Wonder Woman Bread

Spelt Sourdough Bread with Coconut Milk

Wonder Woman Bread (1)

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I have to confess this bread was totally inspired by Wonder Woman 1984 movie that I've just finally watched. But also by my dear friend from Jamaica - hence the coco bread, sourdough style. My friend is a real-life wonder woman helping people around her. She always has wise words to share that lift the spirit and bring hope. Speaking of wise words, my favorite quote from the movie was:

"Sometimes you can't see what you are learning until you come out the other side." - Diana Prince.

I think of it at times when all I can see is the struggle. It helps me stay positive and #believeinwonder.

And baking helps with staying focused! So, back to the recipe, which I made 3 times, by the way, and tried 3 different brands of coconut milk: Iberia Organic Coconut Milk, Goya, and Caribbean Dreams. Iberia was the absolute winner for me - it had the thickest consistency with a fat content of 15 g per 80 ml. Goya had medium-thick consistency with a total fat of approximately 12 g, and Caribbean Dreams was the most liquid out of the three with only 10 g of fat. The bread I made with Iberia was the tallest and the softest one. They were actually all very soft, but the bread made with Caribbean Dreams coconut milk spread out and flattened more. The crumb didn't have big holes, which I really liked.

I decided to use Spelt flour to go with the subtle coconutty flavor of the bread because it has a sweeter taste. Spelt is an ancient whole grain. It is a distinct type of wheat but with a broader spectrum of nutrients and water-soluble gluten, kind of like a Wonder Wheat, one might say! Perfect for keeping wonder women strong and healthy :)

To create this design, I made a DIY paper stencil of Wonder Woman's logo. First, I brushed off rice flour, then used a spray bottle to mist the dough, covered it evenly with all-purpose flour, and used turmeric powder for the logo, then traced around with a razor blade. I wanted to make the bread look like a shield, so I made a deep, circular cut all around.

How did I do? Let me know in the comments below and share the recipe with all the wonder women in your life!

Check out another Spelt Sourdough Bread recipe that I made during Christmas time.

Useful Tips:

• If you are using a paper stencil, try not to put too much turmeric or flour because it can mess up the design.

• Make sure to cut a few deep slashes or a circular one like in this case, so the bread doesn't crack in the middle of the design.

• Warm up the milk a little - to around 85-90°F to speed up the fermentation process.

As usual, I simplify my recipes, so they are easy to follow for beginners. I avoid using complex numbers and ingredients, so the recipe is more clear and less intimidating for new bakers. I list ingredients for 2 loaves so you can bake 2 and share 1 as a gift. To make a single loaf, simply divide each ingredient by 2.

Recipe

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Ingredients for 2 loaves:

Levain 1:2:2 Ratio

• 70 g Dark Rye Sourdough Starter

• 70 g Bread flour

• 70 g Dark Rye Flour

• 140 g Water (bottled or filtered)

Dough

• 700 g Bread flour

• 300 g Organic Spelt Flour

• 2 x 13.5 oz cans Coconut Milk

• 300 g Levain

• 20 g Salt

Other

• Rice Flour for dusting

Instructions:

Prepare the Levain (morning 10 am)

1. Feed 70g of starter with 70g bread flour, 70 g dark rye flour, and 140g water at 85-90°F, cover, and leave it on the counter to ferment for 6 hours. It should at least double in size by then.

Make the Dough (afternoon 4 pm)

1. Combine 300g of starter with 2 cans of coconut milk at 85-90°F in a large mixing bowl and mix until the starter is dissolved.

2. Then add 700g of bread flour, 300g of organic spelt flour, and 20g of salt to the mixture and mix the dough with fingers until all of the ingredients are well incorporated with no dry bits left.

3. Cover and leave it on the counter for 1 hour.

Stretch and Fold

1. For the next hour and a half, perform stretching and folding technique every 30 min: take one side of the dough, stretch it as far as you can, and fold it on top of the dough. Turn the bowl counter-clockwise and do it 7 more times, stretching and folding each side.

2. Cover and leave the dough on the counter for 2-3 hours to rise at about 76°F room temperature.

Shape and Proof (evening 8 pm)

1. Mist the bannetons with water and sprinkle with Rice flour.

2. Gently take the dough out of the bowl, place it onto an unfloured surface, and divide it into 2 equal parts.

3. Shape the dough into the final round shape using the same stretch and fold technique as above, stretching and folding 4 sides until you see a smooth side of the dough (about 8 times).

4. Gently turn the dough with your hands round and round to create the surface tension and make it into a tight ball. Do not over-shape.

5. Flour the top with bread flour and put each piece in the banneton seam side up and dust the top of the dough with rice flour.

6. Place the bannetons in plastic bags and let the dough rest overnight in the fridge.

Bake (next day)

1. Test the dough if it's ready to bake by gently pressing it with your finger. If it springs back up slowly - it's ready.

2. Preheat the oven to maximum temperature (550°F in our case).

3. Carefully flip the dough out of the banneton into the dutch oven or a cast iron combo cooker (no need to preheat it.)

4. Dust off the rice flour with a brush, mist the top of the dough with a little bit of water and cover it in all-purpose flour, spreading it evenly.

5. Score the dough with a razor blade and put the lid on.

6. Reduce the temperature to 475°F and bake for 30 min.

7. Remove the lid, reduce the temperature to 450°F and bake for another 20 min uncovered.

8. Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool completely before cutting.

Enjoy Baking!

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Tools I used:

• Endless Loaf 9" Banneton Set