Consistency over time, not perfection at every meal
Gluten is a protein found in several grains and is not normally harmful to people. For most people, the protein is necessary for the body's normal function and health, and most people usually have a relatively gluten-rich diet. However, there are some people who can be seriously harmed by ingesting gluten.
Lifestyle blogger
My focus is not on gluten-free baking, but on baking with a more natural gluten content in the traditional flour products that are most common in people's diets and in much of the baking sold in stores. I primarily use spelt flour, as spelt is a type of wheat that naturally contains gluten, although the gluten has a weaker structure than in regular wheat, which makes it easier to digest for someone with wheat intolerance, but certainly not for people with celiac disease.
Gluten is found in many of the grains we eat in our daily diet, including rye, wheat, barley and spelt. Basically, gluten is a mixture of two important proteins that are completely harmless and even important for humans. A gluten-free diet without a medical reason provides no known health benefits and can lead to a lack of vitamins, minerals and fiber, among other things. This applies to most of us.
For people with gluten intolerance, however, a diet consisting of gluten can cause serious health complications such as osteoporosis and an increased risk of cancer in the small intestine. There can be many different reasons for stomach and intestinal problems, and it is therefore always important to talk to a doctor if you feel sick. Eliminating various food groups, such as gluten, lactose or sugar can be a way to check whether intolerance is causing the problems.
Gluten intolerance is caused by a hypersensitivity to gluten. For a person with gluten intolerance, all forms of gluten will create an inflammatory condition in the intestine that can cause impaired intestinal function, discomfort and pain. Both children, adults and the elderly can develop gluten intolerance. A gluten-free diet is the only way to get rid of the symptoms of gluten intolerance.
Gluten intolerance is also called gluten allergy, but is not actually an allergic reaction. It is a chronic and autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system forms antibodies that attack the intestinal mucosa in the upper part of the small intestine. This results in an inflamed mucosa that breaks down and destroys the intestinal villi. The function of the intestinal villi is to absorb nutrients from food and when these are destroyed, the body's absorption of certain nutrients is reduced. The intestinal villi are rebuilt when gluten is excluded from the diet.
Some people are hypersensitive to proteins in certain grains - for example wheat protein. A gluten-free diet will therefore not necessarily improve the condition as wheat proteins can occur in gluten-free products.
It is not recommended to eliminate gluten-containing foods from your diet unless absolutely necessary. Many whole grain products contain gluten, and when these products are eliminated from your diet, your body will miss out on important fiber, vitamins, and minerals that your body needs. The body must therefore obtain these important nutrients in other ways.
There are a number of raw materials that are naturally free of gluten – such as meat, vegetables, fruit, seeds and kernels, rice, milk, spirits, etc. There are products that are manufactured gluten-free or contain a minimal amount of gluten.
There are variations from person to person in how much gluten one tolerates. In Norway, it is permitted to label products with a maximum of 20 mg of gluten per kg as gluten-free. If a product contains between 20-100 mg of gluten per kg, it can be labeled "very low gluten content" and will still be recommended for those who must eat gluten-free.
Spelt (Triticum spelta) is an ancient grain in the wheat family, often referred to as the ancient grain. For many years, spelt was virtually absent from store shelves, but has experienced a resurgence in popularity in recent years.
Spelt has been documented to have been cultivated by ancient civilizations in both Europe and the Middle East thousands of years ago. Spelt is mentioned in the Old Testament and in various Roman texts.
Spelt was very widespread, especially in Eastern Europe, until the end of the 19th century. German area records from 1850 showed that 94 percent of the available grain area was used to produce spelt, while only 5 percent produced what we today call common wheat or bread wheat. Spelt grains are covered with a hard outer shell that must be removed through mechanical hulling before the grain can be used for food. Throughout the 20th century, wheat cultivation was developed into a significantly more cost-effective production, typically yielding three to four pounds more grain per acre than spelt.
Due to its high water solubility, important nutrients from grains are absorbed quickly into the body. Spelt can sometimes contain slightly more protein and fat than wheat. As for gluten, spelt does contain gluten, but it has a weaker structure than regular wheat.
Spelt is attributed with a number of positive health properties, but there is relatively little that has been scientifically documented beyond the fact that spelt has a somewhat higher content of vitamins, minerals and proteins than regular wheat.
Spelt is naturally a whole grain, but this does not mean that spelt makes for particularly “heavy” baked goods. In fact, spelt baked goods are airy and light, and spelt makes for a very nutritious bread with a good, nutty flavor. The protein in spelt is different than in normal wheat, and gives a light, soft-textured baked goods that do not crumble and have good shelf life. Baking with spelt requires slightly less kneading of the dough than with regular wheat. If you are going to bake with spelt, you can generally use recipes with regular wheat and replace this with spelt. It is important to note that there are differences in water solubility between regular wheat and spelt, and that this can change the amount of liquid required. Here you just have to experiment.
Spelt also does not like very high temperatures. For example, if you are making a white sauce with spelt, you should not use boiling liquid directly in the flour/butter mixture.
