I ran out of "normal" wheat flour a few days ago, so I had to bake my bread with the closest thing – spelt flour.
I noticed the dough was a lot stickier than when using wheat flour, and when baked, the bread came out flat (like a thick pancake). The taste was fine, but because it was so flattened out, there was a lot more crust than usual (and the children don't like crust).
I usually bake my bread directly on the baking plate, not using any bread pan, and for wheat flour, that works fine. Do I need a bread pan to prevent the bread from running out, or is there something else I can do?
Best Answer
Although similar, spelt has more protein and less starch than wheat flour. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat#Nutrition
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spelt#Nutrition
This means that it will create a great structure but won't absorb as much liquid. This would result in exactly what you saw- it was sticky from water and protein and too loose to hold its shape but baked with a good crust.
The recipes I have seen use a mixture of flours that includes spelt.
Try adding less water.