This is a special treat, especially for those who prefer to avoid wheat. Spelt flour is a great alternative to wheat flour. It’s completely wheat free and low in gluten. The gluten in spelt flour is easier to breakdown though. Caution when mixing, don’t over do it, as this could have with a crumbly texture. If a recipe is done right, the texture will be similar to baked goods made with wheat flour. Additionally, spelt flour does have a few less calories, and it digests easily.

Spelt flour can be used to make numerous things like pastas, breads, and cookies. It can also be used to make muffins, as shown in this recipe. These muffins make a tasty breakfast treat. The recipe includes a hint of vanilla extract and fresh blueberries. The nice thing about blueberries is that they add an additional health kick. Not only are these berries tasty, but they are good for you. They are high in antioxidants which help fight off free radicals.  Blueberries are full of nutrients including potassium, fiber, and vitamin C. They’re a great addition to breakfast. Also these muffins, like most baked goods, include milk and egg. This recipe makes an all-in-one breakfast. You get fruit, milk, and egg in one muffin.

The recipe is very easy. It has only three steps. Additionally, it takes just 30 minutes to complete. Plus, there are only nine ingredients in the whole mix, and you can create a recipe that serves 6-8 people.

Description by Ashley Horst

Source: http://bakingbites.com/2008/04/what-is-spelt-flour/

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 2 cups all-purpose spelt flour, we used VitaSpelt
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, stir flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
2. In a small bowl, beat eggs, stir in oil and milk. Pour into the flour mixture. Mix quickly and lightly with a fork until moistened, but do not beat. The batter will be lumpy. Add in blueberries and mix once more.
3. Pour the batter into greased muffin pan cups or paper lined. Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden.

[/directions]

Variations

COFFEE CAKE

2 teaspoons cinnamon

6 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons butter

SWAP blueberries for cinnamon streusel (below).

COMBINE cinnamon, brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and butter.

FILL muffin tins halfway, sprinkle a spoonful of streusel mixture and fill the rest of the way up. Sprinkle tops with remaining streusel.

CHOCOLATE BANANA NUT

2 bananas, mashed

1 cup walnuts, chopped

1 cup chocolate chips

ADD IN 1 teaspoon baking soda with the dry ingredients

SWAP blueberries for mashed banana. Add to wet ingredients before combining with dry then stir in walnuts and chocolatechips. Combine thoroughly and proceed with recipe. Optionally, reserve chopped nuts for garnish on muffin tops.

LEMON CRANBERRY

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons lemon zest

1/2 cup dried cranberries

SWAP blueberries for lemon juice, lemon zest and dried cranberries. Combine thoroughly and proceed with recipe.

ORANGE COCONUT

1⁄2 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons orange zest

1/2 cup shredded coconut

REDUCE milk to 1⁄2 cup and add orange juice.

SWAP blueberries for orange zest and coconut.