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I heard Spelt flour is lighter and easier to digest. Can I substitute spelt for white flour in my standard white bread recipe that I make all the time? Or, do I need a spelt specific recipe?
What kind of dough does spelt flour make? Is it very sticky? Hard to work with? Any tips to keep in mind before giving this a shot?
Spelt can be substituted 1:1 for whole wheat flours to generate about the same characteristics in the final product.
I'd say spelt bread is more coarse, and tastes like grain, but there's a matter of preference and perception on that.
Recipes calling for white flour have overshadowing variables and variations, so trying with a blend and seeing how you like the result is the way to come to your answer... Try making a batch with half of the flour replaced and a quarter of the flour replaced and see if you like what happens.
I disagree with the answer from Phil. Spelt flour has more gliadin and less glutenin than wheat flour. (See Escarnot et al, Reactivity of gluten proteins from spelt and bread wheat accessions towards A1 and G12 antibodies in the framework of celiac disease.) One would expect this to affect the gluten formation in bread.
My experience is that substituting wheat flour for spelt flour makes for a 'cakier' loaf. That is, the loaf is softer, less structured, and less chewy. All this suggests less gluten formation.
