Dinkelbrot

Dinkelbrot is Swabian and Franconian at heart, though now you'll find it in bakeries from the North Sea to the Alps. In the south, spelt has old roots and a good name; in the north, the rye loaf still stands firmer on the table. Im Norden anders, im Süden anders. This one is a weekday loaf, made ahead, sliced for butter, cheese, cold cuts, or a bowl of soup.

The grain is the point and the trouble. Dinkel, spelt, tastes sweet and nutty, but its gluten is softer and less stubborn than wheat gluten. Knead it like a wheat sandwich loaf and you tear the structure you are trying to build. Mix until the dough comes together and turns smooth, then stop. Nicht aus dem Glas, and not from a packet either. Bread has hands in it.

The step that keeps it moist is the Brühstück, a scald of flour and seeds with boiling water. The starch swells and traps water before the dough is mixed, so the finished loaf stays soft without turning slack. Then watch the proof. Spelt looks ready before it is strong, and if you let it rise too far, it falls in the oven and gives you a sad roofline. Das braucht seine Zeit, but not too much of it.