Many of us grew up on white flour and only white flour. Whole wheat? Rye? Rarely encountered and only if we visited some bakery in an ethnic neighborhood.
Now, we are in a whole new grain world. You’ve probably seen a display from Bob’s Red Mill with 10, or 20 or even more variety of grains to supply. So there are choices aplenty out there. And who has missed the gluten-free aisle of your local grocery store? For some folks with celiac disease, that familiar white flour is a problem and one of these other grains is a necessity.
Einkorn is an ancient grain, one of the original stains of wheat that mankind began using ten thousand or more years ago. Other grains were modified over the centuries, but einkorn was not. More difficult to use and yielding less net product per acre, einkorn was largely forgotten. And there were few acres of einkorn around the world as it became a relic grain.
And then, slowly at first, and then with intensity and speed, people discovered einkorn and began to discover interesting properties. Carla Bartolucci and her husband Rodolfo have been in the food industry for two decades. When their daughter showed signs of celiac disease, she searched and discovered einkorn. Her daughter is now thriving on goods baked with einkorn.
Is einkorn gluten-free? Is it the solution for persons with celiac? The short answers are “no” and “maybe.” Like any wheat, einkorn produces gluten but, because it has not been hybridized by man over the centuries, einkorn has a different mix of proteins. And it is the proteins in wheat that combine to form gluten. With different proteins, einkorn produces a different gluten, one that some people with celiac disease seem to tolerate and benefit from.
So, while there is no final evidence, there are cases where einkorn works for those with celiac disease.
Just how do you make einkorn “work” for you? This is where Einkorn by Carla fills the gap. With its very different protein makeup, einkorn requires its own world of recipes. Einkorn offers 100 recipes for:
- Breads & Crackers
- Quick Breads & Breakfast
- Cookies & Cakes
- Pies, Tarts, Pastries & Pudding
- Pizza, Pasta & Savory Main Dishes
- Street Food
Here you’ll find baked treats from ciabatta to empanadas to carrot cake. The picture at the bottom of this post is for the Whole Grain Bundt Cake with Rum Caramel Glaze. The cake is not infused with spices or chocolate or other outside flavors. It’s just pure einkorn flavor, Carla says.
This recipe is an example of the research Carla used to fashion einkorn recipes. The flour absorbs liquid slowly so the batter needs to rest for an hour in the fridge for an hour before baking. It’s an excellent example of how, if you want to use einkorn, you need some expert help to get the results you deserve. Carla’s Einkorn is just that help.
Suzi is a baking maven and cannot pass by a display of Bob’s Red Mill without picking up a package or two. Einkorn is on our shopping list and we’ll be testing recipes and letting your know how they work out.
First on my list? This bundt cake. Now I just have to figure out how to make it Suzen’s too.
