I use a LOT of freshly milled spelt. It bakes up differently than sprouted spelt flour. Some things to note, there is less gluten, and a different type of gluten, in spelt than what you are used to with wheat. Gluten absorbs moisture, so less gluten, less absorption of hydration to begin with. Sprouted spelt flour is usually much dryer because of the process of drying it after sprouting. Wholegrain (freshly-milled) sprout flour has a fairly good amount of moisture in it - around 10-15%. The lack of moisture from processing may contribute to some of the crumbling. So use a little less sprouted spelt flour, or increase the hydration by a little. Try using some sprouted spelt recipes and see if you get better results. (See link below.) -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: Summers Sprouted Flour Company

When you have a digestive challenge you'll find soaking or sprouting grain before consumption will aid in easier digestion. Soaking/sprouting allows enzymes, lactobacilli and other helpful organisms to break down and neutralize phytic acid. The simple practice of soaking cracked or rolled cereal grains overnight with some whey, kefir, buttermilk or yogurt added to the soaking water will not only make the grains easier to digest, but it will improve their nutritional benefits. The soak neutralizes enzyme inhibitors. During the soaking and fermenting, gluten and other difficult-to-digest proteins are partially broken down into simpler components that are more available for absorption. Oats/oatmeal may be low in the hard-to-digest gluten protein, but oats contain more phytates than almost any other grain. So if you have digestive problems, pre-soaking all grains, especially oats, would be very important. Freshly-milled whole grain flour can be made into a gruel and the gruel used as a base for a smoothie, instead of a fruit/dairy-based smoothie. You can add all kinds of things to your gruel-based smoothie. If you don't have a grain mill for this process, you can use a coffee/spice mill for milling small amounts of grain into flour (barley, brown rice, wheat, kamut, spelt, rye, etc.) and mill it as needed because FRESH IS BEST. To make 2-cups of Gruel: (source: Nourishing Traditions - by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, Ph.D.) 1/2 c. freshly ground organic flour from spelt, kamut, rye, barley, wheat, rice or oats 2 c. water plus 2 T. whey, yogurt, kefir or buttermilk 1/4 t. salt Mix flour with water mixture, cover and leave at room temperature for 12-24 hours. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Add salt, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 10-minutes. Let cool slightly and serve with cream or butter and a small amount of a natural sweetener, such as raw honey. ------------------------------------------------------- Add ground flax seeds (flaxmeal) for more nutrition and fiber. Flax seeds are relatively low in phytic acid and when taken in small amounts do not require soaking. Mill them in a coffee/spice mill so you have the freshest source possible, plus they are less expensive. I'd also suggest adding chia seeds or chia seed gel (chia seeds mixed with water) to this gruel smoothie for additional fiber and nutrition and the great health benefits from this simple little seed. Chia seeds are easy to add to water or other beverages. A common drink used with them is called "fresca" - 1 glass of lemonade and 1 t. chia seeds - allow to sit for 10-minutes before drinking. I realize lemonade would be too acidic, but that's an example of how to add chia seeds to your diet - in any kind of beverage - just allow to sit for 10-minutes. Another add-in that would raise fiber AND aid in digestion is High Maize Resistant Starch. We add all three of these to our morning smoothie. Add water, juice, dairy, if necessary, to make the smoothie texture. --------------------------------------------------------- Have every tried crumbling baked goods in a bowl and pouring milk over it. Lots of people crumble cornbread and top if off with buttermilk and I thought it might work for wholegrain muffins or cake. This recipe is a nice wholegrain snack cake that might work crumbled. Just omit the topping and the nuts in the recipe. BANANA CRUNCH CAKE (Source: The Quaker Oats Wholegrain Cookbook) Crunch Topping: 3/4 c. Quaker Oats (Quick or Old-Fashioned, uncooked) 2 T. butter or margarine, melted 2 T. chopped nuts 1/2 t. cinnamon Cake: 1/2 c. butter or margarine 2/3 c. firmly packed brown sugar 1 c. mashed banana 2 eggs 1 t. vanilla 1 c. ground oat flour* 3/4 c. all-purpose flour (use whole wheat or spelt flour) 1 t. salt 1 t. soda 1/2 c. chopped nuts, if desired For crunch topping, combine all ingredients; mix well. For cake, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy; blend in banana, eggs and vanilla. Gradually add combined dry ingredients, mixing well after each addition. Stir in nuts. Pour into greased 8-inch square baking pan; sprinkle with crunch topping evenly over batter. Bake in preheated moderate oven (350-degrees F) 40 to 45 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. *How to make your own ground oat flour: 1. Place 1 to 1-1/2 c. oats in blender or food processor. 2. Blend or process for about 60 seconds Yield: about 1 cup ground oat flour 3. Store in tightly covered container in cool dry place up to six months. ------------------------------------------------------- -Grainlady

Sally, Baking with Julia is one of my favourite cookbooks. I use her recipe for French bread and it is her recipe I use for Croissants and the Pain au Chocolate. I can highly recommmend both recipes. If you are really in the mood for baking you can't go wrong with the croissants. Make half croissants and half Pain au Chocolate. They freeze well too. I know that there are a few more recipes in that cookbook that I have made, but unfortunately, Moe already boxed up all my cookbooks so I'm without any cookbooks until after we get moved. Or until I have at least 80 feet of bookshelves built. LOL! Ann

In no particular order, these are my go-to books for science of cooking/baking. Some are repeats of those above. -Grainlady 1. Understanding Food - Principles and Preparation by Amy Brown (2nd Edition). This is an expensive college textbook, but holds a wealth of information. 2. The Science of Cooking - by Peter Barham 3. The Inquisitive Cook (Discover How a Pinch of Curiosity Can Improve Your Cooking) by Anne Gardiner and Sue Wilson (you can find it in paperback and it's one of my favorites) There used to be a web site by this author. This book explains how vinegar works in pastry. 4. I also like Harold McGee's works, as others mentioned, On Food And Cooking AND The Curious Cook (which is more kitchen science and lore). 5. BAKING 9-1-1 by Sarah Phillips. You can also learn a good deal from her web site http://www.baking911.com/ 6. COOKWISE - by Shirley O. Corriher (another of my all-time favorites - I also love to see her when she appears on Alton Brown's show) 7. BREAD A Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes by Jeffrey Hamelman (Director of the Bakery and Baking Education Center, King Arthur Flour) I like this book as well as Crust & Crumb by Peter Reinhart. 8. The Bread Book - A Natural, Whole-Grain Seed-to-Loaf Approach to Real Bread - by Thom Leonard