November 2, 2021 - 6:19pm
Any Info On Melvit Spelt Flour
Does anyone know anything about this brand of spelt flour?
https://melvit.pl/en/spelt-flour-1-kg-2/
A brand which i'm trying out from my local Polish store. Just fed my starter with it and it is quite different to what i've used in the past. Feed was 1:5:5 and even though it is wholegrain it has a softer cream colour, it drank up the water instantaneously without much mixing at all and has a lovely smooth consistency which is almost gel like.
Wondering about the variety of spelt it is.
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Spelt blends with liquids quickly but it needs time to hydrate, more so than AP wheat flour. So let it hydrate 20-30 min. before kneading.
It just seemed more creamy in colour, silkier at 100% hydration and did absorb the water very fast. Haven't tried it in a bread yet. Was just feeding my starter with it. This morning it had risen well and had a little bit of separation which tells me when it does come to trying it in a recipe it won't need such a high hydration, as it seemed, but more time to absorb just as you have said!
Which is kind of interesting. One might think more time to absorb would mean it starts off water logged and slowly absorbs more. But spelt kind of does the opposite. Gives a false reading of absorbing immediately but then "leaks" water. Seems opposite. But if fed less and given more time to absorb it'll end up at the correct consistency. It's like more time to hydrate but backwards if you know what i'm trying to say. In other words it can take lower hydration but needs more time.
Right now i'm in the middle of a buckwheat loaf but can't wait to try this flour.
and the dough can rise higher than it should. I don't let high percentage spelt dough rise to a "finished proof" but bake it earlier as it can balloon in the oven.
Stir the separated starter to see if it takes up the excess water.
Try a spelt feeding adding a 30 minute pause after the feed and then stir up the starter/flour/water feeding a second time. This may keep it from separating. Spelt reminds me a little bit of sand or starch.
And probably to be expected from fermentation. The starter is in the fridge now and i'll bake a spelt loaf next week. I find spelt like bubble gum. It can be stretched a lot. After a stretch and fold it can attain some elasticity which is quickly lost after a short rest so I fully agree with a very quick final proof to not lose that.
Buckwheat loaf about to be baked. It's taken almost two days. Went to the store to buy some tin foil loaf pans and inserts. Plenty of pans and inserts but non of them fit. What's the use of that? So i've resorted to spraying the pan with oil and coating it lightly with rice flour. Hope the loaf doesn't stick.
Melvit has just announced on its Instagram page that their spelt flour is type 1450. So it's something between wholegrain and light spelt. Although I don't know the variety of spelt, unfortunately...
Spelt or in German, Dinkelmehl: 630, 812 und 1050 are listed in the below link. I just found out the D 700 in my pantry is German 630 equivalent. The higher the number, the higher the ash content and mineral content as more whole flour is included. I read that Whole grain flour usually doesn't list the number as it is whole grain. Lower numbers gradually have bran and bits sifted out. The lower the number, the longer the shelf life of the flour.
https://www.egle.de/blog/mehltypen-und-ihre-verwendung
-edited to correct link-
Thank you!
Polish flour classification bases also on ash (minerals) content.
For spelt flour in Poland, I've seen so far:
T450 - cake flour
T630-680 - light flour
T750 - bread flour
T1850 - wholegrain flour (graham flour style)
T2000 - wholegrain flour, milled once.
Plus this Melvit flour T1450😉.
Turetam and Mini. I thought it was 100% wholegrain and while it was definitely not white spelt it's creamy colour and silky texture made me think it was the variety not knowing it was somewhere between wholegrain and light spelt. I'm assuming light spelt is 50:50 so this flour is something close to 75:25.