Move over Wheat - Make Room for Spelt
November 21, 2017 by Lisa Aschenbrenner
Move over wheat, there an ancient grain in town that is making a comeback! Maybe you have heard of spelt in the last while, and even found some products to consume made of spelt. This ancient beauty has many benefits!
Spelt is approximately 8000 years old. It was originally cultivated in Europe and Middle East. Spelt declined as modern farming developed. Common bread wheat was able to be harvested in a single process where spelt had to be further processed due to a harder outer husk. However, spelt is a very light flour and is higher in nutrients and protein compared to wheat flour.
Due to spelt’s high water solubility, it’s vital substances can be absorbed more easily. Most people with intolerance to wheat can consume spelt with no digestive issues. Spelt contains a moderate amount of gluten, and is therefore suitable for baking, but this component also makes it unsuitable for people with gluten-related disorders, such as celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and wheat allergy. In comparison to hard red winter wheat, spelt has a more soluble protein matrix characterized by a higher gliadin:glutenin ratio.
Since the gluten is different, spelt needs to be handled slightly differently- less kneading and mixing is recommended and your baking may not rise as much as you expect. Try using 25% less liquid to start with due to spelt’s high water solubility to adjust for that difference. If starting out with spelt, you can use a pre-made base flat bread to add it into your meal routine or look for specific recipes that use spelt that would have those small adjustments already made. When using spelt with cookies, etc, I just use spelt as I would wheat flour, but with breads and cakes, the changes need to be more planned out and specific. Don’t be scared off, once you have a few good recipes you are set! Just by changing once a week to a different grain with a different nutrient profile, you are boosting your nutritional intake, without any real effort - sweet!
Here are some more specific nutrient details:
In a 100 gram serving, uncooked spelt provides 338 calories and is an excellent source of protein (14 grams), dietary fibre (10.7 grams), several B vitamins and numerous dietary minerals. Richest nutrient contents include manganese (143% DV), phosphorus (57% DV) and niacin (46% DV). Cooking substantially reduces many nutrient contents. * DV - daily recommended value
Using the Mile High spelt flatbreads you can make a number of meal options - bake for chips to dip into literally anything - guacamole, salsa, hummus, as a side for your butter chicken, like Naan bread - very simple and a boost to your daily nutrients!
You can also use them as a base for pizza, which is one of my simple uses for pre-made flatbreads!
Recipes - instead of the tortilla you can use the spelt flatbread base in this recipe:
This is an amazing recipe!!
