Anyone use spelt?

[Koalamom]

I just picked some spelt grains up at the store. Anyone have experience with that? Can I use it in place of wheat? Silly question, is spelt a kind of wheat?

[deditus]

Originally Posted by bluebirdmama1

I just picked some spelt grains up at the store. Anyone have experience with that? Can I use it in place of wheat? Silly question, is spelt a kind of wheat?

Yes, it is a variety of wheat so use anywhere you would use wheat.

[Koalamom]

Originally Posted by deditus

Yes, it is a variety of wheat so use anywhere you would use wheat.

Are you kidding me? I got it trying to replace wheat since we are allergic to it, so I wonder if spelt is included.

[jocelyndale]

It depends on which protein in wheat you're allergic to. It contains some of the same gluten proteins (gliadins) one finds in various types of wheat, but one can be allergic to *any* of the proteins found in wheat and there are more than just gluten. Some of those proteins may not be in spelt, some might.

I react to spelt just as severely as I do to wheat. I have both an IgE wheat allergy and celiac disease and I get *both* reactions.

[CrunchyChristianMama]

I love using spelt. It does have gluten in it, just less than regular wheat. I prefer the taste of it though.

[eastkygal]

I use spelt for my sourdough and rye for the starter. It's good!

[motherbirth]

Originally Posted by deditus

Yes, it is a variety of wheat so use anywhere you would use wheat.

Spelt isn't a variety of wheat, it's an ancient grain that's related to wheat.
It does have gluten, but not as much. It is often easier to digest and some people with wheat (not gluten) allergies/sensitivities can have spelt.

I use spelt everywhere I use wheat. You need to use a little less liquid in recipes because it absorbs more. It's more fragile than wheat, so if you knead it, you need to knead it for less time.

A really good cookbook is Spelt Healthy.

[harrietsmama]

Have any of you successfully made sandwich bread with it? I bought a 25 # sack after getting sick of paying $9 for 4lbs and throwing it away. I still have never had success. I am careful with my kneading, I have Spelt Healthy, I have read and read and read. Tips?

[motherbirth]

Originally Posted by harrietsmama

Have any of you successfully made sandwich bread with it? I bought a 25 # sack after getting sick of paying $9 for 4lbs and throwing it away. I still have never had success. I am careful with my kneading, I have Spelt Healthy, I have read and read and read. Tips?

How do you define sandwich bread? What goes wrong for you?

[harrietsmama]

Well, I can't seem to get it to rise enough and stay up in a loaf shape, I end up with a very dense, moist loaf with a concave center. I have used a metal pan and a smartware silicone pan.

[Peacemamalove]

we also can not use spelt I love it too!

[New_Natural_Mom]

I just made 2 loaves of spelt bread this weekend, I love it! I used Sue Gregg's recipe and since I don't have a dehydrator used (eek, white flour) for the 2nd part (probably 2 cups worth, so 5 cups spelt and 2 cups white flour) for the bread. Mine worked out well, it didn't rise as much as other grains, and I thought that was yeast related since I have serious problems proofing yeast. I, personally, like the way the bread came out with the addition of some white flour - it is much chewier and moister. I don't know, I am still figuring out this whole grain baking.

I do like Spelt wayyyy more than Kamut (another wheat) but barley is my favorite by far.

[motherbirth]

Originally Posted by harrietsmama

Well, I can't seem to get it to rise enough and stay up in a loaf shape, I end up with a very dense, moist loaf with a concave center. I have used a metal pan and a smartware silicone pan.

Hmm I use it in sourdough the most. Are you over-kneading?

[dogmom327]

Originally Posted by motherbirth

Hmm I use it in sourdough the most. Are you over-kneading?

If you're kneading by hand, it would be virtually impossible to over knead. If you're kneading with a machine (e.g. Kitchen Aid Mixer), I'd check it regularly during the process to make sure it's not getting too hot as this can damage the yeast.

Is your bread dough getting to the point where you can perform the window pane test? That's when you stretch the dough between your fingers so thin you can see light through it. If you can do that without the dough breaking first, you can stop kneading.

I don't usually work with Spelt myself so YMMV but just wanted to mention it

[AnnieNimIty]

I just made some spelt buns Tuesday. SOoooo Yummy.
There were 4 cups spelt flour to 1 cup white flour though. And I always had problems proofing my yeast too... Until I added extra sugar/honey.

It was the first time I made bread on my own... So I think the recipe is idiot proof... hahaha The buns are a good size for bun sandwiches.
And it is always nice to have your husband say he likes your buns lol.
I am going to be all assuming and put the recipe out there. I really liked it.

Buns...

1 cup water (I used 1/2 cup)
2.5 tsp yeast
1 tsp sugar

Mix ingredients together and let sit for 10 minutes. (It totally sat longer lol, chasing my 1 year old)

In a large bowl
4 tbsp sugar (you could use honey)
4 tbsp oil ( I used olive)
1/2 tsp salt

Add
1 cup boiling water
1 cup flour (this was white flour)
1 egg

Beat with an electric mixer. Add yeast and beat again. Add 4 cups Spelt flour, Knead. Cover and let rise. Punch down every 15 minutes for an hour. (I think I did it more... like 2 more times than it called for... I got distracted and lost count)

Shape into buns, let rise.
Bake 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Should make 2 dozen.

[New_Natural_Mom]

Originally Posted by ObliviousAnnette

I just made some spelt buns Tuesday. SOoooo Yummy.
There were 4 cups spelt flour to 1 cup white flour though. And I always had problems proofing my yeast too... Until I added extra sugar/honey.

It was the first time I made bread on my own... So I think the recipe is idiot proof... hahaha The buns are a good size for bun sandwiches.
And it is always nice to have your husband say he likes your buns lol.
I am going to be all assuming and put the recipe out there. I really liked it.

Buns...

1 cup water (I used 1/2 cup)
2.5 tsp yeast
1 tsp sugar

Mix ingredients together and let sit for 10 minutes. (It totally sat longer lol, chasing my 1 year old)

In a large bowl
4 tbsp sugar (you could use honey)
4 tbsp oil ( I used olive)
1/2 tsp salt

Add
1 cup boiling water
1 cup flour (this was white flour)
1 egg

Beat with an electric mixer. Add yeast and beat again. Add 4 cups Spelt flour, Knead. Cover and let rise. Punch down every 15 minutes for an hour. (I think I did it more... like 2 more times than it called for... I got distracted and lost count)

Shape into buns, let rise.
Bake 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Should make 2 dozen.

You really want to let the spelt flour soak overnight to break down the antinutrients.

[dogmom327]

Originally Posted by New_Natural_Mom

You really want to let the spelt flour soak overnight to break down the antinutrients.

Alternatively you could use sprouted spelt flour and skip the soaking process.

[AJP]

IME, you can actually over-knead spelt even doing it by hand. It seems that the gluten is more fragile than wheat, and will begin to break down if kneaded too long. I found that about 5 minutes is all the hand kneading required for spelt. It also seems to soak up less liquid than wheat, so if converting a wheat recipe I often reduce the liquid or increase the flour a little bit when using spelt. If your dough is too wet, it won't rise as well and could sink in the center during baking.

[nerdymom]

Originally Posted by bluebirdmama1

Are you kidding me? I got it trying to replace wheat since we are allergic to it, so I wonder if spelt is included.

Like others said, it depends upon your intolerance/allergy. My father is wheat sensitive but tolerates spelt beautifully.

Originally Posted by harrietsmama

Have any of you successfully made sandwich bread with it? I bought a 25 # sack after getting sick of paying $9 for 4lbs and throwing it away. I still have never had success. I am careful with my kneading, I have Spelt Healthy, I have read and read and read. Tips?

Are you over-rising? Over-rising the dough can result in a collapsed loaf. Try rising for a shorter amount of time, and make sure your room is not too warm. If it's too warm it can rise too quickly. If over-rising occurs, you can try re-kneading, re-forming and re-rising before putting it in the oven.

Also, good sandwich bread has a higher fat content, making it moister and it will stay fresh for several days if it has fat in it, unlike french-style loaves that have no fat and go stale after one day.