Spelt flour

[Pansypuss]

A friend uses spelt and was saying how great it is. I made pancakes with some wholemeal spelt flour and they were wonderful. I've tried it in cakes and it is really good. My question is, is it really much better for you than organic ordinary flours? It is very expensive and I just wonder if it isn't a bit of a rip off:

[pat sommer]

Spelt is an ancient grain making a big comeback. The organic bakery where I did my apprenticeship had many customers who enjoyed our loaves but could not tolerate the highly hybridized modern wheat varieties. Also spelt is very disease resistant and doesn't like petro-chem fertilizers either.

The downside is price: economy of scale means modern wheat is cheaper.
To save money in the longterm and gain freshness, a flour grinder is a beautiful piece of equipment and 10kg sacks of grain are cheap in comparison with supermarket sacks of flour. Too much of a commitment? I used to buy bulk and split amongst friends.

[coconut]

I have no idea if spelt is better for you than other flours. It's been a while since I've used it. I have made spelt bread in the past and I think it tastes much better than wheat.

[Pansypuss]

I found this site and it seems as if it is a much healthier option than ordinary flour and certainly much tastier.
http://www.dovesfarm-organic.co.uk/info-spelt.htm

[Gorilla]

i haven't used spelt flour but i eat pasta made from spelt because it's much easier for me to digest. it does cost a lot more than wheat pasta though.

[cedarblue]

i use spelt flour in baking, sometimes with a 50/50mix with white flour, depending on the recipe.

i find it tasty and easy to use.