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Re: Spelt Berries

Debunix <debunix@well.com>
Sun, 16 Apr 2006 10:32:33 -0500
v106.n017.6
>I bought a bag of spelt berries which I know NOTHING about....how do 
>I make it into flour (I have no flour mill, just a food processor) 
>or flakes etc.? I also need recipes for spelt berries.

I don't know how you'll make it into flour without a mill; your food 
processor may be able to break them up into a coarse meal, a bit like 
steel-cut oats, if you're lucky.  If you have a poppyseed grinder, 
that can be used to make a reasonable flour, but otherwise I know of 
nothing but a proper flour mill that will turn them into flour 
suitable for baking bread.

If you do get or get access to a mill and turn them into flour, the 
gluten content will not be as high as a bred-for-bread hard wheat, so 
they'll do better in a recipe calling for a lower gluten flour, like 
some french or italian breads do, or in combination with hard wheat 
flour for a more traditional sandwich loaf.

Another option is to use them in a sprouted bread, in which you 
sprout them for several days, rinse the softened, sprouted berries 
and use the food processor to grind them into a dough.  I found a 
delicious recipe for a sprouted wheat and apricot flatbread in 
Flatbreads and Flavors--it is unleavened and heavy but that's why 
it's made flat, and it is delicious.  I think that would work find 
with spelt.  E-mail me if you're interested in the recipe.

I have found spelt berries to be delightful in soups, where they are 
slightly crunchy, soft, and chewy all at once, and am particularly 
fond of this lentil-spelt soup:

http://www.well.com/user/debunix/recipes/LentilSpeltSoup.html
or
http://tinyurl.com/nay2o

and this simple but really fabulous soup is just made with spelt, 
mint, pepper, cheese, and stock, and if you have really fine stock 
and cheese it is unbelievably good as is:

http://www.well.com/user/debunix/recipes/Zuppadifarroemente.html
or
http://tinyurl.com/rh8eq

Good luck!

Diane Brown in St. Louis
http://www.well.com/user/debunix/recipes/FoodPages.html