I tried to make the most of what might have been the last of our nice weather last week. Kelly brought out my Forsberg dehuller and little air screen so I could prep some grain samples. First up is Spelt, which incidentally is quickly becoming one of my favorite grains to grow.
Here is a little background on Spelt. Spelt is considered an ancient grain, that has not changed much since biblical times. It is believed to have originated in Mesopotamia and spread quickly throughout Europe. Although a relative of wheat and has some similarities, spelt is set apart by several distinct differences. Because it has a tough outer hull that must be mechanically removed, harvesting and cleaning spelt requires more steps than for wheat(lucky us😆), which makes it more time consuming and expensive to produce.
I will say for us, it has many soil health benefits: long growing season(it took 120 days from planting to harvest), massive root structure(think pathways for water infiltration, increased underground organic matter and root exudates from all of my underground essential workers i.e. micro-organisms), tall biomass( the plants grew to be over 4'tall😱) to hold our soil in place during wind and water events.
Spelt has a different protein structure than wheat. While it can be kneaded to develop gluten, spelt does not contain gliadin(the other protein needed to form strong gluten is glutenin), which many mean that some people with wheat sensitivity can tolerate spelt.
Remember how I mentioned the added time and equipment to make spelt whole grain and flour available to all of you? It requires a separate piece of equipment called a dehuller that we use prior to cleaning. Check out my video:
So..what are the baking characteristics of Spelt flour? It has a soft texture and a sweet, nutty flavor. Stone milled spelt produces a flour that is light and airy. Spelt flour works beautifully in both yeast and quick breads. I love it in banana bread,
cookies and blended with hard red flour for sandwich bread.
Minot area friends!! We will be set up at the Pride of Dakota Show at the state fair grounds in Minot, ND on Friday, Oct 28th from 4pm-9pm & Saturday Oct 29th from 9am-5pm. Stop by and grab all of your guardian grains for the upcoming holidays!!