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I need spelt flour & agave nectar recipes please

15 years ago

I know Grainlady has posted a few, and modified many recipes over the years, but I haven't seen her post lately. I have offically been diagnosed with diabetes, and would appreciate some "easy" bread, muffin and desert/cookie type recipes.

Tami

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Comments (10)

rhome410
15 years ago
I've used spelt flour as a straight across substitute for all-purpose. I thought I read here that when you knead bread you might want to do it a little less than with wheat. Since then I have, but didn't before and things turned out OK.
Terri_PacNW
15 years ago
yeah, you can pretty much use spelt straight up.
I'd also recommend getting or making some oat flour and adding.
I also use Almond Meal to "boost" protein levels in my baked goodies.
Agave can be subbed at often 1/2 the rate of sugar called for..however..treat it like honey in baked goods..it adds moisture.

Sounds like you want to got the route of Low GI foods.
Best to look for Low Glycemic recipes.
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Grainlady & Agave....recipes wanted
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Comments (7)
- Substitute agave nectar for sugar - 1 c. sugar = 1/2-3/4 c. agave nectar. I can sometimes use only 1/3 c. agave nectar to replace 1-cup sugar - it depends on other ingredients and your "sweet buds". Use it in equal amounts in recipes that use honey as the sweetener. You may need to add a little flour to make up for the added liquid when substituting agave nectar for sugar. - I've never seen a dry form of agave nectar, always liquid, and I wouldn't use the liquid agave nectar in place of powdered sugar for dusting or rolling cookies in. I don't have a Banana Nut Muffin recipe, but I have this recipe you might be able to bake into muffins. Most quick bread recipes adapt easily to muffins. I was working on a Peanut Butter Banana Muffin recipe a couple weeks ago, but I need to make some more changes or else I'd share it. BANANA-POPPY SEED BREAD 1 c. mashed bananas 1/4 c. agave nectar 1/2 c. kefir - (or milk) 3 T. coconut oil (or vegetable oil) 1 egg, lightly beaten 1 c. all-purpose flour (I use freshly-milled spelt) 1 c. whole wheat flour (I use freshly-milled white wheat) 2 t. baking powder 2 T. poppy seeds (I also use whole amaranth instead of PS) 1/2 t. baking soda 1/2 t. salt 1/2 t. cinnamon (you can add nuts if you like) vegetable cooking spray Combine the bananas and agave nectar in a bowl; stir well. Let stand 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in kefir (or milk), oil, and egg; set the mixture aside. Combine flours and the next 6 ingredients in a large bowl and stir well. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture; add banana mixture to dry ingredients, stirring (by hand) until moistened. Spoon into an 8-1/2x4-1/2x3-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake in a 350F oven for 1 hour or until a pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5-10 minutes. Remove from pan and finish cooling it on a rack. ----------------------------- PROTEIN PEANUT BUTTER BALLS 1/2 c. whey powder (vanilla flavor) 1/2 c. peanut butter 2 T. Agave Nectar 1 t. vanilla or almond flavoring Mix thoroughly, using a fork. If desired, add 1/2 - 3/4 c. crisp whole-grain rice cereal (or Rice Krispies) to the dough. Form into 3/4-1-inch balls. Toppings: - Melt 1 c. chocolate chips and drizzle over the top. - Dip the balls in a little Agave Nectar and then dip into chopped, blanched, roasted almonds or toasted unsweetened coconut. -------------- COCONUT ALMOND CANDY Melt: 2 T. butter in a frying pan Add: 1/2 c. long-shred UNsweetened coconut 1/2 c. chopped almonds Over medium heat, cook until the ingredients begin to brown. CAUTION: this will burn easily. Remove from heat. Add: 2-3 T. Agave Nectar 1 t. almond flavoring Stir well. Place in small paper candy cups/papers (like tiny cupcake papers). Cool in a refrigerator at least 1/2 hour to set. Yield: approximately 20 pieces ------------------------------ VANILLA ICE CREAM 4 oz. Liquid Pasturized Egg Substitute (DO NOT use raw eggs!) 1/4 c. Light Agave Nectar 1 c. Half and half (or milk) 2 c. Heavy cream 1-1/2 t. Vanilla 1. In a 4-cup measuring cup or equal-sized bowl, combine egg substitute, Agave Nectar, and vanilla in a bowl and stir to mix. 2. Add cream and half and half (or milk). 3. Chill thoroughly. 4. Process in a Deni Scoop Factory Compact Automatic Ice Cream & Frozen Dessert Maker or ice cream maker of choice. Yield: 1 quart AGAVE NECTAR CHOCOLATE SYRUP 1/2 c. HersheyÂs Cocoa Powder 1 c. Light Agave Nectar 1 c. Cold water 1/2 t. Vanilla 1/2 t. Guar gum (optional) 1/8 t. Sea Salt 1. In a large saucepan, combine cocoa, Agave Nectar and salt. Stir in water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wire whisk, until smooth - about 5 minutes. 2. Add 1/2 t. guar gum for a thickener. 3. Place the pan in a sink of cold water and stir with the whisk until cool. Stir in vanilla. Pour into a covered container and refrigerate. 4. Shake before using. (Note: I usually make 1/2 a recipe. You can add this chocolate syrup to milk.) -Grainlady
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Kari & Clare - Kari - My sources for wheat: 1. locally grown hard winter red and white wheat (free or very cheap, but usually NOT chemical-free or organic) 2. Heartland Mill, Marienthal, KS - organic grains 3. Bob's Red Mill - soft white wheat (and other grains) 4. Wal-Mart - Hard Spring White Wheat - Prairie Gold (from Wheat Montana - chemical-free) - they also carry hard red wheat Bronze Chief. Wal-Mart has only recently started carrying Wheat Montana wheat around here - $5 for 25-pounds. Mills: 1. (A very old) Whisper Mill - which is an electric impact mill (now known as a Wonder Mill) - this mills most grains/seeds/beans into a very fine flour - fine flour = fine bread, coarse flour = coarse bread. 2. Marga Mulino Flaker Mill - for cracked grain, flakes, and coarse farina (for cooked cereal) 3. Corona Corn Mill - for coarsely milled grain and corn meal. 4. Porkert Seed Grinder - for small seeds, such as amaranth, poppy seeds, teff, etc. 5. Bosch Coffee/Spice - for milling flaxmeal. 6. Family Grain Mill - a hand mill, that also has an electric-powered motor to run it as well, that has a lot of attachments available for other uses (meat grinders, flakers, etc.). This is my back-up mill. You have to mill the flour twice to get a reasonably fine grind of flour. Source for recipes: I suggest you start by substituting unbleached/bleached flour in your favorite recipes with a portion of wholegrain flour. There are all kinds of books out there on whole wheat baking. I have a collection of 28 beans, seeds, and grains that I use milled and whole - included in that, several types of wheat. I develop many of my own recipes because I use really "odd" ingredients, including gluten-free baking. Here's a few books I like from the large selection in my library: RECIPES FROM THE OLD MILL (Baking with Whole Grains) by Sarah E. Myers and Mary Beth Lind WHOLE WHEAT COOKERY (Treasures from the Wheat Bin) by Howard and Anna Ruth Beck THE AMAZING WHEAT BOOK by LeArta Moulton THE SPLENDID GRAIN (all kinds of seeds and grains) by Rebecca Wood WHEAT COOKIN' MADE EASY by Pam Crockett --------------- Clare - Wheat comes in HARD (strong/high-gluten) and SOFT (weak/low-gluten) varieties. Whole Wheat Pastry Flour is milled from (low-gluten) soft red wheat, just like you thought. It's best used just as you described - in baked goods where you don't want a lot of gluten development - for the most part, anything other than yeast breads. Low-gluten bleached flour would include White Lily and Martha White - which are great for quick breads, pastry, etc. I purchase soft white wheat berries from Bob's Red Mill to mill into whole wheat pastry flour. I also use freshly-milled spelt and some rye, barley, and triticale for baked goods that need low-gluten flour, as an alternative to soft wheat flour. 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All bleached/unbleached flour is milled from a combination of wheat protein levels to formulate the amount of protein for the type of flour needed. High-protein wheat is used for yeast breads, a combination of hard and soft wheat is milled for all-purpose flour, and pastry flour is milled from soft wheat. There are also fields of extremely high protein wheats (15% or more), but they are mixed with lower protein wheat to make flour. I've used some wheat that was 16% protein, and it took forever (lots of kneading and a very long fermentation) to develop the gluten in bread - 12-13% protein level is much better for yeast bread. Too much gluten will make a tough loaf of bread. The highest protein level wheat is durum wheat. Unlike hard red and white wheat varieties which are used for yeast breads, durum wheat is used in pasta. I mill durum for whole wheat pasta - NOT red or white varieties of wheat. Commercial whole wheat pasta is made with wholegrain durum wheat. The elements in wheat protein that we call "gluten" are actually a gluten group - GLUTENINS and GLIADINS. Glutenins provide the elasticity quality that allows bread dough to expand. Gliadins contribute to the viscosity and extensibility of bread dough. Red and white wheat varieties have a dominance of GLUTENINS and less GLIADINS. Durum wheat has a dominance of GLIADINS and less GLUTENINS. Therefore, even though durum wheat has a high protein level, it's unsuited for bread making, due to the type of protein. -Grainlady
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Grainlady~different flour questions
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Comments (6)
We've been gone on a little fall trip, so I hope you didn't think I was ignoring your post. Glad you were able to find some information. Here's my 2 cents... -Grainlady SPELT - the ancient form of the wheat we have today (fyi - kamut, is the ancient form of todays durum wheat). Spelt has enough gluten to make a fairly good loaf of bread, and is good as a substitute for all-purpose flour in most baked goods, especially things where low-gluten is beneficial, such as quick breads, cakes, cookies, etc. If making a loaf of 100% spelt bread, don't expect a nice lofty loaf of bread, like you would get with high-protein bread flour, unless you also add some vital wheat gluten. The gluten in spelt is much less than all-purpose (or other wheat flour). It has 5,000 parts per million; compared to wheat which begins at 50,000 per million and goes up. Therefore, it takes much less kneading (when making a yeast bread) to develop the gluten. Due to the reduced amount of gluten, you may need less hydration if you substitute spelt flour for all-purpose wheat flour. Spelt is also called dinkel. A good cookbook on the subject is "The Spelt Cookbook" by Helga Hughes. All kinds of useful recipes. I mill spelt berries and use spelt almost as much as I do wheat, but usually in combination with wheat flour for yeasted or naturally-leavened breads. You'll find spelt flour readily available at most well-stocked health food stores. You can usually find it in wholegrain and white spelt (the bran and the germ removed). There is also sprouted spelt flour, which makes it easier to digest - available from Summers Sprouted Flour Co. OAT FLOUR: can be milled from the whole grain (2/3 c. oat groats = approx. 1 c. oat flour), or you can mill your own from oatmeal. It can't be substituted 100% for all-purpose flour due to lack of gluten. To make your own ground oat flour (yield: approx. 1 cup): 1. Place 1-1/2 c. oatmeal (quick or old-fashioned, uncooked) in a blender or food processor. 2. Blend or process for about 60 seconds. 3. Store in tightly covered container in cool dry place up to six months (keeps best refrigerated or frozen). 4. Use for baking, bread, thickening or dredging and browning. When used in baking, substitute up to, but not more than, 1/3 of the all-purpose flour called for with oat flour. Oat flour has a slightly sweet taste, and the crumb of foods will be more moist and crumbly (due to lack of gluten). SORGHUM is a flour I've developed a number recipes with. We have a mill outside of town that mills sorghum, and I developed the recipes for a tour of the mill. Once again, it is gluten-free and will not substitute for all-purpose. You will often find it used in glute-free baking. Sorghum Flour Information A. Problems substituting gluten-free grains. - You may need to use additional ingredients to reduce dryness, increase volume and tenderness, and enhance flavor. - Sorghum Flour tends to be gritty, so use with a mixture of other textures, like oatmeal. You can also use a soaked flour technique. - Add 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of corn starch to every cup of sorghum flour to improve smoothness and moisture retention. If you are allergic to corn, arrowroot flour can be used measure for measure where corn starch is used. Guar Gum, a binding agent, can be used in place of xanthan gum for corn sensitive individuals. Use HALF as much guar gum to replace xanthan gum. Guar gum contains fiber and can irritate very sensitive intestines. - Use xanthan gum as a binder and for moisture retention. Add 1/2 t. of xanthan gum per cup of sorghum flour for cookies and cakes; or 1 t. per cup for breads. [Xanthan gum helps to prevent gluten-free "goodies" from crumbling, a job normally performed by gluten. Xanthan comes from the dried cell coat of a microorganism called Zanthomonas capmestris. Though it sounds like a chemical, it is actually an all natural ingredient. Xanthan gum is derived from the fermentation of corn sugars, all corn sugars are removed in the processing os xanthan gum. Xanthan gum contains NO corn protein and is considered to be corn-free.] - Add a little extra oil or shortening if you feel your recipes are too dry. - Add an extra egg or egg white for improved smoothness and crumb structure. - Add a little extra baking powder and/or soda to boost rising properties. - Mix recipes longer. - Sorghum flour works well combined with other grain/seed/bean flours. It cuts the bitterness of bean flour. When using bean flour, the small white beans provide the least amount of "bean" flavor. It can't be substituted for all-purpose flour due to lack of gluten. ---------------- Nutella White Sorghum Flour Cookies 1/2 c. Nutella Chocolate Hazelnut Spread 1/2 c. butter 1/4 c. white sugar 1/4 c. brown sugar 1 egg 1/2 c. white sorghum flour 1/2 c. dried potato flakes 1/4 c. flaxmeal 1/2 T. cornstarch 1 t. baking powder 1 t. baking soda 1/2 t. salt Preheat oven to 325F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, beat Nutella and butter with an electric mixer until light and creamy. Add the sugars and beat until fluffy. Beat in the egg just until mixed. In a medium bowl, combine the white sorghum flour, dried potato flakes, flaxmeal, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix, BY HAND, only until ingredients are incorporated. Using a portion scoop, make dough into 1-inch balls. Place on prepared cookie sheets. Bake about 12 minutes. Remove cookie sheets from the oven and allow the cookies to rest on the sheets for 2 minutes then remove to a wire rack to completely cool. (These cookies are very soft when they come out of the oven, but get crispy when completely cool.) Makes 65, 2-1/2 to 3 inch cookies. ------------------ Sorghum/Spelt Banana Bread 1 c. mashed banana 1/4 c. agave nectar (or honey) 1/2 c. kefir (OR plain yogurt, buttermilk, or milk) 3 T. coconut oil (or butter), melted 1 egg lightly beaten 1 c. white sorghum flour 1 c. white spelt flour (OR wholegrain spelt flour) 2 T. flaxmeal 1 T. cornstarch 2 t. baking powder 1/2 t. baking soda 1/2 t. salt 1/2 t. cinnamon 1. Mix liquid ingredients (including bananas) in a small bowl. 2. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. 3. Make a well in center of dry mixture; add liquid ingredients, stirring until moistened. Do NOT use an electric mixer for this. 4. Spoon into two Junior loaf pans (7-1/2x3x2-1/4-inches) coated with cooking spray. 5. Bake in a preheated 350Â°F oven for 30-35 minutes or until a pick inserted in center comes out clean. 6. Cool in pans 5 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on a rack. 7. Yield: 2 small loaves, 13-14 slices each loaf. --------------- I have other recipes for cookies and one for brownies, if you are interested in them.
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CA Kate z9
15 years ago
This is a list of the recipes I've collected... some are from grain lady. If you want to tell me which you'd like I'll C&P them. If you want them all then email me with your address and I'll email them to you.

SPELT RECIPES
Wacky Cake.cwk
Spelt Pie Crust.cwk
Spelt Flour Muffins.cwk
Spelt Flour Carrot Cake .cwk
Spelt Banana Bread.cwk
Soft Spelt Dinner Rolls.cwk
Banana-Poppyseed Bread.cwk
Banana Loaf .cwk
3 Variety Spelt Cookies .cwk
Diab. Pumpkin Roll.cwk

AGAVE NECTAR RECIPES:
Chocolate Walnut Fudge.cwk
Chocolate Ice cream.cwk
PROTEIN PEANUT BUTTER BALLS.cwk
Hot Chocolate.cwk
GRILLED PEACHES WITH BALSAM.cwk
Easy Agave and Lime Salmon.cwk
COCONUT ALMOND CANDY .cwk
AGAVE NECTAR CHOCOLATE SYRU.cwk
Black Bean Brownies.cwk
Agave Peach Cobbler.cwk
VANILLA ICE CREAM.cwk
SP/Pumpkin Pie.cwk

I've had good luck just substituting spelt for flour and agave nectar for sugar in many recipes I don't have written down.

The following is some of the info I've collected:

grainlady (My Page) on Fri, Nov 7, 08 at 14:49

Most publications and on-line information say to use 25% less agave nectar than sugar called for (3/4 c. agave nectar for each 1 c. sugar), but I've found I can use much less than that in most cases. It depends on other ingredients and what part (food science) the sweetener plays in the type of food. If there are sweet ingredients or spices, you can often use less agave nectar than 25%.

Spelt Sweet Treats

When using spelt in recipes calling for wheat flour, remember that spelt requires about 25% less liquid. Either reduce the liquid by 25% or add 25% more spelt flour than the recipe calls for! Enjoy!

Desi @ DVO
grainlady_ks
15 years ago
- THE SPELT COOKBOOK - by Helga Hughes is a good collection of spelt-specific recipes.

Depending on the recipe, spelt can generally be substituted cup-for-cup for all-purpose flour. I only use freshly-milled. Spelt has less gluten than wheat flour and you may find you need more flour, or a little less hydration in some recipes. Gluten is the "sponge" for hydration absorption.

You'll find some more information and recipes at Summers Sprouted Flour Company. Link below. 100% organic sprouted spelt flour has gluten at a level of 5,000 parts per million compared to wheat which begins at 50,000 parts per million and go up from there.

For recipe ideas for agave nectar, there are several books that have been published. I don't have them in my collection because I've been using it for so many years. Check Amazon.com. I started by using recipes that had honey in them and have a number of honey-specific cookbooks. They were easy to adapt to using agave nectar.

I'd also echo terri pacnw about using low-glycemic foods and low-glycemic recipes. In my pile are:

"The Everything Glycemic Index Cookbook" by Nancy T. Maar and for general information,

"Glycemic Index Weight Loss" by Lucy Beale and Joan Clark, R.D., C.D.E. - great general information on the subject.

"The Glucose Revolution" and all the other books on the subject by Jennie Brand-Miller et al. That's where I read about the ancient forms of wheat, spelt and kamut, being lower-glycemic than wheat flour. I also use barley, rye, and oat flours instead of all wheat flour to lower the glycemic impact. ALL are used freshly-milled.

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Summers Sprouted Flour Company
khandi
15 years ago
westelle - I'd love to have the recipe for chocolate walnut fudge and the banana loaf.

Please and thank you!
CA Kate z9
15 years ago
Chocolate Walnut Fudge
Serves: 25
Â Â Â 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
Â Â Â 1/3 cup agave nectar
Â Â Â 1 pinch salt
Â Â Â 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
Â Â Â 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (4 ounces)

Â
Mix sweetened condensed milk and agave in a small saucepan and stir to blend. Add a large pinch of salt. Bring mixture just to a boil, stirring with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add chocolate chips and lower heat to a simmer. Cook, stirring constantly, until chocolate melts completely and mixture is smooth. Stir in walnuts. Pour the warm mixture into an 8 x 8-inch pan and smooth the top with a butter knife. Let cool and refrigerate until cold. Cut into 25 squares.

____________________________________________________________________

Banana Loaf Made With Spelt Flour Recipe

Ingredients
Â 1/2 cup butter at room temperature
Â 1 cup or less light/golden brown sugar
Â 2 organic eggs, beaten
Â 1 tsp. vanilla (optional)
Â 2 cups Spelt flour
Â 1 tsp. baking soda preferably aluminum-free
Â 1/2 tsp. salt
Â 2 or 3 very ripe organic bananas, mashed
Â 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Beat butter and sugar together until creamy.
3. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well.
4. Stir in dry ingredients.
5. Blend bananas and walnuts and mix gently.
6. Bake in a well greased and lightly dusted 5 x 9 inch loaf pan or three 3 x 5 inch loaf pans.
7. Bake for one hour or until toothpick comes out clean.
8. Lessen the baking time for the smaller loaf pans.
9. NOTE: When using spelt flour as a substitute for All-purpose or whole wheat flour, always remember that spelt requires approximately 25% less liquid. You can either reduce the liquid by 25% or add 25% more spelt flour than your recipe calls for.
bons
15 years ago
If you need to stick with low GI foods, Spelt is not for you. It has a fairly high GI number.

You probably should look more at bean flours, maybe mixed with other flours.

It will take a little time to learn about and transition to eating foods that are better for you, but once you get used to it and get a few good recipes, it's not that bad.

Can you have dark chocolate? Here's a wonderful heart healthy easy recipe for chocolate clusters.

1 cup toasted almonds, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped
6 oz. dark chocolate (best quality you can afford), finely chopped

In a medium bowl, toss together the chopped almonds and the cherries. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.

Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over slightly simmering water, over the lowest possible heat, stirring frequently. Make sure the water is not touching the top pan. Removed from heat when melted.

Stir the fruit-nut mixture into the chocolate. Spoon out heaping tablespoon-sized clusters of the chocolate mixture onto the baking sheet about 1-inch apart.

Put them in the refrigerator to set for 20 minutes. Store and serve at room temperature.

Bonnie
tami_ohio
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you so much! Westelle, you have mail. I don't often eat cookies/cakes, ect, but do love my bread. I am getting better at eating better but need to do even better. And then, I need to figure out how to do some of this in the motor home when my husband decides we are going to be gone for a month, and be on the road all the time, either in the MH or in the truck. He never stays put when we get where we are going, off to sight see right away! And there isn't much frige and freezer space, either! I will learn, tho!

Tami
khandi
15 years ago
Thanks westelle!
ovenbird
15 years ago
Grainlady, what adjustments do you make when substituting whole wheat flour with spelt flour and sugar with agave nectar in the same recipe? It sounds like more spelt flour should be used to counteract the added moisture of the agave nectar? I'm beginning to feel like a mad scientist!

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