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Spelt flour

Grains, rice & flours · Flours

Spelt flour

Flour from spelt, an ancient wheat; sweet and nutty with fragile gluten that over-kneads easily.

Also called: dinkel flour, wholegrain spelt

A kind of all-purpose flour

Photo: Basotxerri, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-4.0)

What it is

Spelt is a hulled species of wheat related to common wheat. Its flour, sold wholegrain or white, has a mild, nutty sweetness. Spelt gluten is extensible but weaker, so dough feels slack, ferments faster and tears if worked too hard. It is wheat and contains gluten, so it is not suitable for coeliacs.

Triticum spelta

How it’s used

  • Rustic breads and sourdough
  • Pancakes, muffins and quick breads
  • Pasta and crackers
  • Substitute for part of the wheat flour in baking

Characteristics

Taste
Mildly sweet and nutty.
When cooked
Absorbs less water than modern wheat; mix gently and shorten kneading and proving.
Sold as
ground
Cooking uses
Suitable for baking

Storage

Cool, dry and dark. Airtight in a cool place; wholegrain spelt keeps better in the fridge or freezer.

Diet, allergens and safety

Contains Wheat, Gluten.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • Caffeine-free
  • Contains wheat and gluten; unsuitable for people with coeliac disease or a wheat allergy.
  • Raw flour is not a ready-to-eat food and can carry harmful bacteria; do not taste raw dough or batter, and wash hands and surfaces after handling.

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy
338 kcal
Protein
14.57 g
Carbohydrate
70.19 g
Fat
2.43 g
Fibre
10.7 g
Sugars
6.82 g

USDA FoodData Central: Spelt, uncooked (a close stand-in).

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

  • Whole-wheat flour — Swap 1:1 by weight; add a little more water and expect a denser, stronger dough.

Related ingredients

Recipes with spelt flour

No recipe in the catalogue uses it yet.

More flours