Heirloom and ancient grains 101: Spelt Flour

When I started on my journey to wellness, I was told to be gluten free. I really did not want to go gluten free and completely totally lactose free. I decided to experiment with baking breads with heirloom flours. My first couple loaves were bricks! Then I started to very slowly systematically calculate the ratio of heirloom flour to organic non-GMO bread flour. BINGO! This works.

I thought that I would start talking a little bit about the different heirloom flours and grains that I am baking with at this time. Any of the breads that I ate in the supermarkets that were baked with gluten free flours or spelt flours were like bricks. I avoided spelt flour like the plague. Then I started baking with the heirloom flours and I thought I could definitely bake a better spelt flour loaf of bread than the supermarket types!

This Bob of Bob’s Red Mill

I have been using Bob’s Red Mill Spelt Flour. This spelt flour is 100% stone ground from a delicious, easily digestible ancient grain that is a primitive relative of modern wheat. I have to given a big thumb’s up to the customer service at Bob’s Red Mill. I ordered a case of Kamut, Spelt and Teff flour. When the shipment arrived, one of the bags of flour has exploded in the shipping. Bob’s crack customer service team apologized and sent out a replace bag the next day.

According to Bob’s Red Mill website, spelt flour has a mild flavor that is nutty and slightly sweet. The light texture means your baked goods won’t be heavy or dense, making whole wheat spelt flour a good addition to all kinds of recipes. Spelt is part of the wheat family and does contain gluten. However, some people with a gluten sensitivity report that wheat flour made from spelt grain is easier to digest.

In ancient times, spelt (triticum spelta) was thought to be a gift to the Greeks from Demeter, goddess of the harvest. Early evidence indicates that the history of spelt stretches back to fifth millennium BC in the Near East. It was an extremely important crop in Europe during the Bronze and Iron Ages, spreading widely in central Europe and especially southern Germany and Switzerland. This may be because the durable husk made it an ideal grain for cold climates, as well as easy to store. 

Spelt came to the United States in the late 1800s. It was replaced by common wheat in the 20th century. However, the artisanal and organic movement revived interest in spelt, and spelt flour is widely used in the making of breads, crackers and other baked goods. 

Spelt flour is a good source of fiber. Bob’s Red Mill spelt flour has 5 grams of protein per 1/4-cup serving. The gluten in spelt flour produces delicious yeast bread, and it can be used to replace wheat flour to create homemade pasta. Interested in baking with spelt flour? When you start baking with spelt flour, replace 25% of the wheat flour called for in your recipes with the spelt flour. You can generally substitute up to 50% of the regular wheat flour in many recipes for baked goods with the spelt flour.

I will report back to you all about my newest loaf of bread. I mixed the dough with a sourdough starter, cooked buckwheat groats, a baked sweet potato and 50% spelt flour. The dough feel great right now. The ultimate test is the flavor.