Whole wheat can be a tough sell. Sure, it's super healthy and very good for us, just like our moms always said. But it can also weigh down baked goods and give them that distinctive bitter wheat flavor. Now, spelt? Spelt is the best of both worlds.
As you can probably guess, spelt flour is ground from the spelt grain (which is also delicious in its own right). This grain is kin to wheat, and both it and the flour made from it are high enough in protein and fiber to make it a very healthy ingredient in our baking.
And it tastes great. Spelt has a mildly sweet and nutty flavor that adds real character to breads and other baked goods. Its texture is softer and lighter than whole wheat, so there's less risk of pulling a dense doorstop in our ovens.
Spelt can be substituted one-for-one for the whole wheat in any recipe and for up to half of the flour in a recipe using entirely all-purpose. Spelt is low in gluten, so it's best to keep some of that regular flour to get the right structure and texture in whatever you're baking.
Check out this recipe for Spelt Crust Pizza from the book Ancient Grains. It's a good place to start if you've never worked with spelt before and are curious to give it a try.
Do you bake with spelt flour?
Related: What's the Deal with Whole Wheat White Flour?
(Images: Sara Remington © 2011/Ten Speed Press and Bob's Red Mill)
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If your whole wheat flour is bitter, that's because it's gone rancid.
Spelt flour is great. I use it in bread (most often, substituting strong white bread flour, and, as you advise above, leaving around 1/3 bread flour to 2/3 spelt flour, although I have successfully made a loaf with all spelt), but it's also good in muffins, particularly those towards the healthier end of the scale (pear or apple come to mind) as it adds a subtle nutty flavour. Here in the UK, Dove's Farm is a particularly good brand (and the most commonly available), and is organic to boot.
I love spelt. But I agree with ShellyIN: your whole wheat flour should not be bitter. It's best to store it in the fridge because it's less shelf-stable than refined flour.
I've had spelt bread before. I should try using the flour.
As for whole wheat flour, I've always found whole wheat to have a naturally sweet (and nutty) flavor to it--which I love. I've never tasted the bitterness.
Normally I wouldn't call it bitter but I understand what Emma's trying to get at. I've made pizza crusts with whole wheat flour and pizza crusts with spelt flour. The flavor of the spelt wins hands down. It was definitely sweeter and not overwhelming.
Unfortunately, spelt flour can be pricey. I buy mine in large bulk to try and save some money.
Yes, maybe bitter wasn't quite the right word. It's kind of an earthy, somewhat astringent, tannic flavor? Some people like it, but honestly, I've never warmed up to it.
Though I have no beef against the taste of whole-wheat flour, I've been baking with whole spelt flour for years, and love it. I often use all spelt flour (no white) in muffins and cakes (especially carrot, zucchini, or yogurt cakes), as well as doing the half-and-half thing in other recipes.
I buy mine in the 5-lb. bag (Vita-Spelt, I think) at the health food store and keep it in the freezer.
I tried the spelt pizza crust recipe from Ancient Grains when you posted it a while back. It's terrific, and it sold me on using spelt. I'm making that same recipe today, actually, rolling it thin and making it into crackers.
YES. i use it like cake flour. it IS cake flour, but nuttier and better and more wonderful. i love spelt.
use it instead of all purpose flour in pancakes and you will never go back.
I use a wholemeal flour popular in Indian cuisine, used for making naan and such. I find it has a finer grain than most wholemeal flours.
@missjulia—Yes, in fact I have substituted it for the cake flour in the NYTimes chocolate chip cookie recipe, and it's delicious. People who aren't expecting whole grains don't even notice it.
If your whole wheat flour is not rancid and you still have a bad taste/feel in the mouth, perhaps your wet ingredients proportions are out of whack. WW flour needs more moisture, and sometimes a different balance of oils and water-based ingredients. Try experimenting, and googling for tips, if you are using a recipe that calls for white/AP flour and you're subbing in WW.