Throughout my blog, I’ve declared that there’s no need to knead spelt dough.
This pearl of wisdom originated several years ago from a source that I’ve entirely forgotten, yet, as I create more spelt recipes for my blog, I’ve begun to question it.
It’s all about the gluten
Roger Saul, in his Sharpham Park ‘Spelt’ book, says to knead spelt dough for 10 minutes in every recipe. I was surprised to read this, it seems excessive, however, I also realise that he grows the stuff and sells it in supermarkets, so I was interested to see what benefit this really has.
All varieties of wheat (including spelt) contain two proteins, gliaden and glutenin, which if combined with water and kneaded, create a complex protein known as gluten. Gluten is what gives dough it’s elasticity and stretchability, resulting…come and read more…
