Spelt flour: what it is, why it tears, and the loaf it makes

At a glance

Sources disagree. Spelt protein figures vary far more than common wheat's. The literature records 12.49% to 18.40% depending on cultivar, soil and management; one Italian wholemeal datasheet declares a 16% to 20% band. But that is not the number that matters. On the same sheet, measured protein is 17% and dry gluten only 10%. The distance between those two values is what describes spelt.

What it is called in each country

What it is for

Tin bread, enriched sweet doughs, pancakes, cakes, biscuits and fresh pasta. Anything that gains from a nutty flavour and does not depend on a strong gluten network to hold structure.

In a blend it is excellent: 20% to 30% spelt inside a common wheat dough brings flavour and colour without taking away strength.

And sourdough suits it well, as long as it is quick. Spelt carries more free sugars than common wheat and the ferment wakes up fast.

How to substitute it

Which swap depends on which way you are going. To put spelt in place of common wheat, take out 5% to 10% of the water, cut a third off the kneading and proofing, and expect a shorter, tastier loaf: to hold the volume, stay at 30% spelt and 70% wheat. Going the other way, when a recipe calls for spelt and you have none, the closest match in behaviour is emmer (farro dicocco), which shares the fragile gluten and the nutty note; a common wheat flour gives better structure but loses the flavour, and einkorn is weaker still and almost always goes into a blend. Do not reach for a strong flour expecting the same bread: more strength does not fix a gluten whose limit is quality, not quantity.

When not to use it

Long fermentation. This is spelt's real limit, and the reason has a name: the ratio of gliadins to glutenins runs between 2.8 and 4.0 in spelt, against 1.5 to 3.1 in common wheat. Gliadin gives extensibility, glutenin gives elasticity. With too much gliadin, the dough stretches easily and does not spring back, so it spreads sideways instead of climbing.

In practice: no 24 hours in the fridge, no 15 minute mix in the machine, no thick-crusted free-standing loaf. All of that works with common wheat and takes spelt apart.

How to use it

Three adjustments and it behaves.

Less water. The mill sheet gives absorption between 56% and 62%, below an ordinary white flour. If you use your usual hydration you will think you misread the scale. Start 5 points under what you would use with wheat.

Less kneading. Five minutes is plenty. Spelt's network arrives fast and breaks fast, and there is no clear warning: the dough simply goes slack and never comes back.

Less final proof. Bake it looking slightly under. It is counter-intuitive and it is what separates a handsome spelt loaf from one that collapses in the first half of the bake.

And use a tin when you can. The side support is what makes up for a gluten that will not hold itself up.

How to choose one when buying

The name changes from country to country, and that is where people slip. In Germany and Austria it is Dinkel; in the UK and US, spelt; in France, grand épeautre, not petit épeautre (that is einkorn, a different species); in Italy, farro spelta, not emmer or einkorn. Check the species on the label before you pay: a bag that just says farro could be any of the three. Decide too between wholemeal and white (white sifts out part of the bran for a lighter loaf, wholemeal brings more flavour and fibre) and be wary of a blend sold as pure spelt. Store it sealed and away from heat: wholemeal, because of the germ, goes rancid faster than a white flour.

The story

Spelt is a hulled wheat: the husk clings to the grain and only comes off mechanically after harvest. That husk is the reason for the plant's whole story. It shields the grain from pests, disease and damp in the field, which makes the crop nearly self-sufficient, but it also forces an extra dehulling step at the mill.

The oldest known grains turn up in the Near East, around 5000 BC; across central Europe, from the Balkans to Germany and Switzerland, it only takes hold from the Bronze Age on. It survived antiquity intact and began to fade in the 18th and 19th centuries, when free-threshing wheats arrived, releasing their grain on their own at harvest and yielding more per hectare. By the 20th century spelt had all but vanished from commercial agriculture, holding on in pockets of Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Belgium.

What brought it back was the organic movement of the late 20th century, and for a practical reason rather than a nostalgic one: that husk removes the need for much of the crop protection. The plant that lost because of its hull came back because of it.

Frequently asked

Does spelt contain gluten? Is it safe for coeliacs?

It contains gluten and it is not safe for coeliacs. Spelt is a wheat species, and its gluten triggers the same reaction. Some people without coeliac disease find it easier to digest, but that is a separate question.

Can I substitute spelt for wheat in the same recipe?

You can, taking out 5% to 10% of the water and cutting a third off the kneading and proofing time. The loaf comes out shorter and tastier. To keep the volume, use 30% spelt and 70% wheat.

Are spelt and farro the same thing?

It depends on the language. In Italian, farro covers three species: farro grande is spelt, farro medio is emmer and farro piccolo is einkorn. Outside Italy, farro usually means emmer. If the bag just says farro, check the species on the label.

Why did my spelt loaf collapse?

Almost always too long a final proof, too long a mix, or both. Cut the last rise by a third and get it in the oven earlier than instinct tells you.