Spelt…

Many of you know I love to bake. When I was younger, I baked ALL THE TIME with my grandma. Since I have such happy memories of that, baking is a way for me to relax, relieve stress and something I just really, really enjoy. When I bake, I always try to make my recipes healthy while keeping lots of flavour! Much of my baking is also sugar-free or very low in sugar since I use Splenda. There is some sugar though, from the fruit I use (Fructose, to be exact). I also bake with whole wheat flour. I can’t recall the last time I used white flour for baking. In fact, I don’t think I ever have. In the past year, I’ve started trying out different flours: Kamut, Spelt, Barley, Oat, etc. What got me into doing this was how healthy these flours are AND the different sorts of flavours they can give to baked goods. It’s actually to my benefit that I’ve started doing this since a few of these flours are considered gluten-free or low-gluten and my body has decided that it does not like to have a lot of wheat anymore. Some of these flours seem to be easier for me to digest, particularly oat and barley flour. Where am I going with this? I know there are a few people who read this blog who are into baking so I decided to do some entries about these new flours I’ve been trying. To our friends who don’t bake & read this blog, my apologies if you find these entries boring. I say “deal with it” . Hee hee…

Today I made banana muffins using a recipe from health.com. On a side note, this is an amazing site, especially for recipes. Perhaps I’ll leave that for another entry. The recipe called for 2/3 cup of flour. I decided to use Spelt flour. I’m always a bit nervous when using these new flours in a recipe because I don’t know how they’ll turn out. This one turned out just fine though!

When using Spelt, I find the end result is a bit more flavourable than using plain, old whole wheat flour. What is Spelt, you ask? Spelt is an ancient grain, grown since 5000 B.C. While not an overly common crop, I have been reading it is gaining popularity due to its slightly nutty flavour & high protein content. It has a slightly sweeter flavour than traditional whole wheat, which yes, this is true. It is quite flavourful!  According to Canada’s Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Affairs (I never thought a government website would have good info), this grain can substitute wheat in many recipes. I’ve used it in a lot and this definitely holds true. In fact, I find myself reaching for this grain more when baking simply because I have never had any problems with it. I also have no complaints about the flavour being any different. The website also mentions Spelt has a more soluble starch, making it easier for people who experience problems when having wheat (me!) to digest.  Those who have celiacs disease, however, probably shouldn’t have spelt since it does have gluten. Also, with the starch being more soluble, recipes that call for Spelt will use less flour. My advice if you want to try spelt is to use it just as you would a whole wheat flour. If you find the recipe too runny, cup back on the water next time around!

Now, onto nutrition. Unfortunatly, the above website did not really go into detail about the nutritional benefits of using Spelt flour. Berlin Natural Bakery is a bakery in the U.S. that specializes in making baked goods using Spelt flour.  They are a great resource for learning the benefits of using Spelt. The nutritional benefit? It is higher in protein than a traditional wheat flour. I’m all for finding more sources of protein since I have a job that can be physically-demanding at times and I lift weights. In other words, I need to make sure I get enough protein in my diet (believe me, not enough protein is NOT fun. Been there, done that…don’t need to do it again). It also has higher levels of vitamins B1 and B6 in comparison to wheat. Those are just a few of the benefits! Be sure to have a look around their website. Unfortunatly, there products are not sold in Canada but there are a few stores in Port Huron, Michigan, that sell their product and I am definitely going to pick up some bread next time Jeremy & I are there.

I just had one of the muffins I made with Spelt flour. Not trying to toot my own horn here, but it is delicious! Jeremy had one as well and yes, he loved it! True to Spelt flour, it had a slight nutty flavour and a bit more sweetness in comparison to whole wheat flour. The muffins are definitely more flavourful! If you’re interested in making these muffins, here is the recipe (from Health.com):

Quick & Easy Banana Muffins

• 2 bananas (I actually used 2 1/2, which made the muffins quite moist)
• 2 tablespoons of Canola Oil
• 1 egg (I actually used egg replacer powder. If you’ve never used this stuff before, give it a try)
• 1/2 cup Skim milk (or soy milk or almond milk)
• 3/4 teaspoon of vanilla
• 2/3 cup of Spelt flour (or whole wheat flour)
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/4 cup of Splenda (or sugar)
• 1 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon (originally, it called for 1/2 teaspoon but I am a cinnamon fiend so I added more)
• Pinch of salt

Bake for about 14 minutes at 375 degrees. I managed to get 16 muffins out of this recipe (it says 9 on health.com but I make my muffins smaller). I also added in about a tablespoon of Flax seed. Dates, chocolate chips, etc. could also be added (I added chopped dates to some of them and wow…delicious! If you LOVE dates, this is a great recipe to add them to). If you’ve never baked with Spelt flour before, I highly recommend this recipe as your introduction to it. It’s a simple recipe and the Spelt worked very well with it.

To my readers who bake, have you ever used Spelt flour? Or any of the other flours I’ve mentioned? Got any good recipes to share?

You might be wondering where to buy Spelt flour. Here in Canada, I usually pick it up at Bulk Barn. I have seen it Zehrs, Canadian Superstore & Sobeys as well. Health Food stores in both the U.S. & Canada sell it, too. Of course, Berlin Natural Bakery sells it, too. Just do a search online and I’m sure you’ll find a place to pick it up.

~Mary~