Why I Use Einkorn Wheat

LEARN WHY I USE EINKORN WHEAT FOR ALL MY BAKING NEEDS AND HOW WE AFFORD TO FEED OUR LARGE FAMILY HOMEMADE EINKORN BREADS AND GOODIES.

It all began in 1999 with Y2K.  Anybody out there old enough to remember that?  In 1999, as our family was preparing for the ‘certain’ societal breakdown that the experts were predicting with the year 2000, we not only learned about emergency storage of wheat, but also about the health benefits of changing to a whole wheat/whole foods diet.

Y2K turned out to be nothing, but we are so thankful for that experience and how it started us down the road to whole foods and better health.  As a result we have been cooking with whole wheat for almost 20 years.

That led to the purchase of a non-electric grain mill and a mixer (which are both still use today), and a whole new way of eating.  We learned about good fats, whole grains, green drinks, importance of fresh vegetables/fruits and how to purchase or grow these these in bulk and to cook them all from scratch to save lots of money on groceries.  Because of this we are much healthier today. 

But there was more to learn

But, what we didn’t learn at that time was that modern wheat has some drawbacks.  The wheat we eat today isn’t like the wheat that was eaten a few thousand years ago.

First, it is very high in gluten and it is very hard on the gut and even inhibits mineral absorption.  This can lead to bone density loss, migraines, weight gain, cavities in our teeth and many other diseases, especially auto-immune diseases. In short, modern wheat is creating a lot of big health problems and it was affecting our family’s health also.

There has been a huge push in recent years from health professionals to move away from wheat for these reasons and many more.  With the rise of gluten sensitivities many people (including myself) have abandoned wheat for less nutrient grains and grain alternatives that were gluten free.  This bothered me because most of these have little value to add to the diet.

I decided there had to be a better way, and this led me to begin more research on the subject.  That is when I learned about einkorn wheat.  Wow!  Was I excited to learn about this most ancient of grains. Let me tell you now why I use einkorn wheat for all my baking.

What is Einkorn Wheat

• First, it is the oldest wheat known to man.  Older even than spelt, kamut and emmer.  It is the only grain that has never been hybridized.
  
• It is believed the Otzi, the famous Ice Man, Europe’s oldest mummy dating back to 3,300BC, ate einkorn in his last meal before his death
  
• The term einkorn comes from the German language and means “single grain”
  
• It is a diploid wheat, meaning it has two sets of chromosomes. (emmer has 4 sets and spelt and modern wheat have 6 sets).  This clearly shows it is more ancient that the others.  And, because it is so different, researchers do not believe it can even cross with modern wheat.
  
• While einkorn wheat was found in abundance thousands of years ago, it is limited to only a few regions of the world today. It is predominately grown in Italy and the western United States and Canada
  
• An einkorn wheat kernel is much smaller than a modern wheat kernel and does not have the crease on the side like modern wheat
• Einkorn has a husk, or hull, that stays on the wheat kernel at harvest and must be removed before milling. This hull protects the grain and must be left on the kernel for it to sprout well.  Therefore, hulled grain that you purchase to mill will be best for eating and not for seed.
  

Benefits of Einkorn wheat

1.  Einkorn has a different kind of gluten than modern wheat. It does not contain the D genome, only the A genome.  The D genome is the gluten known to cause so many to suffer gluten sensitivity.  As a result, even though einkorn does have gluten, it is much easier to digest and can be tolerated well by most people with gluten sensitivity.
   
2. Einkorn has 3 to 4 times more beta-carotene than modern wheat.  Because of this, it boosts immunity and prevents cancer and heart disease.
3. Einkorn is high in the antioxidant lutein. Three to four times higher than modern wheat.  Lutein has many health benefits (prevents macular degeneration and cataracts to name a couple) and it is what gives einkorn flour the pretty yellow color.
4. Einkorn is higher in protein, vitamin B6, vitamin A, thiamin, phosphorus, potassium and riboflavin than modern wheat.

In short, einkorn is easy on the digestive system, is nutrient dense and has a great appealing flavor.

Why I use einkorn wheat for my family

WE LOVE IT!

From the very beginning even my pickiest eaters have loved the crusty einkorn bread I made with my einkorn sourdough starter.  It has a an absolutely wonderful hearty flavor that we love in bread, pancakes, cookies, hamburger buns…you name it!  There has not been a recipe yet that we don’t like made with einkorn.

WE FILL UP QUICKLY!

We are quickly satiated when eating einkorn, and as a result, we eat way less bread products.  Before, even the fanciest “healthy” nut and grain breads did not stick with us long.  Either you had to eat more or come back for a snack soon after.  We are quickly satisfied with einkorn because it is higher in nutrients AND we absorb those nutrients better. 

This is known as the leptin trigger.  Leptin is a substance in our bodies that tells us when we have enough nutrients and can stop eating.  Modern wheat does not trigger leptin as fast and our bodies do not know when to stop eating. In this way, modern wheat products are addictive.  Because einkorn is so high in nutrients is makes you feel full quickly.  You really cannot eat too much.

WE THINK IT IS A BETTER VALUE!

Because we are satiated quickly we actually eat way less.  While the cost of the einkorn wheat and flours is much higher than modern wheat products, in the end we eat less and get more nutrition bite for bite.

WE CAN ALL EAT IT!

 Finally, a grain we can all eat and be satisfied with. Since I have gluten issues, and I am the head cook, I had adapted many of our family recipes to gluten free grains for the ease in cooking.  This was difficult at best, and wasn’t as satisfying for any of us nor nutritionally sound as I liked.  Now we can all eat the same nutrient dense food!

WE LOVE HOW EASY THE BREADS ARE TO MAKE!

The structure of einkorn flour is quite different than modern wheat.  For instance, bread dough must be quite a bit wetter, needs time to absorb and relax and does not require a long kneading time.  In fact, our favorite sourdough boule that we eat almost daily is a no-knead bread.  It is hard to believe these beautiful crusty sourdough rounds require absolutely no kneading, but it’s true!

The book, Einkorn, Recipes for Nature’s Original Wheat , by Carla Bartilucci of Jovial Foods, was incredibly helpful to me while learning how to make einkorn sourdough starter and breads. It was an essential step in my journey and I still use it almost daily.  I can’t recommend it enough.

WE ARE GETTING THE HEALTHIEST GRAIN POSSIBLE!

As a mom, I finally feel satisfied that I am feeding my family the healthiest and safest grain I can.  There are so many nutritional benefits to einkorn that I cannot begin to list them. 

Favorite sources for einkorn information

Again, my favorite cookbook is Einkorn, Recipes’ for Natures’ Original Wheat.  This cookbook has great information on the history, structure and use of einkorn. While the many bread recipes from her region of Italy are the absolute best (our family LOVES the ciabatta and the focaccia genovese) I have also enjoyed many of the other baked good recipes as I have gotten to know this new grain. 

You can learn more about einkorn at these two websites. Einkorn.com and Jovial Foods   Both of these resources were super helpful in my research for answers to the modern wheat problem.

Forms of einkorn we use

We use einkorn in many forms.  In our breads we use both all-purpose flour and also home milled whole grain berries.  We are currently using our Nutri-mill to grind our whole grain einkorn. If you don’t have a mill, you can purchase whole grain einkorn flour, but it is not as nutrient dense as fresh milled.

We also love the many Jovial foods pastas.  Spaghetti, penne, and linguine are a few of our favorites, but there are others. 

Also, I enjoy Jovial’s sourdough crackers for an on the go snack.  Since I am gluten free (other than einkorn) these and some cheese and apple make a quick meal when I am out running errands.

Want some tips on working with einkorn wheat? Grab my FREE Ebook

Family favorite Einkorn Pecan Pie Bars recipe

This recipe has long been a family favorite that I’ve adapted to using einkorn flour and healthier sweeteners.  We make this every Thanksgiving and Christmas…or even for ski days.  It is like portable pecan pie!

While not a ‘healthy’ food, it is definitely a nourishing dessert by making it from scratch with the wholesome ingredients we choose.  Learn about making your own ‘crispy’ pecans from my post on Soaking Nuts and Seeds.

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More on this subject

If you liked this post leave a comment and let me know.  If you would like to see a tutorial on how I make some of our families favorite breads let me know that too! Thanks for stopping by the farm!

Shop this post

• Country Living Grain Mill  Non-electric grinder
• Nutri-Mill electric grain grinder.
  
• Bosch Universal Mixer.  This is a much newer model than my Universal, but it is still a quality made machine that will last a lifetime.
• Einkorn, Recipes for Nature’s Original Wheat cookbook.  Just get it…best $20 I’ve spent on a cookbook in years.
• All purpose einkorn flour.  Great for lighter weight breads, or special cookies and crepes.
  
• Einkorn whole grain flour.  Excellent for breads, muffins, granolas, pancakes and chewy cookies like chocolate chip and oatmeal.
• Einkorn wheat berries.  For grinding your own fresh flour.
• Jovial einkorn spaghetti, linguine, and penne
• Einkorn sourdough crackers
  

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