The Essential Guide to Baking with Ancient Grains

Bakers, take note. Switching out that all-purpose flour with flour ground from heritage and ancient grains will take your baked goods to a new level of yum.

In The Essential Guide to Baking with Ancient Grains, author Lois Hoffman draws on her extensive baking experience to revamp recipes — including family favorites — to use heritage and ancient grains. Learn about the appeal and health benefits of these grains and take a closer look at those she has been working with: einkorn, spelt, Kamut® (Khorasan), black emmer, rye, Red Fife, and buckwheat.

Learn about yeast and why it’s important; explore the possibility of grinding your own flour from ancient grains; read about other types of heritage and ancient grains; and look at the tips Lois shares for a successful baking experience.

The Essential Guide to Baking with Ancient Grains includes an entire chapter on sourdough, with a recipe for a basic sourdough starter and tips on baking the best food products with sourdough.

And, of course, we can’t forget the recipes! Lois includes recipes for breads such as Easy Spelt Sandwich Bread and Light Rye Bread; quick breads such as Pumpkin Bread; muffins and scones such as Gingerbread Muffins using Red Fife flour and Molasses Crinkle Scones using einkorn flour along with all-purpose flour; cookies such as Healthy Ginger Molasses Cookies with spelt flour and Einkorn Chocolate Chip Cookies; cakes such as Molasses Cake with einkorn flour; and, yes, sourdough recipes such as Cinnamon Spelt Sourdough Baked Doughnuts and Buckwheat Pancakes.

There are also recipes for pizza dough, piecrust, biscuits, and tortillas. Something for everyone.

Expand your baking repertoire with these recipes, learn a few facts about heritage and ancient grains, and enjoy the flavors your taste buds will appreciate.