I resonate a ton with this. I struggle with the urge to try all the flours, while still remaining intentional and sticking to regional flours. I feel very strongly though, about sticking to grains in the Northeast US . In terms of cookbooks I feel like the only way to make it feasible to swap out grains is either to list characteristics of the grains being used so that someone could find a comparable substitute and encourage people to talk to their local bakers/millers. Or to do some extensive research to list options.
Hi Cortnie, yes it’s really useful for us to talk in terms of characteristics when it comes to flour flavour and behaviour and also note the kind of climate the grain was grown in.
Are there any grain varieties in the Northeast US that you especially like to use?
Thanks for being here, great to know this resonated with you. :)
I feel like I work in cycles with different grains hah! Spelt, then einkorn, or kamut/khorasan. We grow buckwheat and wheat of coarse in Maine, and I'm fortunate to be only a few hours away from Maine Grains grist mill!
Hello Sarah, today I made some shortbread to discover the characteristics of a whole grain Einkorn that I had bought from a farm next to where I leave, and the dough was extremely crumbly even after adding an egg yolk. If I was about to incorporate other kind of «binders» what would you suggest?
Thank you for this gold mine you have created, I enjoy reading every single post.
Hello Shiva, how does the einkorn flour feel on its own? Is it coarse or granular with irregular particles? I'd be inclined to try adding a whole egg if the yolk alone was not sufficient; the additional binding proteins in the white may help.
I think your instinct to add more butter was a good one, the above recipe is around 70% butter to flour weight, but some flour may take up to 80% fat to flour. It is these nuances that make regional grains more challenging to work with, but the flavour and textures make the perseverance worthwhile.
It is also sometimes the case that no matter how much we want to use a single flour in a particular application, blending it with another wholemeal flour can lend a hand in getting the outcome you're looking for. If it is an especially coarse or flinty flour, then adding a percentage of a smoother textured wholegrain flour may also be worth a try; a 70%, 30% split, for example, will keep the Einkorn flavour strong.
I resonate a ton with this. I struggle with the urge to try all the flours, while still remaining intentional and sticking to regional flours. I feel very strongly though, about sticking to grains in the Northeast US . In terms of cookbooks I feel like the only way to make it feasible to swap out grains is either to list characteristics of the grains being used so that someone could find a comparable substitute and encourage people to talk to their local bakers/millers. Or to do some extensive research to list options.
Great article, and something I mull over a ton!
Hi Cortnie, yes it’s really useful for us to talk in terms of characteristics when it comes to flour flavour and behaviour and also note the kind of climate the grain was grown in.
Are there any grain varieties in the Northeast US that you especially like to use?
Thanks for being here, great to know this resonated with you. :)
I feel like I work in cycles with different grains hah! Spelt, then einkorn, or kamut/khorasan. We grow buckwheat and wheat of coarse in Maine, and I'm fortunate to be only a few hours away from Maine Grains grist mill!
Hello Sarah, today I made some shortbread to discover the characteristics of a whole grain Einkorn that I had bought from a farm next to where I leave, and the dough was extremely crumbly even after adding an egg yolk. If I was about to incorporate other kind of «binders» what would you suggest?
Thank you for this gold mine you have created, I enjoy reading every single post.
Hello Shiva, how does the einkorn flour feel on its own? Is it coarse or granular with irregular particles? I'd be inclined to try adding a whole egg if the yolk alone was not sufficient; the additional binding proteins in the white may help.
I think your instinct to add more butter was a good one, the above recipe is around 70% butter to flour weight, but some flour may take up to 80% fat to flour. It is these nuances that make regional grains more challenging to work with, but the flavour and textures make the perseverance worthwhile.
It is also sometimes the case that no matter how much we want to use a single flour in a particular application, blending it with another wholemeal flour can lend a hand in getting the outcome you're looking for. If it is an especially coarse or flinty flour, then adding a percentage of a smoother textured wholegrain flour may also be worth a try; a 70%, 30% split, for example, will keep the Einkorn flavour strong.