Spelt is a versatile gluten-free grain that can be used in various ways, including as a side dish, in baked goods, and as a substitute for wheat flour and pasta. It requires rinsing and soaking before use and may need a thickener when used in baking.
Spelled is a gluten-free grain that can be enjoyed in many different ways, such as a side dish to a main meal or as an addition in baked goods. It is important that when an individual prepares farro that the berries are rinsed and soaked before use, as this helps the final texture and taste of the finished product. Cooking with spelled berries usually follows the same rules as cooking with other grains like rice and oats, often involving just rinsing, soaking and boiling in water or milk. When using spelled flour to replace wheat flour in baked goods, it is often recommended to add a thickening agent to fill in the gluten that is normally missing in most spelled flours.
Spelled pods need to be rinsed to remove any dirt, husks or other debris that could interfere with the cooking process. Like beans, spelled berries should be soaked in water overnight to speed up the cooking process and create softer berries. Cooking with spelled berries requires twice the amount of water as dried berries, as the berries will absorb this water during cooking. Cooked spelled berries can be used as an oat substitute in oatmeal, making the ingredients interchangeable with water and milk when cooking with spelled.
In gluten-free baked goods, such as breads and pastries, spelled berries are ground into a flour and used interchangeably for regular wheat flour. When cooking with spelled flour, it’s often suggested that you add a gluten substitute to your food, such as guar gum or xanthan gum. These gluten-free thickeners act as a binder, a role gluten plays in traditional baked wheat breads. Spelled flour can also be used as a coating for frying foods such as chicken or fish. When used as a coating, spelled flour requires no thickener of any kind.
Spelled flour can also be used to make wheat-free pastas, which are very popular with consumers who can’t process the gluten in most wheat-based pastas. The rules for cooking with spelled pasta follow the same guidelines as cooking with traditional wheat pasta, as they are both similar in texture. Adding salt to the cooking water seems to make the pasta cook faster and will also help the overall taste of the food. Making spelled pasta at home can often be difficult, but it can be accomplished using pure spelled flour and water, along with a machine for cutting pasta at home.
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