Spelt For The Win
By Alex Chung
Senior Food Writer at Pro Home Cooks
I first started using spelt flour when I got into making sourdough. I was trying different kinds of grain to make the best tasting sourdough and one of the flours that fell in love with spelt flour. Image if all purpose flour and whole wheat flour had a baby, this is what spelt reminds me of! Spelt flour is an ancient grain with a tougher husk that get grounded down into a flour. It has a nutty flavor that i absolutely love and a light brown color. Its a relative of the wheat grain but its better for you and easily digestible. It is also a good source of fiber.
Recently, I even find myself reaching for my bag of spelt flour over any other kind of flour that i have hidden in my pantry. I find that anytime I want to use spelt flour the ratio is 1:1 with regular all purpose flour, so no big change there. Although it does absorb more liquid it isn’t that much of a difference. I would just use another 1 -2 tablespoons to thin out the batter if you become a big spelt flour fan like I am.
Spelt Chocolate Chip Cookies
These cookies are good anytime of the day. They are delicious and smell amazing uncooked or cooked. The spelt flour adds an extra nuttiness that every chocolate chip cookie has been missing. Try this recipe out this coming Sunday and i promise you won’t regret it!
Ingredients:
- 1 stick of butter, softened
- 1 cup muscovado or light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/4 cups spelt flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 chocolate bars or 1/2 cup of chocolate chips
Instructions:
- In a large bowl beat together the sugar and butter on medium high until well combined.
- Add in the vanilla and egg and beat until light and fluffy.
- Add in the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Beat on low until the dry has been mixed in
- Add in your chopped chocolate and fold in.
- Scoop 2 tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Place on a parchment lined baking tray.
- Repeat with the rest of the dough being sure to space each ball out 2 inches apart.
- Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 13 – 15 minutes. Cool to the touch and enjoy!
Banana Blueberry Spelt Pancakes
I love this recipe out of all my other banana pancake recipes. The pancakes come out light and thick which is just how I like them. The spelt flour adds a nutty flavor and the banana isn’t strong. Honestly, I could barely taste it so if you have any banana haters in your life, make this for them!
Ingredients:
- 1 banana, large and overly ripened
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup of spelt flour
- 1 tablespoon of baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup of blueberries
- Maple syrup to serve
Instructions:
- Get a pan on medium low heat and a touch of butter.
- Then in a bowl, mash the banana into a baby food like paste. Crack in the egg and whisk together.
- Add in your flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until a thick batter forms. If it too thick add in some water but it should be fine.
- Pour in 1/4 cup of batter into your pan and spread to 1/4 inch thick. Dot the pancakes with blueberries.
- Once your start to see bubbles, flip and let the other side cook. This should take about 4 minutes total. Repeat with the remained batter and serve with maple syrup.
Spelt Naan Bread
I love a good naan bread. They are always so simple to make and goes with whatever you are eating that day. If you have a naan bread recipe you like, try swapping half of the flour out with spelt flour. It’s better for you and I love the nutty flavor that it gives.
Ingredients;
- 1 cup of all purpose flour
- 1 cup of spelt flour
- 1 tablespoon of instant yeast
- 1 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 teaspoon of salt
- 1 cup of water
- 1/2 cup of yogurt
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
Instructions:
- In a large bowl combine the water and yeast together. let it sit until the yeast blooms, about 10 – 15 minutes.
- Add in your flours, salt, olive oil, yogurt, and baking powder and mix until a dough forms together.
- Let it sit for 1 hour or until double in size.
- Dump the dough out and then cut into 6- 8 pieces. Flatten out into a oval or circle shape. It doesn’t have to be perfect.
- Once your bread have been flattened, get a large pan, preferably cast iron, screaming hot. Lay down your naan dough down and cover with a lid. Let it cook for about 3 minutes before flipping and cooking the other side another 2 minutes.
- Take out of the pan and set aside. Repeat with the remaining dough. Enjoy!
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