Flours come in many different varieties and have equally as many uses. The most prominent of them is the white product known as wheat flour. But those who fancy a little bit of a change are finding that spelt flour is perhaps the best whole grain flour for baking. As a lot of folks are not getting enough fiber, whole grains in your bread could be the answer.
The best advice that can be given to folks that are new to the area of baking is this: do not complicate matters. Baking can be rather frustrating at times, but by choosing spelt you'll be picking a very popular product, one that is versatile enough to be used in sandwiches and pie crusts. The taste is very, very mild and is a little sweet.
It's a very old variety of wheat and because of that there are plenty of recipes around. The oldest accounts of its use go back as far as the Bronze Age in Europe. If you have no idea what it looks like then be on the lookout for a grain that has a reddish color. Some say it resembles a hybrid of sunflower seeds and barley.
The taste is something most people remember when they think of spelt. This is because, unlike some whole grains, the taste of the bread it makes is soft, mild and sweet. The one drawback, if it can be called as such, is that it isn't totally free of gluten, though is contains a relatively low amount when compared to other flours.
If one word can be used to describe it then that word would probably be versatile. Muffins, breads and even pie crusts can be made with it. Of course, you may wish to mix it with the normal wheat flour if you want some of the goodness of whole grains and some of the flavor of white bread. If you feel like experimenting, why not try making pie crust with 100% spelt, or, if that's too adventurous, then mix crackers in with the dough.
If you're a veteran of using the product then you could graduate from making bread and turn to other things. A yeast-less pizza is something you could try at home. The dough will probably take far less time to make and cook because of the lack of yeast. You can also make dense and moist cookies, ones which differ a little from the traditional cookie because they tend to hold a puffy shape.
Although whole grains do have gluten, they don't contain as much as white flours. This needs to be considered when using yeast or combining flours of different types. Make sure that at least half the flour you use contains gluten, that's if you use yeast. It's also worth noting that because of the lower gluten content, some bakers prefer to use spelt with other flours.
Spelt may well be the best whole grain flour for baking, but what is best for you is really down to personal taste. If you want low of no gluten then go for flours made from oats, barley and rye. You may even think about mixing them with spelt as a low gluten alternative.
The best advice that can be given to folks that are new to the area of baking is this: do not complicate matters. Baking can be rather frustrating at times, but by choosing spelt you'll be picking a very popular product, one that is versatile enough to be used in sandwiches and pie crusts. The taste is very, very mild and is a little sweet.
It's a very old variety of wheat and because of that there are plenty of recipes around. The oldest accounts of its use go back as far as the Bronze Age in Europe. If you have no idea what it looks like then be on the lookout for a grain that has a reddish color. Some say it resembles a hybrid of sunflower seeds and barley.
The taste is something most people remember when they think of spelt. This is because, unlike some whole grains, the taste of the bread it makes is soft, mild and sweet. The one drawback, if it can be called as such, is that it isn't totally free of gluten, though is contains a relatively low amount when compared to other flours.
If one word can be used to describe it then that word would probably be versatile. Muffins, breads and even pie crusts can be made with it. Of course, you may wish to mix it with the normal wheat flour if you want some of the goodness of whole grains and some of the flavor of white bread. If you feel like experimenting, why not try making pie crust with 100% spelt, or, if that's too adventurous, then mix crackers in with the dough.
If you're a veteran of using the product then you could graduate from making bread and turn to other things. A yeast-less pizza is something you could try at home. The dough will probably take far less time to make and cook because of the lack of yeast. You can also make dense and moist cookies, ones which differ a little from the traditional cookie because they tend to hold a puffy shape.
Although whole grains do have gluten, they don't contain as much as white flours. This needs to be considered when using yeast or combining flours of different types. Make sure that at least half the flour you use contains gluten, that's if you use yeast. It's also worth noting that because of the lower gluten content, some bakers prefer to use spelt with other flours.
Spelt may well be the best whole grain flour for baking, but what is best for you is really down to personal taste. If you want low of no gluten then go for flours made from oats, barley and rye. You may even think about mixing them with spelt as a low gluten alternative.
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