White flour doesn't have it easy. More and more often, it is disappearing from our menu. And that's a good thing. Because too much white flour makes you sick. But is spelt flour healthier or is that just a misconception?
Half-asleep, I trudge into the bakery. And lo and behold, things have changed since I was here last week.
There is now a "wheat-free zone. It is home to rolls of all kinds, most of which are labeled as spelt rolls.
Is this now a new sales gimmick? Or what makes spelt flour healthier?
I've done some research for you and tell you why it's worth replacing white flour with spelt flour.
Table of contents
By the way, spelt flour is not a new trend or even a new invention. Already 8000 years ago, the Egyptians have grown the grain.
Treat yourself to these moist pancakes with spelt flour!
Tip: Do you know the book Baking Bread with Spelt? You'll find lots of bread recipes that are all made with spelt flour. Really delicious! The book is available at Amazon!
Why spelt flour is healthier than white flour
First and foremost, rolls made from spelt contain much more and higher quality protein, more vitamins and minerals. Also, the high proportion of fiber and unsaturated fatty acids make spelt rolls a better choice.
The comparably large amount of silicon (silicic acid) also makes spelt healthier. Silicic acid is responsible for strengthening our tissues and improving elasticity.
Silicon also brings a great advantage for hair, nails and skin. And on top of that, it has a positive effect on concentration.
That's why ancient cereals should be a regular part of your diet!
Spelt provides more vitamin A, B2, B3, B6, D and E than wheat.
When you reach for spelt, you also provide your body with iron, zinc, magnesium, manganese and copper.
There are also nutrition experts who swear that spelt has a mood-lifting effect. The reason for this is the large amount of tryptophan, which is converted in our body into the happiness hormone serotonin.
In short, it is obvious that spelt is healthier. However, wheat is still simply better marketed.
Are you in the mood for a super yummy chocolate cupcake?
One reason could be that it is much more productive. On the same arable land you can harvest much more wheat than spelt. However, spelt grain also grows on very poor soil and does not require fertilizer.
Why you should switch to spelt flour
White flour rolls or spelt rolls? You should be able to answer this question very easily in the future. Because now you know that spelt is healthier.
In addition, it is much more aromatic in taste. A spelt roll tastes slightly nutty. In cakes and desserts, you won't notice any difference in taste.
You can replace wheat flour with spelt flour, 1:1.
Spelt flour is particularly popular for flatbreads, rolls, dumplings and spaetzle. And, of course, in spelt bread. By the way, the bread must be 90% spelt flour, so that it can be called so.
Try these delicious whole grain spelt rolls!
How you can lose weight with spelt flour
Some people already know that spelt flour is healthier. But that you can also lose weight with it, that is not yet so well known.
Spelt saturates much better than wheat. Small example: If you reach for spelt rolls instead of wheat rolls, you will be full much longer.
Mega delicious: spelt flour tarte flambée with peach and goat cheese!
Hildegard von Bingen even recommended eating spelt bran with every meal. Because spelt grains contain all the alkaline substances that our body needs.
Because of the good saturation and the many nutrients, spelt bran with fresh fruit is also so helpful when a few kilos are to fall. Try it with!
Simply boil spelt bran with milk (preferably vegetable drinks such as oat milk). Then stir in fresh fruit.
What types make spelt flour healthier
As with wheat flour, there are also different types. The number of the flour indicates how many minerals are in 100 grams of spelt flour.
A distinction is made between type 630, type 812 and type 1050. The higher the number of the flour, the higher the husk content, which means that it contains more nutrients. Like whole wheat flour, however, it is somewhat heavier than normal white flour when baking.
So depending on what you want to bake, reach for different spelt flour.
- Spelt flour type 630 is suitable for fine pastries such as cookies. You can exchange it 1:1 for wheat flour
- Spelt flour type 812 you take for cakes, pizza and yeast dough. It is the substitute for wheat flour 405 and 550.
- Spelt flour type 1050 contains the most nutrients and the highest degree of grinding. It is perfect for bread and rolls.
However, I have also prepared cookies with spelt flour type 1050 and 812. Also works wonderfully. Except that you have to use a little more liquid.
do you know this quick spelt bread recipe?
Unlike wheat flour, spelt has slightly worse baking properties.
So you have to be a little more gentle when kneading and don't run the mixer on the highest speed. It may be that the dough becomes a little drier, then you just add a sip of water.
By the way, you can buy spelt not only as flour. There is also Spelt flakes for cereal.
They look so similar to oatmeal only darker. To this I also take a vegetable Spelt drink and give a little Cocoa powder* in the bowl. Mega delicious!
Quite exciting - green spelt
Have you ever heard of green spelt? This is nothing other than unripe spelt. It was discovered by chance, because a big bad harvest was threatening. Therefore, the grain was brought in weeks before the harvest and dried over fire.
The result is green grain as we know it today. A juicy and flavorful grain that tastes simply wonderful as soup and in fritters.
You'll love these green spelt fritters!
For whom spelt flour is not healthier
Attention applies to all who have a gluten intolerance. Because like wheat, spelt flour also contains lots of gluten. The gluten white ensures that the dough rises during baking and then retains its shape.
At 10.4 grams of gluten per 100 grams of spelt flour, the gluten content is even higher than that of wheat flour.
Our conclusion
Spelt flour is healthier than wheat flour. It contains much more nutrients and saturates better. In terms of taste, it hardly makes a difference. That's why the switch is definitely worth it.
Enjoy it :)
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