What is spelt flour?
- April 18, 2008
- Baking
- 21 comments
Spelt flour is one of the more popular non-wheat flours available. It shows up in pastas, breads and in a variety of specifically wheat-free recipes. But what exactly is spelt flour?
Spelt is a cereal grain in the wheat family. The grain has been cultivated for centuries, in both central Europe and the middle east.It looks very similar to wheat in appearance, but it has a much harder outer shell before it has been milled. It has a nutty and slightly sweet flavor, similar to that of whole wheat flour. It does contain some gluten, so one of the reasons that spelt is rather popular is that it is easy to substitute it into all wheat cookie, bread, etc. recipes, where you will get to enjoy the flavor of spelt without compromising the texture of your baked good.
Another reason that spelt flour is popular is that it has a fairly strong nutritional profile. Spelt has slightly fewer calories than wheat flour and is somewhat higher in protein. The flour is easy to digest but is lower in fiber than wheat.
The gluten in spelt flour is a little unusual. Unlike wheat flour, which is quite resiliant and often needs a long kneading time (with breads) to strengthen its gluten and give the bread structure, the gluten in spelt flour breaks down fairly easily. This means that it is pretty critical not to overmix it, or risk having a crumbly texture imparted into whatever you’re making.
Food bloggers, naturally, like to experiment with spelt flour. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Pandolce with Saffron
- Vegan Spelt Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Butternut Squash Muffins
- Pear Blueberry Tart with Spelt Crust
- Spelt Party Cakes
21 Comments
i love your blog because you do all of the research for me! i’ve been meaning to learn about spelt flour for forever, so I was very happy to read this today….thanks!
Thanks Nicole! I’ve used spelt flour before, but I haven’t known exactly what it was that made it different from wheat. Now that I know, I have a better idea what recipes would better suit it.
One thing to keep in mind is that spelt shouldn’t be used as a substitute for people with a wheat allergy. Since it is in the same family, it usually causes the same reaction. It’s a common misconception that it can be substituted so my allergist made sure to point this out when I was diagnosed. But if you have no wheat allergies – bake away because it sounds great!
Hello! Could you advise where can I buy pure spelt flour? Thank you!
You can buy it from http://www.bobsredmill.com They also have tons of other interesting grain flours, etc. I tried this in my bread machine and the loaf was about 3 inches tall. Guess I should’ve used part white flour also.
please tell me the difference in spelt. The discription says it is in
the wheat family, yet later says it is a not wheat flour.
thresea
Spelt is a variety of wheat. Saying that is “one of the more popular non-wheat flours” and that it is an ingredient “in a variety of specifically wheat-free recipes” is completely false information. In fact, the FDA states that spelt products cannot claim to be “wheat free” on their packages. Please consider revising or removing your blog entry. Thanks.
I jumped on Wikipedia and read the article, but it was a lot like walking through pudding: slow going and afterward I felt kinda dirty.
where can i find spelt flour in mumbai, india??
I used spelt flour instead of regular wheat flour to make pancakes – they came out with a pleasantly coarser texter, almost like cornmeal. But they had a nice crispiness too. I would recommend trying this.
I am starting to make my dog’s food. Many recipes call for spelt flour. I had no idea what it was. Thank for your complete discription.
Where can I find spelt flour in Southern California?
can you tell me that how you make the slept flour can you tell me what did you fast and like tell me every thing
thanks four tell me
thanks .