What is the grinding of ancient wheat, how is it made? Calorie content of spelled flour, chemical composition, useful and harmful properties. Culinary recipes, history.
Spelled flour is a whole grain milling of the cereal of the same name, a wild subspecies of ancient wheat. Grains are heterogeneous - from 150 to 350 microns. The texture is delicate and soft; color - light, creamy, caramel inclusions are possible; aroma - fresh and sweetish; taste - with a slight sourness and semolina flavor. Despite the fact that the product is whole grain, there is no bitterness. Absorbs less liquid than wheat or spelled flour.
How is spelled flour made?
Traditionally it is believed that spelled and spelled are one and the same, and the names are used interchangeably. Indeed, spelled is one of the spelled species, but it still has a different chromosome set - 6 pairs instead of 2, like in spelled. In addition, this agricultural crop is grown as a winter crop (spelled - spring). At present, botanists believe that in terms of the structure of spelled, despite the fragility of the spikelets and the huskiness of the grains, the quality is closer to that of soft wheat. That is why the grind is softer and sweeter.
Spelled flour is one of the most expensive. This is due to the fact that no fertilizers are used during cultivation, which means that the product is environmentally friendly. However, such production is not explained by concern for the health of the consumer. The structure of the stem is such that "unnecessary" artificial compounds, which include chemicals, are not allowed to the spike.
Growing spelled for flour is economically costly. Spikelets are very brittle, although they do not stick to the ground. The crop is harvested using a combine or a reaper with the cutter lowered. Then the unmilled spikelets are transported to the elevator, where they are poured into the grain cleaning machine hopper. During the process, the husk is removed and aeration is carried out - saturation of the intermediate product with air. Then the seeds are sent to centrifugal devices, where they are cleaned with a directed steam jet.
Drying is done on a conveyor, through which the raw material is fed to a multi-roll grinding device. Whole grain spelled flour is sifted several times through sieves with different sizes of holes to give the product a presentation, remove dust particles and coarse fractions.
High-grade flour is also made from spelled. It is more expensive, because to separate the chaff, which is densely fused with the grain, an additional device is installed in the flour-grinding line - a peeler with a vertical defibrer or rubber rolls.
The grinding of an ancient subspecies of wheat is in demand among adherents of a healthy diet, but it is quite difficult to get it. Most often it is ordered via the Internet, but sometimes you can find it in supermarkets in large cities. The cost depends on the manufacturer. You can buy spelled flour of your own production in Ukraine for 34 hryvnia for 500 g, and a product from Israel is also offered for 320 hryvnia for 700 g. In Russia, the production is carried out by the company "BIO" - a package of 1 kg is estimated at 320 rubles.
How to make spelled flour by grinding grain at home
- If spikelets are collected, then they are dried, spread out in one layer, and then rubbed between the palms, peeling off the shell. When they managed to buy cereals, they are washed and dried in the oven at 40-45 ° C.
- For grinding, use a coffee grinder or blender at maximum speed. For saturation with air, to avoid sticking, sieved several times.
- Poured into a tin can and tightly closed. If using a glass container, store it out of direct sunlight.
The shelf life of spelled flour is 6-8 months; moisture must be avoided. But even if the self-prepared grind is sieved several times before being stored, the process should be repeated before use. These guidelines also apply to store-bought products.
