Sprouted spelled flour, made from an old-fashioned grain, is a popular substitute for wheat flour among those with gluten intolerance. The sprouting process converts more enzymes into simple sugars, giving it a sweeter flavor. Other crop sprouts, such as buckwheat and amaranth, are also used in cooking.
Many organic farmers and whole-food enthusiasts curse flour made from the easier-to-digest wheat sprouts. A popular variety for this method — particularly with bakers — is called sprouted farro, which is an old-fashioned grain with a seed that’s especially difficult to free from its husk. Using the sprouting method, however, allows the bakers to use the sugar-rich portion of the seed that emerges from the hull themselves.
Scientifically called Triticum spelta, spelled can be found in 10,000 years of archaeological record of civilization. Common wheat, or Triticum aestivum, became more favored worldwide in the late 18th century due to easier processing, higher gluten and carbohydrate content, and better cooking prospects. However, the gluten and carbohydrate content of spelled is high enough to hold off many wheat-intolerant diners, who are usually able to digest old-fashioned levels of about 60 percent starch and over 15 percent protein. – obscuring the much lower average protein count of bread flour.
Sprouted spelled is produced in a unique process that resembles sprouted flours obtained from other cereals. The seeds are washed and soaked in water. The hulls are soaked for 14 hours, then rinsed again before spending a day or two in a jar or container wrapped in cloth, protected from insects by a net or lid. Once sprouted, the shoots are stripped of their hulls, dried and ground. This process converts more enzymes in the seeds into simple sugars, giving sprouted farro one of the sweetest flavors of wheat flours.
Bakers preparing breads or desserts for wheat-intolerant customers substitute the bread flour for sprouted spelled flour as a one-for-one trade. Some actually use a little less spelled, as it’s known to produce an airier, lighter final product. A number of recipes that use spelled instead of flour are available online, though any recipe with flour is fair game.
Although bean sprouts are the most widely accepted form of the ingredient, many crop sprouts come from a variety of common grains and plant seeds. Each type may have a slightly different soak or sprout time. These sprouts are commonly derived from other grains such as buckwheat, barley, rice, amaranth and oats, but also corn, squash and even cucumber seeds. Almond, sunflower, sesame and mustard seeds also produce sprouts prized by culinary experts for their unique flavours, appearances and textures.
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