de gallo. Adding a couple of chile pequin ratchets the heat up to just below painful but enough to "energize" you.

Yesterdays morning rains left a 1.5" rainfall. A downy woodpecker and a pair of red belly woodpeckers showed up shortly after the end of the rain. The male was particularly noteworthy when he came crashing into the feeder with a full wing span out. BOOM! and there he was. The woodpeckers seek out both feeders in our yard because the seed mix includes raisins and dried cherries. That doesn't mean they bypass the sunflower seeds or millet but it must be some kind of jackpot for them when they dig out a dried cherry. They spear the cherry with their beak and launch for parts unknown with the prize. I've seen a red headed woodpecker perched on the wires leading to our electric service box but none feeding in our yard yet.

Should anyone desire the formula for today's loaf or for my pico de gallo, email me or leave a comment and I'll get back to you.

Comments, humor, and questions are welcome.