Spelt vs Wheat

The best grain is spelt.  It is hot, rich, and powerful.  It is milder than other grains.  Eating it rectifies the flesh and provides proper blood.  It also creates a happy mind and puts joy in the human disposition.  In whatever way it is eaten, whether in bread or in other foods, it is good and easy to digest.  St. Hildegard of Bingen

Sounds good, right?  Well if you've been keeping up with the latest controversy over modern wheat, 

(Check out the video below for a brief introduction.)

you may be wondering if you can safely replace it with something similar.  

Spelt might be the answer!

Spelt is "legally" related to wheat, so that it must be labeled as such, but it's more like wheat's great, great, grandmother!  Check out some of the differences:

1) Gluten:  Spelt gluten is water soluble, wheat gluten is not.  Spelt gluten is degraded by heat, heat merely relaxes wheat gluten.  Spelt gluten is easy to digest, and that of the wheat is NOT!

2) Enzyme inhibitor:  Spelt, with its hard outer hull, has no need of one.  Wheat, having no hull, needs an inhibitor to fight off pests.  It is because of this inhibitor, and other enzymes, that it is recommended that you soak wheat, or even sprout it, before baking with it in order to make its nutrients more available.  

3) Nutrition:  To sum it up, spelt beats out wheat!

4) AND: Spelt supposedly has the perfect glycemic index!  

In case you're interested, here's some more info.

Now I want to share one of my favorite, EASY recipes using spelt.

This biscuit recipe makes the absolute best pan/deep dish pizza crust!  (My husband is from Chicago.  He says it's authentic.)  Very few ingredients are needed, as well as very little time, and it's very easy to make, especially with my pastry blender.  

Ta da!

When making the biscuit crust in the pan or deep dish, brush the cookware first with olive oil, pre bake the crust, (about 12 minutes) and then add your favorite toppings and bake again!  (Yes, that's my favorite pan in the foreground!)

Bon Appetit!