There are many variations of flour that can suit different recipes, so it is not uncommon to see specific terms used for certain wheat flours, such as light spelt flour.
If you have never tried light spelt flour before, you may be wondering what light spelt flour is. I looked up the facts, and here is what I learned!
What Is Light Spelt Flour?
Light spelt flour is a type of refined spelt flour that is often made from refined whole grain spelt. Generally, light spelt flour has a much airier and lighter texture than regular spelt flour, making light spelt flour excellent for light scones, cookies, and more. Since spelt is a kind of wheat, light spelt flour contains gluten.
Do you want to learn what spelt flour is used for, what the difference between light spelt flour and regular spelt flour is, and what you can substitute for light spelt flour? Keep reading!
What Is Light Spelt Flour Made Of?
Light spelt flour is made from spelt that has been refined from whole grain spelt. Part of the outer bran of the spelt gets polished and sifted, giving the spelt a lighter texture hence the name “light” spelt flour.
Spelt is a kind of grain related to rye, wheat, and barley but spelt is often regarded as its own distinct variant of wheat.
What Is Light Spelt Flour Used For?
Generally, spelt flour is used for recipes that require a light and airy texture, and since light spelt flour is lighter than spelt flour, light spelt flour is often used for recipes that need a very light texture.
For instance, spelt flour is normally used for cakes, scones, and more, but if you were hoping for an even airier texture, you may use light spelt flour instead of spelt flour.
Why Does My Spelt Bread Not Rise?
Firstly, spelt flour rises differently than typical wheat flour, and spelt dough often needs to rise until the dough has doubled in bulk.
Additionally, there is a chance that you did not use the right amount of water because too much water creates sticky and weak dough while too little dough creates dense and dry dough.
Moreover, you will need to mix the spelt dough mixture just the right amount to develop the gluten needed to make your bread rise.
For instance, under mixing spelt dough will not allow the gluten to develop whereas overmixing spelt dough can break the formed gluten.
What Is The Difference Between Light Spelt Flour And Regular Spelt Flour?
Regular spelt flour is merely flour created from spelt with the outer bran while light spelt flour is slightly refined flour created from regular spelt flour.
However, some manufacturers may create light spelt flour by grinding spelt without the germ or outer bran to create a lighter and finer flour.
Can I Substitute Light Spelt Flour For Plain Flour?
It is possible to substitute light spelt flour for plain flour but it will mostly depend on what type of recipe you are making.
For instance, if you are not satisfied with the texture of your bread because you want the bread to be lighter, you may swap the plain flour for light spelt flour.
On the other hand, if you want to keep the same dense texture that the bread recipe would normally give you, it would be best to stick to plain flour.
Is Light Spelt Flour Better Than White Flour?
Light spelt flour is only better than white flour if you are aiming for a very light and airy texture in your dishes.
For example, if you want to make your bread recipe airier and fluffier, light spelt flour would be an excellent substitute for white flour.
However, white flour is often seen as better than light spelt flour because white flour is more versatile than light spelt flour.
For instance, white flour is often called for in most recipes since white flour can be easily tweaked to change textures whereas light spelt flour is more ideal for light textures.
Can You Mix Light Spelt Flour With White Flour?
You can mix light spelt flour with white flour and most people prefer to mix light spelt flour with white flour instead of using light spelt flour alone.
If you were to use light spelt flour alone in some recipes, you may end up with a very crumbly dish.
Therefore, you can use half white flour and half light spelt flour in most recipes to avoid any crumbly textures.
Is Spelt Flour Plain Flour Or Self-Rising Flour?
Spelt flour and light spelt flour are considered plain flour because they do not have the added ingredients that self-rising flour.
For instance, self-rising flour contains flour, baking powder, and salt whereas spelt flour and light spelt flour only contain spelt flour.
Does Light Spelt Flour Have Gluten?
Despite not being directly the same as other types of wheat, all types of spelt flour do contain gluten and should be avoided if you are sensitive or allergic to gluten.
What Can I Substitute For Light Spelt Flour?
One of the best substitutes for light spelt flour is Einkorn flour made from Einkorn, which is another relative of wheat.
Einkorn flour has a very similar flavor profile to light spelt flour, but some people note that Einkorn tastes a bit nuttier and sweeter.
Generally, you can use an equal ratio of Einkorn flour to spelt flour, but you would need to add less water to your recipe since Einkorn flour does not absorb water as well as spelt flour.
Check out our related articles to learn what light rye flour is, what lotus flour is, and what Carbalose flour is.
Conclusion
Light spelt flour is a variety of spelt flour created from regular spelt flour or spelt ground without the germ or outer bran to create a highly refined and light flour.
Normally, light spelt flour is used for recipes that need an airy and light texture, such as scones, but light spelt flour can be added to many recipes.