Milk & Cocoa Spelt Bread (SSL)

I use the abbreviation "SSL" in the title to indicate the bread dough was added with Sweet Stiff Levain 😃 The loaf of bread not only has fine thread-like texture when pulled, 

it also has a nice cocoa swirling pattern within.

Yield: one loaf of bread

Pan size: 21x13x10 cm Jamie Oliver 1.5L bread pan

Raw dough weight: 638g + 11g (cocoa powder + water)

Baking temperature: Preheat oven to 190℃, lower rack, bake at 180℃ for 15 minutes, reduce to 170℃ for 15 minutes, turn off oven and continue to bake for 5 minutes.

Sweet Stiff Levain (SSL)

Ingredients

35g cool boiled water

15g raw sugar

25g natural yeast, 100% hydration*

75g unbleached bread flour

* 25g natural yeast can be replaced by 12g bread flour + 13g water + 1/8 tsp instant dry yeast

sweet stiff levain (👈click to access the preparation method)

Ingredients

Milk dough

A

200g bread flour

30g spelt flour/superfine wholegrain flour

40g raw sugar

1g instant dry yeast

pinch of vanillin powder, optional

B

150g sweet stiff levain 

20g multigrain soy pulp *, optional

20g beaten egg

80g low-fat milk, cold

50g whipping cream, cold

30g water, cold (to be added depending on dough condition)

 

C

4g low-sodium fine salt

D

20g unsalted butter, softened

Cocoa dough

5g cocoa powder

6g water

* multigrain soy pulp can be replaced by about 10g milk. Multigrain soy pulp was made up of organic soy beans, almonds, red kidney beans, black beans, split green peas, walnut, pumpkin seeds, mung beans and pandan leaf.

All the ingredients

Key ingredients: soy pulp, cocoa powder & whipping cream

Sweet Stiff Levain, SSL

Directions

Knead the dough following your preferred method till reaching window pane.

1. Mix  Ingredient A in a mixing bowl.

2. Mix in Ingredient B.

Sweet stiff levain

multigrain soy pulp

Mix in one direction till becomes a lump. Cover with a lid and let the dough rest for 15 minutes

3. Knead the dough using an electric hand mixer fitted with a pair of dough hooks till the dough is smoother. Knead in Ingredient C.

4. Knead in Ingredient D, 

till the dough is smoother and a bit glossy.

5. Perform about 300 sets of "slapping and folding" till the dough is elastic (the dough can stretch to about 30 cm without breaking).

And the dough can be stretched into a thin membrane, window pane.

6. Divide the 638g dough into 321g and 317g. Shape the 321g milk dough into a ball, place in a bowl coated with oil, cover with a lid, and keep in the fridge.

Add 5g cocoa powder and about 6g of water to the second dough.

Knead the dough till the cocoa powder has been evenly spread out, and the dough has reached window pane again.

7. Keep the cocoa dough in a separate bowl, and cover with a lid. Take the milk dough out from the fridge. Let the two dough proof for about 1 hour, or till double in size.

End of 1-hour proofing👇

8. Divide the milk and cocoa dough into 3 portions each.

Shape into 3 balls each, and let them rest for about 15 minutes.

9. Roll out one milk and one cocoa dough into two flat dough.

Rest half of the cocoa dough over half of milk dough.

Fold the milk dough over cocoa dough, followed by the cocoa dough over the milk dough.

Roll flat the dough.

Roll up the dough like a swiss roll.

Pinch the end to seal.

Turn the shaped dough over so the sealed edge will be facing down.

Repeat the steps to the other remaining dough.

10. Coat a 21x13x10 cm bread pan with butter or homemade non-stick spread.

Arrange the spiral ends of the rolled dough meeting each other. This will give the bread a nice swirl pattern when cut. I understand that most bakers would let the spiral ends facing out.

Cover the pan with a cloth and let the shaped dough proof for about 55 minutes, or till almost reaching the rim of the pan.

While waiting for the dough to proof, cut some star pattern stencils using parchment paper. This step is optional.

11. Preheat the oven to 190℃ for about 10 minutes.

While waiting for the oven, place the paper stencils over the dough top, and sprinkle some bread flour over.

Remove the paper stencils, and sprinkle another thin layer of bread flour over.

At lower rack of a preheated oven, lower the temperature to 180℃ after closing oven door, and bake for 15 minutes. Further reduce to 170℃ for 15 minutes, turn off oven and continue to bake for 5 minutes.

12. Remove the bread from the hot pan immediately after leaving the oven.

Let the bread cool over a wire rack.

13. Cut the bread after it has completely cooled down.