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Spelt Flour

jason's mom
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jason's mom Newbie
jason's mom
Posted

The local natural food store has a flour that is labeled gluten free and its called spelt flour. I made some great tasting bownies with it and loved them. Now someone told me I can not have spelt flour-is it ok? I never have had GI problems so I don't know if its bad for you or not? Would love some input regarding this. Cause it worked just like real flour and I can have some of my life again!

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celiac3270 Collaborator
celiac3270
Posted

ABSOLUTELY NOT GLUTEN-FREE

Spelt is a form of wheat, and despite what any health food store employees will say (MANY are misguided on this), it is wheat and therefore, not gluten-free.

Even look it up in the dictionary and you'll see it, for example m-w.com (Merriam Webster's):

spelt

2 entries found for spelt.

To select an entry, click on it.

Main Entry: 1spelt

Pronunciation: 'spelt

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Old English, from Late Latin spelta, of Germanic origin; perhaps akin to Middle High German spelte split piece of wood, Old High German spaltan to split -- more at SPLIT

: a wheat (Triticum aestivum spelta) with lax spikes and spikelets containing two light red kernels

Rikki Tikki Explorer
Rikki Tikki
Posted

Many bakeries, for example, are making bread of spelt flour, a slightly sweeter and more expensive form of wheat, says Guy Souerbry of Village Baker in Ashland, who makes about 50 loaves of it a month.

"It’s for people with wheat allergies, who say they get skin rash, digestion problems, tingling, welts. They don’t get it with spelt," says Souerbry, who also makes a yeast- free sourdough spelt for those allergic to yeast.

celiac3270:

I got this off the article you had posted in the news.

Thanks

Sally

Let us know what you think

celiac3270 Collaborator
celiac3270
Posted

People with lactose intolerance can tolerate some forms easier than others (i.e. some ice cream might be bad, but something else might not). But spelt still contains gluten--and it doesn't matter what type of gluten it is, it will still result in villous atrophy.

Look at the second point in this list on celiac.com: (re: spelt)

https://www.celiac.com/st_prod.html?p_prodi...-53105044419.fc

tarnalberry Community Regular
tarnalberry
Posted

Some people who have a WHEAT ALLERGY can have spelt - most shouldn't though. But that is DIFFERENT from people who have CELIAC. A celiac can NOT have spelt. Period.

Guest nini
Guest nini
Posted

this is one of the biggest mistakes many people make when trying to go gluten free... most health food store employees are under the mistaken impression that "wheat free equals gluten free" this is NOT TRUE. Spelt is wheat period. Some people with wheat allergies can tolerate spelt better, but it is not safe for Celiacs at all. Stay away from Spelt, Kamut, Einkhorn, Triticale... these are all forms of wheat.

KaitiUSA Enthusiast
KaitiUSA
Posted

SPELT=GLUTEN. As said, it is not gluten free! I was told it was too and they are giving out false info by saying that...it is not gluten free at all!!! Stay away from it.

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Rikki Tikki Explorer
Rikki Tikki
Posted

Thanks guys: I would of eaten it based on that article. What a mistake that would of been. :blink:

  • 12 years later...
Creative Baker Newbie
Creative Baker
Posted
On 12/23/2005 at 8:52 PM, jason's mom said:

The local natural food store has a flour that is labeled gluten free and its called spelt flour. I made some great tasting bownies with it and loved them. Now someone told me I can not have spelt flour-is it ok? I never have had GI problems so I don't know if its bad for you or not? Would love some input regarding this. Cause it worked just like real flour and I can have some of my life again!

Why not use millet flour? To replace the gluten with a gluten free alternative and binding use tapioca starch with psyillum husk powder. It works like a charm if you want really extra stretchability get some kojnac root powder from amazon and add that with the tapioca and psyillum and it will allow you to stretch the dough more for other baked goods that require that. Always make sure to use hot water with this flour recipe because that allows those binders to work much better.

Ennis-TX Grand Master
Ennis-TX
Posted
9 hours ago, Creative Baker said:

Why not use millet flour? To replace the gluten with a gluten free alternative and binding use tapioca starch with psyillum husk powder. It works like a charm if you want really extra stretchability get some kojnac root powder from amazon and add that with the tapioca and psyillum and it will allow you to stretch the dough more for other baked goods that require that. Always make sure to use hot water with this flour recipe because that allows those binders to work much better.

Umm this thread is over 15 years old...and has very bad info in that post you quoted. Spelt is wheat. Feel sorry for the person that was using it

NOTE as a bakery owner I got to admit the combo of tapioca with psyillum in a warm dough mix is fun and stretchy, konjac added more slime to it and bakes airyer and less dense, I find using either psyillum or konjac but never both to be great. Fluffy cakes Konjac works, while dense rich cakes and breads psyillum husk. I personally stopped using tapioca in any of my baked goods. We use a touch of arrow root in our muffins and cookies but otherwise avoid starches and are now a grain free bakery.

PS want something fun, take like 1 heaping scoop of pea protein, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 heaping tsp psyillum husk, and either 1/4 tsp pure stevia or 2 tbsp sweetener of choice and mix it up and then pour in 1 cup of water mix it up into a paste breaking up all clumps then microwave for 45-60 secs. Makes a super gooy protein sticky dough...reminds me of the texture of raw biscuit dough but sweet (omitting sweeter makes more biscuit like).....I made it in a baking experiment once an found it to be a great proof of concept of the elasticity of psyllum husk....AND despite the idea of making spaghetti dough out of it the stuff does not set up well when boiled or baked.

  • 2 weeks later...
buddyspal Rookie
buddyspal
Posted

From everything I've read about spelt, it is not gluten-free, but it contains less gluten than other wheat.  You say the product was "labeled" gluten-free -- I wonder if gluten can be washed out, somehow?  

I bought a product, a year or so ago, that used spelt instead of traditional wheat flour.  I had a bad reaction to it and made a note to avoid it in the future.  However, I have found that I am not bothered by a few products that are not labeled "gluten-free"  -- a certain pizza comes to mind.  I figure the gluten is minimal and smothered by other ingredients/toppings.  Also "gluten" was not added as a separate ingredient.  (That is, any gluten in the pizza dough was there only as a result of the gluten being found in natural wheat/flour; more gluten (as a separate ingredient) was not added.  Manufacturers add "more gluten" to make products softer, bake faster, chewier, hold them together, etc.)    

 

So, it could be the gluten in the spelt was so minimal that it did not bother you, or the gluten was washed out of the spelt (?).  My advice [though I am no expert on gluten or celiac] is to avoid spelt unless the product is labeled "gluten-free".  And, I would ask the manufacturer of the spelt to confirm it is gluten-free and ask them to explain the process of making it gluten-free.  (The worst they could do is not reply.)

buddyspal Rookie
buddyspal
Posted
On ‎5‎/‎31‎/‎2018 at 8:21 AM, Ennis_TX said:

"Umm this thread is over 15 years old..."

LOL!  You're right!  Oh well!  ? 

Ennis-TX Grand Master
Ennis-TX
Posted
1 hour ago, buddyspal said:

From everything I've read about spelt, it is not gluten-free, but it contains less gluten than other wheat.  You say the product was "labeled" gluten-free -- I wonder if gluten can be washed out, somehow?  

I bought a product, a year or so ago, that used spelt instead of traditional wheat flour.  I had a bad reaction to it and made a note to avoid it in the future.  However, I have found that I am not bothered by a few products that are not labeled "gluten-free"  -- a certain pizza comes to mind.  I figure the gluten is minimal and smothered by other ingredients/toppings.  Also "gluten" was not added as a separate ingredient.  (That is, any gluten in the pizza dough was there only as a result of the gluten being found in natural wheat/flour; more gluten (as a separate ingredient) was not added.  Manufacturers add "more gluten" to make products softer, bake faster, chewier, hold them together, etc.)    

 

So, it could be the gluten in the spelt was so minimal that it did not bother you, or the gluten was washed out of the spelt (?).  My advice [though I am no expert on gluten or celiac] is to avoid spelt unless the product is labeled "gluten-free".  And, I would ask the manufacturer of the spelt to confirm it is gluten-free and ask them to explain the process of making it gluten-free.  (The worst they could do is not reply.)

Spelt or any species of wheat flour in any form is not safe for celiacs, we react to small particles of wheat flour...like that dust that comes out of a flour bag and settles on something can make us sick. Gluten is a protein smaller then a germ and with celiac our immune systems mistake it for a invader. So regardless of added gluten or type of gluten gluten we will react. In some cases the grain it originates from can effect how bad our systems react (I have heard of some celiacs that have not noticeable outward symptoms with certain grains containing gluten but still will be taking damage to the intestines) but it will react none the less to all forms of it weather it be  wheat, rye, barley etc.

kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted
3 hours ago, buddyspal said:

From everything I've read about spelt, it is not gluten-free, but it contains less gluten than other wheat.  You say the product was "labeled" gluten-free -- I wonder if gluten can be washed out, somehow?  

I bought a product, a year or so ago, that used spelt instead of traditional wheat flour.  I had a bad reaction to it and made a note to avoid it in the future.  However, I have found that I am not bothered by a few products that are not labeled "gluten-free"  -- a certain pizza comes to mind.  I figure the gluten is minimal and smothered by other ingredients/toppings.  Also "gluten" was not added as a separate ingredient.  (That is, any gluten in the pizza dough was there only as a result of the gluten being found in natural wheat/flour; more gluten (as a separate ingredient) was not added.  Manufacturers add "more gluten" to make products softer, bake faster, chewier, hold them together, etc.)    

 

So, it could be the gluten in the spelt was so minimal that it did not bother you, or the gluten was washed out of the spelt (?).  My advice [though I am no expert on gluten or celiac] is to avoid spelt unless the product is labeled "gluten-free".  And, I would ask the manufacturer of the spelt to confirm it is gluten-free and ask them to explain the process of making it gluten-free.  (The worst they could do is not reply.)

You can't wash the gluten out of spelt - just like you can't wash the gluten our of wheat. Because spelt is wheat.  It still contains significant amounts of gluten.  The only products that are labelled gluten-free that contain spelt are products that are not actually gluten-free.  There are a few individuals around the country that try to sell at farmers markets so they can avoid the gluten-free labelling law.

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