Nourish - Spelt Flour Pizza
It also contains more protein than modern wheat, and the protein is easier for a lot of people to digest. Although it does contain gluten, the gluten is a different kind to that of whole wheat. For some who have a gluten sensitivity (not intolerance), they actually find spelt to be acceptable and are able to digest it.
It also behaves differently to standard wheat flour in the process of cooking too, because its gluten breaks down more readily and happily.
It needs less kneading if you are making a basic dough or pastry crust.
This recipe can be adjusted to your personal taste with whatever toppings you desire. A base of tomato sauce, homemade or store bought; cheese or no cheese; herbs of your choice. Go wild and enjoy!
Ingredients
- 250g spelt four
- ½ tsp. dried yeast
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ¼ sugar or honey
- Semolina flour to dust the baking tray
- Approx. 200ml tepid water
Toppings
- Tomato sauce/paste
- Shredded or grated vegetables – courgettes and red onion work well together
- Dried oregano
- Fresh basil
- Optional: Slices of mozzarella cheese
- Optional: Crushed garlic
Method
- Combine the flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a large bowl.
- Add the water gradually in a well in the centre as you mix the flour in from the edges.
The quantity of water needed may vary.
If it is too wet add more flour. - Keep mixing until all the flour has been incorporated and the dough forms into a ball. It will be sticky to begin with but will gradually become easier to handle.
- Turn out onto a floured board and knead for a few minutes. Spelt will take less kneading than wheat flour.
- Form into a ball and brush the surface with some olive oil before placing in a bowl, covered with a tea towel, to prove. This will take at least an hour depending on the ambient temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 230C
- Knockback the dough by kneading the air out and divide it into pieces depending on the size of your baking trays.
- Sprinkle the trays with some semolina flour to prevent the dough from sticking and spread the dough to the edges by pressing it out with your hands.
- Top the pizza with a thin layer of prepared tomato sauce, shredded or grated vegetables and slices of mozzarella cheese.
- Sprinkle with dried oregano or whole basil leaves placed under the cheese.
- Bake in a preheated hot oven for about 15 minutes or until the base has cooked.
- Allow to cool for about 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Spelt flour is an ancient cereal grain; related to the wheat family but of a different species. It has a nutty and slightly sweet flavour similar to that of whole wheat flour.
It also contains more protein than modern wheat, and the protein is easier for a lot of people to digest. Although spelt flour does contain gluten, the gluten is a different kind to that of whole wheat. For some who have a gluten sensitivity (not intolerance), they actually find spelt to be acceptable and are able to digest it.
Spelt flour also behaves differently to standard wheat flour in the process of cooking too. This is because its gluten breaks down more readily and happily. It also needs less kneading which can be handy if you are making a basic dough or pastry crust.
Nutrition
Fun Fact – in a German study, participants who ate a quarter cup of tomato paste with olive oil every day for 10 weeks experienced 35 percent less skin reddening when exposed to UV radiation than those who did not eat the tomato paste.
Tip – Try adding some pesto to your pizza after it’s cooked for a flavour-explosion.
You can pick some up in store, or why not try this Roasted Beetroot and Toasted Walnut Pesto.
Any questions? Drop into your local Nourish store to speak with our team and find our full range of foods, supplements and skincare. You can also explore our online store.
