A healthy and easy alternative to plain white flour is Spelt flour. Plain white flour has been bleached and stripped of most of its nutrients so why not use a flour that looks the same as white flour but has many health benefits?
Spelt flour is one of the more popular non-wheat flours available (although it is not totally gluten-free). But what exactly is spelt flour?
Spelt is a cereal grain in the wheat family. The grain has been cultivated for centuries, in both central Europe and the middle east. It looks very similar to wheat in appearance, but it has a much harder outer shell before it has been milled. It has a nutty and slightly sweet flavor, similar to that of whole wheat flour. It does contain some gluten, so one of the reasons that spelt is rather popular is that it is easy to substitute it into all wheat cookie, bread, etc. recipes, where you will get to enjoy the flavor of spelt without compromising the texture of your baked good.
Another reason that spelt flour is popular is that it has a fairly strong nutritional profile. Spelt has slightly fewer calories than wheat flour and is somewhat higher in protein. The flour is also easy to digest.
You will be able to buy Spelt Flour in the health section in your local supermarket or at your local health food store.
I have been wondering what flour to buy so that we can start making breads at home again. Great suggestion and I have definately seen this brand at our local health food store – excellent! Will let you know how I get on once have baked our first loaf! Yum yum
A bit of home bread baking, yum yum! Spelt is great to use in bread making as it still has a bit of gluten in (which helps with the consistancy of the bread) it but not as much as your standard flours. Let me know how you get on xx