Wisdom Wednesday!!

Spelt

Today I wanted to go over another flour that I like to use, Spelt Flour. I use it in the Low Gluten mix I showed you here. Spelt is in the wheat family. It actually looks a lot like wheat but a little longer. It does have gluten in it, but it is not as tough as the gluten in wheat so it is easier for our bodies to break down. Most people who are gluten intolerant can digest this flour but not those who have celiacs disease. You can easily grind spelt in your own grinder or mill at home. I really like the flavor of spelt. It has a nice nutty taste and is much lighter than wheat. When I have put it in recipes, especially quick breads and desserts, I get more complements than when I use wheat in the same recipe.

Spelt has some benefits that wheat doesn't have. For one it has 10 to 20 percent more protein that wheat does. It has more thiamine, vitamin B1 and B6, and more vitamin E. Spelt is higher in unsaturated fatty acids, which are important for regeneration of nerve cells. It supports good blood circulation. It is more water soluble which makes it easier to digest.

So if you're wanting to try a new type of flour, give spelt a try. It has great health benefits and tastes good too. Happy Healthier eating!

Sources:

http://nutrition.about.com/od/grainsandcereals/p/spelt.htm

http://wwwlehow.com/about_5453894_spelt-flour-vs-whole-wheat.html

Wisdom Widnesday!!

Barley

I want to talk more in detail about some of the flours that I use. Today for our Wisdom Wednesday I am going to talk about Barley Flour. Barley flour is a fine powder you get when you mill or grind the grain barley. IBarley is a grain that is grown though out the world. It is drought resistant and cold resistant so it can be grown all over in many different areas. When buying barley there are three common types, malted, hulled, and pearled. Malted barley is when they allow whole barley to spout and then rapidly dried. When barley goes through this process it chemically alters the grain. It is also the first step in the brewing process. Hulled barley is when they have removed the hull from the barley. When this happens you can not sprout it at home but you can mill or grind it in your own grinder to make flour. Pearled barley is when they have removed the hull and then they steam it to remove the kernels and then it is polished. You can also grind this at home. Some of the nutritional value is lost in the pearled barley, so I like to use hulled barley more. Barley doesn't have as much gluten at wheat, but it does have some gluten. So it isn't good for those who have celiacs but fine for those who are gluten intolerant. Or if you just want to add more nutrition to your diet.
Speaking of nutrition, barley contains 8 essential amino acids. Eating whole grain barley can regulate your blood sugar for up to 10 hours. One half cup of barley flour contains 7 grams of fiber! White all-purpose flour only contains 2 grams of fiber. Barley contains 2 times as many fatty acids as wheat does. It has vitamin E, wheat doesn't have any. Barley has more thiamin, riboflavin, and lysine than wheat does so it is more of a balanced protein. For more nutrition information on barley go here. I like the nutty flavor of barley. I don't use it in everything but it is great for quick breads and pancakes. So if you haven't tried barley, try some. It is a great way to add a little more nutrition to your diet! Happy Healthier Eating!!

Sources:

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-barley-flour.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wik/Barley

http://www.barleyfoods.org/products.html

http://dc89vintage.blogspot.com/2009/10/beautiful-barley.html

Low Gluten (LG) Flour mix

I guess before I post more and more recipes I should let you know what I use for my Low Gluten flour mix. With any flour that don't have gluten or has low gluten you really need to mix them. Gluten is a binding agent in food. There are a few things I've made with just Barley flour, I'll post those later, but for the most part you need a mix. There are tons of mixes out there that are great, but they all have one problem. They all have a little yeast in them. Now yeast isn't bad in most cases, but there are so many people with Candida problems (yeast overgrowth) that there should be other options too. I love this mix, he calls it Brandon's Flour, and it is what I use. It has great flavor. I haven't tried it in his bread but I love it in Healthy Bread in five minutes a day, I'll post about that too. I use their Gluten free low yeast version, oh so yummy!
So anywho, when I say LG flour mix this is what I use.

6 cups spelt flour
2 cups kamut flour
2 cups rice flour
1/2 cup oat grouts flour
Mix all flours well and set aside for use when baking