Hi Joy, the long fermentation and folds described in this post are meant for a sourdough recipe without yeast. The dough will take this long to develop and will not fall apart, rather the folds will continue to gently develop the strength of the dough. The gluten in spelt flour is not as strong as other varieties of wheat, so you may want to combine this flour with our unbleached all-purpose flour or bread flour to give you a strong enough dough. Whole grain spelt flour will ferment a bit more quickly than regular flour, so you may find the loaf is ready to shape a little earlier, but if the recipe does not contain added commercial yeast, it will still take a few hours for the dough to feel nice and airy and ready for shaping. The gentle folding described in the link above will not harm the spelt flour. Barb

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