Baking with Spelt Flour

If you’re looking for some variety in your baked goods, spelt flour might just be the answer.

Wholesome, tasty and versatile, spelt is an ancient variety of wheat cultivated in Europe since 5000BC. Spelt is red and looks a bit like barley, with a mild, slightly sweet and nutty flavor similar to that of whole wheat flour but with none of the bitterness. It is a light grain, so it doesn’t weigh down baked goods the way whole wheat flour can – in fact, spelt flour breads and pastries are usually light and tender.

Spelt is a nutritious whole grain flour, rich in vitamins and minerals such as magnesium, calcium, selenium, iron, manganese, zinc, vitamin E and B-complex vitamins. It is high in protein and lower in calories than wheat flour and also easier to digest than wheat. It also has a low glycaemic index, which means it can help keep hunger pangs away - important for people on a weight-loss diet.

It's not completely gluten-free, so it's not suitable for people with coeliacs disease. But many people who are intolerant of wheat (as opposed to gluten) find that they have no problems eating products made with spelt.

Baking Tips

• Since spelt does have gluten, it can be used to substitute for other flours such as whole wheat flour. If you are baking something that requires structure such as bread or cakes, you can use spelt to substitute for up to half of the usual flour. A good way to do this is to use spelt for 25% of the flour in a recipe, see how it comes out, and then try increasing the amount you use from there.

• The gluten in spelt is more fragile, breaking down easier. This means that vigorous kneading and mixing should be avoided when using spelt flour or you could get a crumbly texture.

• The more fragile gluten in spelt also means that foods baked with spelt flour will not rise as high as those with wheat so you might want to use a spelt starter for recipes where you want that rise. You could also try using more yeast and more baking powder than the recipe calls for.

• Spelt requires less liquid than called for in your wheat flour recipe. To substitute spelt flour for wheat flour, you will want to make some quantity adjustments. The most reliable way to duplicate the results from your wheat flour recipes is to decrease the liquid in your recipe by 10—15%.

For more detailed spelt flour baking tips, refer to this handy guide at bake-with-spelt.com.

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