Barm Bread

This yummy sourdough tea bread is based on a recipe by Holly Davis in her newly published book Ferment. To make the "barm", I fed the rye starter with apple juice instead of stout.  I chopped dry figs in place of currents and (since I grind my own spelt berries), used whole grain spelt flour for the white spelt flour.  The bread has just the right amount of sweetness with all the deliciousness of whole grains and figs.  In each taste, I loved sampling even more of the ingredients, including lemon zest, tea and caraway seed.  They're all there!

Rye Sourdough Starter

75 grams water
50 grams whole grain rye flour
In a glass bowl, mix together the water and flour, using a rubber spatula.  Mix thoroughly, scraping bowl down.  Cover bowl with a clean towel and leave at room temperature for 24 hours.

1 tablespoon starter
75 grams water
50 grams whole grain rye flour
For the next 10 days, 3 times a day, remove 1 tablespoon starter and place in a clean glass bowl.  Add water and flour, mixing with a rubber spatula.  Scrape bowl down.  Cover bowl with a clean towel and leave at room temperature for 6 or so hours.

At Holly Davis recommendation, I placed the discarded starter in my compost bin.  She says the "live" cultures are good for the compost.  After the first 11 days, I'll only be discarding starter for a day or two before the next baking.  

After the first 11 days, the active starter is ready to use as a leaven.  Place the rest in the refrigerator in a 1 quart glass jar with a lid.

Celtic Barm Bread

(10-12 servings)

 Balm
100 grams apple juice
100 grams active sourdough starter
80 grams whole grain spelt flour
100 grams water
For the "barm", remove 100 grams active starter to a clean glass bowl.  Add spelt flour, juice and water.  Mix with a rubber spatula, scraping bowl down.  Cover bowl with a clean towel and leave at room temperature for 12 hours.

Bread
70 grams maple syrup
40 grams molasses or barley malt
1 cup strong unsweetened brewed tea
Dissolve the syrup and malt in the tea and allow to cool.

250 grams barm
Zest of 1 lemon
60 grams lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
280 grams diced figs
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
550 grams whole grain spelt flour
100 grams melted butter
In a large clean glass bowl using a rubber spatula,  together the tea-syrup-molasses mix, 250 grams of the "barm", lemon, salt, figs, caraway, flour and butter.  Scrape bowl down and mix until all the flour and butter is mixed in.  Place sticky dough in a 8 inch greased cake pan.  I used a deep dish ceramic pie pan.  Allow to rise 3 hours.

Bake at 375 F. for 50 minutes.  Cover with foil after about 15 minutes.

Immediately after removing from oven, brush with 1 tablespoon maple syrup.

Unused "balm" can be refrigerated in a quart glass jar with a lid.  Feed as you do a starter, adding apple juice in place of water.