If I had my way, my morning routine would be about a three-hour affair. I love quiet, leisurely mornings and most of the time they end in a filling, whole-grain breakfast. This spelt porridge takes a bit of time but it's primarily hands-off cooking. If you've never tried spelt in the morning, it's a favorite breakfast grain of mine.
Take for example these doughnuts, pancakes, dutch baby, and waffles. The key to a creamy porridge with spelt is the same method I use for making risotto: cracking the grain.
Unlike risotto, I crack the grain a bit smaller. I like the texture to be somewhere between steel cut oats and cream of wheat (a old family favorite). Best of all, you can make it as thick (or not) as you like. Simply watch the amount of liquid you add towards the end of cooking.
grains: Try this spelt porridge with einkorn, barley, or wheat berries. If you're looking to make something similar but keep in gluten-free, use oat groats.
fruit: Berries, all kinds of berries. Strawberries, blackberries, cherries, peaches, apples, or pears. You can't go wrong.
flavor: I keep the base of the porridge simple but you could always add a splash of maple syrup or honey to the cooking grains. Spices are also a nice addition, including cinnamon or a small pinch of cloves.
Spelt is a grain I don't use nearly often enough. It's chewy and has a beautiful, warm flavor that pairs well with vegetables. I'm usually using spelt flour but the spelt berry can be a great dinner-time addition. I've also found that more often than not, I prefer spelt over traditional wheat.
A few recipes to get you started include:
Cracked Spelt Risotto with Roasted Beets
Roasted Eggplant with Cumin-Scented Spelt and Fig Chutney
Spelt Grape Salad with Chickpeas
This sounds wonderful. I've never had spelt, but this gives me a good excuse to try it.
great tips and gorgeous recipe, thank you
Wow! So good.
Forgot to rate
Love the recipe Erin! Can I make this with spelt flakes?
Yes! The consistency would be a bit different but about the same difference between steel-cut oats and oatmeal!
Incredible
Reminds me of barley when cooked: chewy, nutty, but not sticky. I had already cooked mine before finding this recipe. I did add cinnamon because it's my favorite. Overall, great grain bowl for breakfast. I like that I can adjust my sweetness.