Spelt is a grain that has come up in recent discussions about whole grains. Spelt is an ancient grain that dates back to the Neolithic era (The New Stone Age), 10,000 B.C. Spelt is one of the three ancient wheat varieties; the other two ancient varieties are emmer and einkorn. What a history! These grains grew wild and once people figured out that they could plant the seeds, communities were formed and ended some of the nomadic wandering in search of food. First grown in Mesopotamia by 3,000 B.C. wheat was being grown in what is now Europe, North Africa and Asia.
Stone Age women gathered spelt seeds, crushed the seeds, mixed these crushed seeds with water and cooked the mixture over fire to make bread. What a lot of work!
Spelt is still a popular grain in Europe. In Germany spelt is called "dinkle" and is used in many foods including beer and bread. In Italy the grain is called "farro" and is used in pizza crust, bread and cakes. In the late 1800s, Swiss immigrants brought spelt with them when they came to the United States.
Spelt has a tougher and thicker husk than wheat and is harder to thresh which means it is more difficult to remove the seeds or berries from the husk. Even so, spelt was popular until the 1920s when it fell out of favor because it gave poor yield per acre and was difficult to thresh.
Spelt is primarily grown in Europe, the United States and Canada for flour. The flavor and texture are similar to wheat. Bread made from 100% spelt flour has a heavier, denser texture than bread made from white or bleached wheat flour. Spelt flour tastes sweeter and nuttier than wheat.
The nutritional value of spelt flour is similar to wheat flour, but spelt has more riboflavin and niacin (both are B vitamins) than wheat.
Spelt flour and other spelt products like spelt kernels or flakes are whole grains, which means that they contain the bran, the outer covering of the kernel, the germ, which contains oil, and the endosperm, which is the starchy part of the kernel. Store spelt products in a cool, dry place. These products can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for longer storage. Remember because of the oil that is present, whole grain products can turn rancid.
Cooking with spelt flour is easy. Spelt mixes well with wheat flour including whole wheat flour. Spelt flour is more soluble in water so baked goods made with spelt flour have a more fragile structure. Dough that is made from spelt flour may also need a rest before baking to allow the liquid to reabsorb. Check recipes developed for using spelt flour. Usually boxes and bags of spelt flour and other spelt products have recipes. Also check out cookbooks using whole grains for recipes or the internet.
Spelt berries (whole kernels or groats) can be used as a starch on the menu in place of rice, potatoes or pasta. These kernels are dense and take a while to cook. You can shorten the cooking time by soaking them for a few hours or overnight in water to soften the outer hull.
Rolled or flaked spelt cooks faster than the whole kernels, depending on how fine they are cut. Spelt flakes can be used as a hot cereal like oatmeal.
Here are some other suggestions for using spelt:
- Add spelt flakes to soups instead of pasta.
- Cook spelt berries and toss with a lemon vinaigrette. Add dried or fresh fruits and leftover chicken or beef, if desired.
- Use spelt berries in place of rice to make risotto.
- Add cooked spelt berries to chili.