Is Spelt the Healthiest Ancient Grain? | What You Need to Know about SPELT

[@jodihuerter2015]

According to Sue Becker’s Home-Ground Flour book on page 87, spelt has a different protein structure than regular wheat. It doesn’t contain gliadin, one of the gluten-forming proteins. This can be why people with sensitivities can tolerate it better. I always bake an all-spelt loaf for people who have been gluten-free to see if they can tolerate it. Most of the time, they can. I regularly make bread with a ratio of 1/3 spelt, 1/3 hard white, and 1/3 hard red. It’s my favorite combination!

[@Ozarkmountainoutback1]

I started using spelt after our son was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes late last year. It was unbelievable the difference in how spelt affects his blood sugar versus other freshly ground flours. We have switched our entire baking to spelt.

[@robertdeatherage2354]

My hubby can't tolerate wheat but does fine with spelt!! We've baked with it for years. We found it works best to let the liquids "soak in" the fresh spelt flour for best results. Otherwise we tend to add too much flour.

[@betsyluckey6978]

I tried spelt for the first time because of this video!! Mixing spelt with hard red to make bread immediately became my favorite bread. It's awesome. Keep up the good jobs ... I continue to learn from you. God bless you and multiply your teaching skills so that we can grow from following!!

[@GrainsandGrit]

Good for you - thanks for watching!

[@loves2spin2]

I have always milled my own modern wheat for our homemade bread. I've been doing this for 50 years. I developed, in just the last few years, a sensitivity to it. It causes me to have severe pain. It's like having a headache that involves my whole body. I only made the connection a couple of months ago. Recently I bought some whole grain spelt flour from Azure. I am eating some every day with no trouble. I am 75 years old.

[@GrainsandGrit]

Interesting. You were using 100% freshly milled whole-grain wheat?

[@loves2spin2]

@GrainsandGrit yes

[@rld1278]

This doesn't surprise me. Dr. D'Adamo tested most common grains against each blood type and found that certain blood types should avoid wheat; whole grain or typical white flour. Blood type O is the one I know for certain as I am myself. All I do is gain weight on typical white or "whole" wheat flour products. I just got myself a mill and am waiting on my spelt berries as this is one of the grains allowed for type O blood. Others include amaranth, millet, rye, buckwheat, rice, oats, quinoa, and soybeans. BTW, spelt is either listed as "beneficial" or "neutral" (causing no harm) for all 4 blood types and blood type B is also an "avoid" (harmful) for traditional wheat.

[@GrainsandGrit]

That's very uncommon to hear. I would definitely make sure you're using only organic ingredients.

[@loves2spin2]

@@rld1278 that is very interesting. I have type O blood too.

[@corinnemaldonado439]

Ive been using 100% spelt for about 30 years. I make bread, muffins, pancakes, and waffles. I love it. It tastes so good. It makes a wonderful loaf of bread.

[@GrainsandGrit]

Love it!

[@ShelleyhitzTV]

I would love to know your bread recipe!

[@corinnemaldonado439]

3 cups warm water 1/3 cup oats 1/3 cup oil 1/3 cup honey 1 tablespoon yeast 4 + cups spelt flour Put water in Bosch sprinkle oats in water. Let sit about 3 minutes. Add in other ingredients except salt putting yeast on top. Mix for 2 minutes. Let sponge 10 minutes. Add in enough flour to pull away from side of bowl. Knead 3 - 5 minutes. Do a window pane test. If needed, knead for more time. Take out and form into loaves. Rise. Bake 350 for 30 - 40 minutes. Depending on your oven. Makes 2 loaves. Can be doubled. I use 5 cups water for 4 loaves.

[@ShelleyhitzTV]

@@corinnemaldonado439 thank you so much!

[@maryminardi8018]

@@corinnemaldonado439

[@sandybunn7924]

I have been baking with spelt and einkorn for several years now. I particularly enjoy sprouting my spelt, drying it and grinding it for bread. Other times I simply sprout it and bake with it. I enjoy mixing it with freshly ground hard white or hard red. Very satisfying and hearty loaves.

[@lindamoen6618]

I love spelt use it in 75% of my breads - my son-in-law only likes white wheat sourdough which I make for him every 2 weeks! My husband loves whole grain bread and I always use spelt great taste.

[@GrainsandGrit]

Love it!!!

[@lindajohnson1035]

Thank you for letting me know Spelt is a/k/a Farro. When I couldn’t get Barley for my homemade Beef Barley stew, I bought Farro for the first time and it was delicious and kept its form and chewy texture better as a crockpot stew to last into the next day to avoid cooking on my sabbath/shabbat celebration day

[@evocati6523]

In another video she said that emmer was farro, not spelt. Now I'm confused

[@Flipflopbarnyard]

We love spelt here. A couple of our kiddos don’t tolerate modern hard wheat but can do spelt fine. I’ve been making your wheat bread recipe but using all spelt and it has turned out beautiful and rises really well. 😊

[@GrainsandGrit]

It's such a gentle grain. A lot of people handle it better if they have sensitivities.

[@Nunya-biz-ness]

I just discovered spelt a few months ago and wow, wow, wow….love it. But your video helped me learn so much I didn’t know! Thanks!

[@GrainsandGrit]

So glad this was helpful!

[@speakingconstitution]

I’ve pretty transitioned to all fresh milled whole grain sourdough for our household & spelt is wonderful to work with. Most often I blend 25% spelt with 75% hard wheat, however, I have developed a 100% fresh milled whole grain spelt sourdough loaf as well as 100% fresh milled whole grain spelt croissants. What is great about using spelt in sourdough baking is that it does not develop that rock hard crusty crust that is typical formed when using the harder modern wheats. Simply, spelt has become a key ingredient in our daily bread.

[@GrainsandGrit]

oooo good to know about using it in sourdough. Those breads sound delicious!

[@ShelleyhitzTV]

Can you share your sourdough spelt recipe? My mom is sick and can’t tolerate regular bread but does okay with sourdough spelt.

[@candacegilbert7230]

Wow! Good to know! I can’t handle the hard crust of a typical sourdough! Thank you!

[@rld1278]

Oh nice! My sister hates that about wheat sourdough, cut herself really bad trying to cut a wheat sourdough loaf with a brand new bread knife! Plus shes not fond of eating it.

[@NammaCathie]

Spelt is at the top of my favorites wheat to use. I mix some into so many of my bread recipes. Great video! Thanks!

[@GrainsandGrit]

You are so welcome!

[@rld1278]

I'm waiting on my spelt berries, but before that I had gotten a bag of whole grain spelt flour and just recently made cornbread and cinnamon muffins with that flour. They were delish! My mom who often only turns to bread to eat loved it too!

[@GrainsandGrit]

Oh good!!

[@robertebob]

Challenge accepted because I have never used Spelt before. I made shortbread out of 100% Spelt using a proportional recipe that works for freshly milled or store-bought flour. This easy-to-remember recipe works this way: The weight of sugar is ½ the amount of butter weight. And flour weight is the total of the sugar weight + butter weight. So, you control the batch size you need. I generally go with 200g unsalted butter, 100g Baker’s Sugar (fine) and 300g freshly milled grain of your choice, unsifted. 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp vanilla (adjust to batch size). Cream butter, then mix in sugar and vanilla. Add salt to milled flour then cut into butter mix and eventually form a dough ball by hand. I form into a 3/8-inch-high rectangle to around 10” x 9” approx.. with a rolling pin with an adjustable spacer and get it all to fit inside my adjustable cake mold (on top of a silmat or parchment). Excess dough can be used to fill gaps in corners or elsewhere. You can use the mold to cut its shape into the dough. After shaping, I cover and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Then I cut my bar shapes and do the fork holes. I re-surround with the adjustable cake mold (parchment or silmat lined baking sheet) and bake for 33 minutes at 320F (160C). Cool 10-15 minutes before cutting bar shapes. A large 10-inch sharp knife might be needed. Adjust cooking time thickness of dough and for softer or crunchier texture. It turns out perfect every time. You can also adjust the coarseness of the flour. I like to go 1 notch above my finest setting. I get about 16 bars with a little excess to enjoy raw. Store in an airtight container. Hard white is what I mostly use. It almost tastes like an oatmeal cookie, but you can try any variety you like The Spelt is delicious, but I still like hard white better. I might dress it up next time by adding some cinnamon. I chill my flour for about 15 minutes before using so I don’t melt my butter.

[@GrainsandGrit]

You can do it!! :-)

[@christinemooney936]

I'm new with bread baking and yesterday I made a sourdough soda bread with spelt. The dough was sooooo wet and never formed the doughball I tried to get. I'm so glad to see your video this morning. Now I know I need to decrease the liquid. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I really appreciate it.

[@GrainsandGrit]

Oh good. Glad to help :-)

[@chbedient4394]

I also love spelt for pancakes and waffles. I started using the hard red/spelt mix after you suggested it in one of your earlier videos and my family loves it!

[@GrainsandGrit]

It’s great!!

[@samiikyns]

Great timing! I have fallen in love with spelt but you taught me more about it. I can add for uses... try it in a stew (I made just this week beef stew in crockpot with 1 cup spelt instead of potatoes - it was amazing!) and it also makes wonderful tortillas. I do a sandwich loaf with 50% spelt/50% hard red sifted using scald technique and that really helps to soften the loaf. Love the info!

[@auswindall]

Love spelt in pancakes !! Ty for the info

[@GrainsandGrit]

SO good!

[@PamelaGibson-tl4rj]

Very refreshing to see references to ancient cultures different from Old Testament culture! Thank you! (Nothing wrong with OT, just enjoy the change, like your trip to Mexico.)

[@GrainsandGrit]

History is fascinating and there is SO MUCH more to it than just what we read in the OT. While that was going on, Aztecs, Mayans, etc were in Central and South America while China had their dynasties and so much more going on. It's fascinating when you connect them all together :-)

[@colohome52]

I really like spelt in banana nut bread, cookies, biscotti. Much tastier than soft white for me. I have also used it in a similar ratio as yours in yeast bread. I am going to try it with hard white, see if it improves the flavor. For us, hard white tastes like cardboard. Hopefully spelt will help it. Spelt has become my favorite non modern grain. I’ll try waffles and pancakes, I am sure they will be good.

[@KatMa664]

I made a mistake when I ordered from Azure Standard. I got all my grain berries, several different kinds of wheat, white and red and soft, etc., but I ordered spelt and did not realize I ordered flour. I have 25 pounds of flour that I put in my freezer in the hopes I can retain some of the nutrients. Who knows how long it was sitting before they shipped it to me. It’s tasty and I love it and I don’t want to throw it out. But I’m very sorry that I made that mistake. Not only because it’s not as nutritious but also because it’s taking up a lot of room in my freezer that I really don’t have.

[@GrainsandGrit]

Hey, mistakes happen. I would go ahead and just use it. Mix it in with your freshly milled stuff and that way you’re not wasting it 😀

[@Nunya-biz-ness]

I did the same thing with Kamut! So, I’ve been trying to use it up every time I bake some kamut goes in! Lol. Live and learn!

[@Mrnmrssetapart]

Thanks!

[@GrainsandGrit]

You're so sweet, thank-you!

[@patricialynveal4017]

Just bought first pound ground to make a bake spelt and oat doughnut recipe from Sasha at cook smarter KZbin, so looking forword to it. Have used branded farrow for things from a Biblical time period (200 bce to 400 ce) cook book a friend gifted me because I use lentils for many modern things, like tacos. This has been so helpful

[@jtmm396]

Spelt and Barley are my choice for low gluten baking like cookies for my brother during the holidays. I have an holiday cookie recipe from our grandma that she made only at thanksgiving and Christmas. Last year I tried it with barley, there’s a taste adjustment forsure from store bought W-Lily flour but the texture was great. And for a diabetic such as my brother, the freshly ground Hulless barley didn’t effect his glucose much. Spelt works good too but barley for those cookies and glucose, I’m sticking with barley for holiday cookies. And since you mentioned you have lost weight…👀, we sure would love to know what you do/did? 🫣 Thank you so much for your informative videos, for me I only wish they were longer… your personality light up the room and we all can use more of that these days especially those that use KZbin as an escape from the other programs on tv. . But I know your time is limited. So I thank you for the gift of your videos and be blessed by them. God bless you and yours and keep y’all safe.

[@jtmm396]

Oh, in my bread baking, I use spelt, hard white. For muffins-waffles and pancakes I use just spelt. I have other grains but for taste for now, hard white, barley and spelt are my go to grains.

[@GrainsandGrit]

Aw thanks. Glad to know it helps. Are you subscribed to my emails? I go into behind-the-scenes and personal stuff like that there. And you can also download a free cheat sheet when you sign up: bit.ly/3pvI5TE

[@EmeryShae]

Spelt is my go-to for muffins.

[@GrainsandGrit]

Oh yes it is so good for muffins!

[@TooStinkinFine]

Thank you, Felicia! My first ancient grain has been kamut. Looking forward to using spelt next. And I LOVE my bread made with hard red. It has such a great flavor! The kamut added was very good too. Your advice and information is alway so welcomed! God bless you! ❤

[@GrainsandGrit]

So glad you're enjoying Kamut too!

[@TxSusieQ99]

I love Spelt in my bread also. I do the same as you 2/3 hard red to 1/3 Spelt. I am going to try it in scones this weekend. I found a pumpkin chocolate chip scone recipe I want to try.

[@diligent_seeker]

Love that southern "Bye" at the end :) I agree with you on spelt for pancakes, waffles & muffins. I recently started using it in a loaf, and this last time I tried it with white wheat, half n' half; first and second times were a mix with all purpose and it was excellent, but I want to try not to incorporate AP flour; the family was insistent on the AP in the beginning, but they've come around, now. The crumb was not as "tight", so, maybe I need to lessen the liquid or knead more? My son thought it was good and he's using it today for a sandwich.

[@DavidSmith-vz9uu]

I only have access to flour and currently don't have a flour Mill, so I'm using Anna's TIPO 00 unbleached flour for making pizza s, I know it's a healthier option vs getting fast food pizza which I don't do anymore, I tried keto pizza that doesn't have wheat, it's not good and made me sick so I'm happy to discover your channel, I'll have to eventually get a flour Mill in the future, but currently the Anna's flour works just fine. ☺️ Thanks for your information on wheat, because I know wheat is good for us if it's grown and processed correctly (GMO free). 😊

[@GrainsandGrit]

You can do it! Milling isn't all that hard. And it's the key to fresh, LIVING flour. Keep at it. I'm so glad you're here, and thanks for the the comment :-)

[@sweetsxvenus]

Felicia, would you make one video about Emmer?

[@GrainsandGrit]

Thanks for the suggestion - I'll try to get around to that soon.

[@goodfruitseason]

I think it can also be the glyphosate in the wheat supply. It creates an immune response to the proteins in the wheat because of the poison that comes along with it. Even if organic wheat is not produced with glyphosate the immune reaction is mainly to white and hybridized wheat varieties because that’s what is mainly sprayed. Our bodies are responding to the pesticides.

[@GrainsandGrit]

Most wheat in the U.S. isn’t sprayed with glyphosate. What people are most likely having issues with is the FLOUR that has been stripped of its nutrients, not the wheat.

[@RoyalRoots65]

Love using spelt for pancakes too.

[@GrainsandGrit]

Definitely!

[@j_filippo]

I love spelt. I’ve only baked a variety of muffins.

[@monabo1]

Great info and well presented

[@GrainsandGrit]

Thank you :-)

[@DavidSmith-vz9uu]

I'm curious if the Anna's Napoletana TIPO 00 unbleached flour from Italy for making homemade pizza is a safe healthy flour? I recently tried it and It tastes fantastic! But is it healthy?

[@GrainsandGrit]

Well, to determine if it's healthy, ask yourself two questions: 1. Is it whole grain? Has anything been removed from the grain to make the flour? 2. Is it fresh? Was it milled within 24-48 hours of cooking? Most of the flour's nutrients oxidize away in the first 24-48 hours, making it stale and lifeless.

[@DavidSmith-vz9uu]

@@GrainsandGrit It's unbleached so the nutrients aren't stripped out and not fortified with synthetic b vitamins or bad form of iron, it's from Italy, better than anything from America plus I'm using Newman's own marinara sauce which has extra virgin olive oil rather than soy, all great sauce ingredients and very inexpensive and a non profit organization with all proceeds to helping children, I'd say it's far better than buying pizza from a fast food chain and a good start for me until I may get a Mill in the future. 🙂

[@DavidSmith-vz9uu]

@@GrainsandGrit My reply back to you disappeared?...🤔

[@JJM-GodIsUpToSomething]

I just ordered spelt

[@GrainsandGrit]

Woo hoo!

[@cindytrodden8642]

Felicia, do you ever sift a portion of your flour when baking? I am having a little trouble weaning my family off of white flour.

[@GrainsandGrit]

I do with my biscuits. But if you want to wean them off, try searching my channel for recipes like cookies and cinnamon rolls, and things. They're so good they'll never know they're healthy!

[@NanG1466]

I've got to practice with spelt. I've used it in other milled FMF but had a recipe using just spelt for pnut butter cookies. It was not good at least for us. The doggos love them though.

[@GrainsandGrit]

lol when you have animals nothing is wasted!!

[@esteehammer1248]

I have used regular spelt flour in the past and now cooking with FM spelt the taste is just not my fav. It seems a tad bit too earthy for me. I wonder if its just the kind of spelt i bought. Idk, but i can definitely taste it immediately even just using a little in a loaf.

[@GrainsandGrit]

Ah, no, you are correct. Spelt smells a bit more earthy than other grains, but I don't find that comes out in the food. But that's the beauty of grains - there are SO many to choose from and you're not required to like all of them :-)

[@esteehammer1248]

@@GrainsandGrit im going to try pancakes with it and see how that works out.

[@JamesHarris-qm8lh]

Hi

[@n.b.4168]

The Bible is mute on the location of Eden.

[@jodihuerter2015]

Eden was destroyed in Noah’s flood, which radically changed the topography of the earth. Before the earth was one supercontinent, and that’s where Eden was located. Answers in Genesis has some articles regarding this.