As far as I can tell, a slab loaf is just a big flat loaf bread. There is no consistency between many of the recipes that I have come across. So, I decided to create my own flat loaf. It contains a variety of flours and seeds that produce a relatively mild yet complex flavour.
Whenever a recipe contains a considerable amount of seeds, it is advisable to soak those seeds so that they don’t dry out the dough. Dry seeds are also harder to slice through; soaking them turns them soft and easily sliceable. Most seeds can be soaked in cold water.
There is another method for improving dough – scalding. The scalding method involves boiling water. The hot water is mixed with part of the flour which essentially cooks the flour and makes it absorb more water and at the same time weakens the gluten forming ability of it. This results in a bread that is soft and moist and able to stay soft and moist for longer.
Both soaking and scalding can be combined into one, and that is exactly what I did here. The seeds and the flour are both mixed with boiling water to achieve the best results of both methods described above.
You can use any seeds that you like. You can swap the spelt flour for any other flour that you prefer or have available. You can adjust the wheat flour ratio in the main dough too.
This recipe used the cold bulk fermentation method which improves the flavour of the bread and makes the dough easier to handle. You can ferment it at room temperature if you want to. Let it bulk ferment for 1.5 hours and then proceed as per recipe.
Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.
Ingredients
For the scald/soaker –
50g (1.75oz) spelt flour
8g (0.28oz) salt
100g (3.5oz) seeds. I used sunflower, pumpkin, and caraway.
20g (0.7oz) barley malt syrup or any other sweetener
360g (12.7oz) boiling water
For the main dough –
3g (0.1oz) instant dry yeast or 3.6g (0.13oz) active dry yeast or 9g (0.32oz) fresh yeast
150g (5.3oz) whole wheat bread flour
200g (7oz) white bread flour
Wheat bran for coating (optional).
To learn more about no-knead bread dough temperature control click here.
The flour I use has a protein content of 13%. If your flour is weaker, then you may need to lower the hydration.
If you are using active dry yeast, then you may need to let it sit in the scald for 10 minutes before adding the other ingredients or else it could take a lot longer to raise the dough.
Method
- Make the scald/soaker. Combine the spelt flour, salt, seeds, syrup, and boiling water in a large bowl. Whisk together. Cover and cool down at room temperature or in the fridge or even in the freezer. Whisk it occasionally to cool it down more evenly and quickly.
- Make the dough. Add the yeast and the whole wheat flour to the scald. Mix well. Add the white bread flour and mix to a dough.
- Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- Fold #1.
- Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- Fold #2.
- Cold ferment for 18 – 24 hours.
- Pre-shape and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
- Shape and place on a piece of baking paper. Spray with water and cover with wheat bran or seeds.
- Final proof 1 hour.
- Score and bake covered at 220C (430F) fan on or 240C (465F) fan off for 25 minutes.
- Remove the lid and bake for 15 more minutes or until you are happy with the colour of the crust.
Keep in mind that the conditions in each kitchen are different, so fermentation times may vary for you. It is up to the baker to control the bread and react accordingly.
Your oven may be different too, so your baking time may vary.
