Bluebird Ingredient: Emmer Flour

April 26, 2014

Grilled Flatbread

Print Recipe
6 flatbreads
Last week I taught a “baking with ancient grains” cooking class. With 2 hours to wow and inspire my students, and a tiny oven, I had to come up with recipes that could be prepared and baked together. On the menu were emmer coffee cake, onion galette with einka crust, and grilled flatbread, three ways. Our first flatbread was made with 100% Bluebird einka flour, next was 100% Bluebird emmer flour and last was a  50/50  Bluebird emmer and Bluebird hard white flour blend. I wanted my students to experience the unique flavors and performance of our whole grain ancient einka flour (a variety of Einkorn wheat)  and whole-grain emmer flour. The flatbread was a perfect fit. All three doughs were unique in flavor, character, and performance. The emmer flatbread yielded enormous nutty, rich flavor with small, delicate bubbles ( the class favorite). The 100% einka flatbread yielded a soft textured, slightly airy bread with mild, vanilla flavor. The 50/50 blend had a loft with large air bubbles, a mild nutty flavor, and soft pliability.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 3 1/2 cups Bluebird Emmer Flour (you can substitute Bluebird Einkorn Flour or Bluebird Pasayten Hard White Flour-or use a mix!)
  • 1 1/2 cups warm water
  • 1 tablespoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil for greasing bowl
Topping Suggestions
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried chili pepper
  • 1-2 cloves garlic finely diced with sea salt to taste

Methods

  • Oil a large ceramic bowl with 1 teaspoon of olive oil.
  • Combine 1 1/2 cups of warm water, yeast and honey in the bowl.
  • Allow the yeast to bloom for 5 minutes until bubbles appear.
  • Add flour and salt to the wet mixture and stir until ingredients are combined.
  • Turn dough over onto floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, adding flour if the dough is too sticky. Do not overwork the dough and be careful to not add more than 1/2 cup of flour, as you want the dough to remain soft and pliable. 
  • Form the dough into a ball and place in the oiled ceramic bowl, cover and allow to double in size for about 2 hours.
  • Punch the dough down and fold the dough over itself and form the dough back into a ball, careful to not overwork the dough. Let the dough rise again for about 1 hour.
  • After the second rise, scrape the dough onto a floured surface and divide it into 6 to 8 equal parts.
  •  Heat a large cast-iron pan or grill over medium heat.
  •  Working with one piece of dough at a time, gently roll dough into small, irregular circles. Careful not to press down too hard or overwork dough, as the dough will lose its loft.
  • Move the dough onto wax paper or silicone baking sheet until all the dough is rolled out. Wax paper can be used to separate each piece of dough if necessary.
  •  When pan or grill is evenly heated carefully select rolled out dough and brush with oil, place oil-side down.
  • Once the dough is in the pan, brush more oil, face side up. Quickly flip dough once bubbles have fully formed (about 3-4 minutes) and brush with more olive oil if needed.
  • If the dough is burning, turn the heat down slightly. Allow bread to fully cook through, about 3-4 more minutes (6-8 minutes total cook time ).
  • Move baked bread to rack and dust with dried herbs, sea salt, and diced garlic.
  • Quickly and swiftly continue grilling the remaining pieces. Most likely you will have drawn attention and will have a large crowd of eaters surrounding you, anxiously awaiting their first bite.

January 4, 2014

Market Chocolate Hazelnut Emmer Brownies

Ingredients

  • 1 cup melted butter
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3 tbsp vanilla
  • 4 farm fresh eggs
  • 1 cup Bluebird Grain Farms Organic Emmer Flour
  • 2/3 cup Dutch Cocoa
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 cup finely chopped roasted & skinned Hazelnuts
  • 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Methods

  • Pre-Heat Oven to 350 degrees.
  • Melt butter and turn off heat. Stir in sugar and vanilla. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add emmer flour- incorporate thoroughly before mixing in cocoa, salt and baking powder. Mix well. Add ½ cup of hazelnuts (reserving the other half for the top) and chocolate chips.
  • Pour in 9 x 13 greased and floured pan.
  • Sprinkle remaining hazelnuts on the top.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let brownies cool thoroughly before cutting them out of the pan.

Products used

 

January 4, 2014

Best Whole Grain Pie Crust

Print Recipe
1 crust
Recipe Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Book of Desserts

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups Bluebird Organic Whole Grain Flour Einkorn or Sonora flour yield a light, mild, buttery crust. Emmer Flour yields a dark rich crust. Hard White Flour yields a dense, mild flavor crust. All whole grain flours work.
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp sugar (optional)
  • 1/2 cup chilled butter
  • 3-4 tbsp ice water

Methods

  • This crust may be made in a processor or by hand. Either way, it is critical to work quickly to avoid developing the gluten and to preserve a tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
To make by hand:
  • Combine the flour, salt, and sugar, if using, in a large bowl. Work the butter into the flour with a knife, pastry cutter, or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle the ice water onto the crumbly dough and, with your hands, punch the dough from the sides to the middle of the bowl to form a ball. Transfer to a work surface. Cut the dough in half, place half on top of the other, and press down. Repeat the cutting and pressing steps three or four times until all of the water is incorporated into the dough and it clings together.
  • Sandwich dough between wax paper or silicon rolling mats with a lightly floured surface, gently flatten the ball of dough with a rolling pin. Starting from the center, roll the dough into a circle about an inch larger than the diameter of the pie pan. Carefully lift the wax paper or silicon mat with rolled dough and flip into pie pan. Crimp edges.
To make in a food processor:
  • Cut the butter into I inch pieces and place them in the bowl of the food processor. Add the flour, salt, and sugar. Process until all of the ingredients are incorporated. With the processor on, add the water a tablespoon at a time until the dough begins to clump but is still crumbly. Continue to drizzle a little water and pulse the food processor, stopping to test the dough to see if it is moist enough to hold together. When you can gather the dough into a ball, remove it from the processor, place it on a lightly floured surface sandwiched between wax paper. Roll out and fit into a greased pan as stated above.
    * For a pre-baked pie shell, preheat the oven to 375. Prick the prepared crust in several places with a fork.

January 4, 2014

Vegan Emmer Pancakes

emmer pancake and waffle mix
Print Recipe
Recipe Developed for Bluebird Grain Farms by Acacia Larson MPH, RD, CD

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Bluebird Emmer Pancake & Waffle Mix
  • 1 ¼ cups silk creamer or other soy-based creamer
  • ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 ½ teaspoon Ener-G Egg Replacer a dry mix found in baking aisle
  • 2 tablespoons warm water
  • Vegetable oil for cooking

Methods

  • Heat a skillet over medium heat.
  • In a large bowl combine the emmer pancake mix, Silk creamer, cider vinegar, egg replacer and warm water. Stir well to combine. The batter will be thick.
  • Coat the skillet with vegetable oil and use a ¼ Cup measure to drop batter onto the hot skillet. Use the cup to spread the batter out a bit.
  • Turn the heat down to medium-low (since the cakes are thick & fluffy, they need a bit more time on the skillet to cook through). When pancake tops are dotted with a few air bubbles, flip and continue to cook until done – a minute or so per side depending on skillet temperature. Continue adding oil as needed and repeat with remaining batter. 
  • Serve with your favorite toppings!

January 4, 2014

Simple Chocolate Emmer Cupcakes

Print Recipe
12 cupcakes
Recipe compliments to Tess Hoke, Local 98856

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups Bluebird Grain Farms Emmer Flour or Bluebird Einkorn Baking Mix
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp baking soda (omit if using Bluebird’s Einkorn Baking Mix)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tbsp vinegar
Chocolate Frosting
  • 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate chopped
  • cup unsalted butter softened at room temperature
  • 1⅓ cups powdered sugar 
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Methods

  • Heat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Grease cupcake tins or line with cupcake papers. Mix together dry ingredients, in a separate bowl mix together wet ingredients. Slowly incorporate dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until well blended. Fill cupcake tins ¾ full and place in the oven. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  • While cupcakes are baking, prepare the frosting.
Frosting
  • In a double boiler, add chopped chocolate, whisk until fully melted. Set aside to cool. When chocolate is at room temperature, add soften butter, beat with a handheld blender. Add powdered sugar and vanilla beat until frosting is smooth.
  • Top cooled cupcakes with the chocolate frosting.

January 4, 2014

Emmer Blueberry Tart

Ingredients

Blueberry filling:
  • 4 cups fresh blueberries
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
  • 3 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
Crust
  • 1/2 cup Organic Emmer Flour
  • 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/2 cup chilled butter
  • 2 tablespoons ice water
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest

Methods

Filling:
  • Combine blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, almond extract, and tapioca. Set aside for 10 minutes. If you are using frozen fruit, combine it with the sugar and lemon juice, set aside to thaw, then add the almond and tapioca.
  • While blueberries sit, prepare the tart crust.
Crust & Assembly:
  • To make by hand, combine the flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Work the butter into the flour with a knife, or pastry cutter, or fingers until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Sprinkle the ice water and lemon juice onto the crumbly dough, and with your hands, push the dough from the sides to the middle of the bowl to form a ball that holds together.
  • Transfer to a work surface. Cut the dough in half, place half on top of the other, and press down. Repeat this step two more times until all the water is incorporated into the dough.
  • On wax paper with a floured surface, gently flatten the ball of dough with a rolling pin. Place another piece of wax paper on top of the flattened dough. Starting from the center, roll the dough into a circle the size of your tart pan.
  • Peel the top layer of wax paper off the dough and flip the dough over onto the pan. Carefully peel the other layer of the dough and form crust to the pan.
  • Spoon blueberries evenly onto crust. Bake for 50 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Cool

Products used

 

January 4, 2014

Einkorn Basecamp Waffles

Print Recipe
*Adapted from “Cory Diamond’s Special Waffles For Sunday Guests in the Little Star Cookbook, 2001.

Ingredients

  • 3 eggs
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 3/4 cup plain organic yogurt
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 1 teaspoon oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup Bluebird Einkorn Flour or Bluebird Einkorn Baking Mix
  • 1 cup unbleached white flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder omit if using Bluebird’s Einkorn Baking Mix
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Methods

  • Make sour milk by adding 1 Tablespoon lemon juice to whole milk and let sit for 5 minutes.
  • Add soured milk to yogurt, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and add yogurt/milk mixture.
  • Cook in a Belgian-style waffle iron and top with yogurt, syrup, fresh fruit, and walnuts.
  • For a super kid treat, put the leftover cooked waffles in the fridge and use them as a substitute for bread in a peanut and butter and jelly/honey sandwich!

January 4, 2014

Emmer Walnut Tea Cakes

Print Recipe
Courtesy of Chef Christina Choi of Nettletown

Ingredients

  • 2 cups butter
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 cups Bluebird Grain Farms emmer flour 
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts, coarsely chopped (if the walnuts are too fine the cookies will be crumbly)

Methods

  • Cream butter and powder sugar together until smooth. Add vanilla extract, then slowly add flour and nuts until combined. Scoop into 1-inch balls.
  • Place 2 inches apart on parchment lined sheet pan and bake at 325F for 20 minutes.
  • When cool roll in powdered sugar.

Products used

January 4, 2014

Emmer Donuts

Print Recipe
The inspiration for these little gems came from our friend Richard Wasson of The Methow Valley Ciderhouse.

Ingredients

Dry ingredients:
  • 1 1/2 cups Emmer Flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cardamom fresh-ground if possible
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg fresh-grated if possible
Wet ingredients:
  • 1 large egg
  • 3/4 cup milk or soy milk
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil melted
Cinnamon sugar mixture for topping (optional)
  • 1/2 stick butter melted (1/4 cup)
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Methods

  • Rub wells of donut maker with oil. Pre-Heat donut maker.
  • Mix dry ingredients together until well blended. Mix wet ingredients until blended. Blend dry and wet ingredients until thoroughly incorporated. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes (Emmer Flour absorbs moisture). The batter should not be runny but able to pour with help from a spoon). Add more milk if necessary to get it to this consistency.
  • Fill wells of donut maker ½ full with batter. Put the lid down and bake for 6-8 minutes until donuts are evenly browned. Take donuts out and set them aside to cool.
Cinnamon sugar topping:
  • Melt butter. Mix sugar and cinnamon. Dip donuts in melted butter face down and sprinkle with the mixture.
  • Note: These donuts are baked not fried. I know there are lots of folks who are not satisfied with only baked donuts. If you find yourself in this camp, you can bake them then fry them in your choice of oil!

Products used

January 4, 2014

Rustic Emmer Pasta

Print Recipe
10 cups cooked pasta
This recipe is dedicated to my Grandma Betty, who always made homemade pasta for our family’s Thanksgiving dinner. She would cut the pasta by hand, then cook it & toss with butter and parsley. We turkeys gobbled it up. A pasta machine makes rolling the dough much easier, but it can also be rolled out with a rolling pin (just like grandma did).

Ingredients

For the Pasta
  • 3 cups Bluebird Emmer Flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons salt (kosher or sea salt)
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
  • 2 tablespoons water
For Grandma Betty's Sauce
  • 1-2 large cloves garlic pressed
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin or melted butter
  • 1-2 handfuls fresh herbs chopped (I like parsley)

Methods

To Make Pasta
  • pour the flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt into a large bowl and stir together with a fork. Make a well in the center of the flour
  •  add the eggs, oil and water.
  • Use the fork to whisk the eggs and slowly incorporate the surrounding flour. When it gets tough to stir, use your hands to knead the dough together.
  • If all the flour does not absorb into the dough, add more water a teaspoon at a time. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes, until smooth and not sticking to the board. It will be a dense dough. 
  • Cut dough into 4 equal pieces, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  •  Working with one piece of dough at a time, coat with flour, and roll through the pasta machine at the lowest setting (usually 1). Fold the dough into half or thirds, then roll it through again. 
  • Repeat 3 to 4 times on each setting, until you get to setting #5, the dough will get thinner each time.
  •  Cut the sheet of dough into strips as wide as you like, toss with flour to prevent sticking together, and set aside while you roll out the rest of the dough.
  • Heat a large pot of water to boiling, add 2 teaspoons salt, and cook the pasta for 5 minutes. Drain, toss with the sauce ingredients, and serve.

Products used

 

January 3, 2014

Summer Potlatch Cakes with Cherry Tomato-Fig Salsa

#PotlatchPilaf #farrocakes
Print Recipe
4 people
This recipe answers the question: what do I do with leftover cooked pilaf? If you start with already cooked grain, use about 3 cups. Serve with an end of the summer tomato-fig salsa and dinner is on the table in 30 minutes.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup olive oil extra virgin
  • 1 cup Bluebird Potlatch Pilaf
  • 2 1/4 cups chicken broth
  • 1 1/2 cups squash or zucchini
  • 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes chopped
  • 1 cup fresh figs chopped
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil chopped
  • 3 eggs
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons Bluebird Emmer Flour
  • 3 ounces goat cheese

Methods

  • Heat up one tablespoon olive oil in a medium sauce pot and sauté pilaf until toasted, about 2 minutes.
  • Add stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for 45 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, sauté squash over medium-high heat with another tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Cook until soft and brown, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
  • When pilaf is cooked, spread out on a sheet pan and cool.
  • Mix in a large bowl with squash or zucchini, eggs, emmer flour, pinch of salt and pepper, and goat cheese.
  • Mix well, form into cakes and fry in some olive oil over medium high heat until golden brown on both sides. Keep warm in a 200 degree oven.
  • Meanwhile, in a medium bowl mix tomatoes, figs, two tablespoons of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey and basil. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
  • Serve potlatch cakes with cherry tomato-fig salsa.

January 3, 2014

Emmer "Cornbread" and Sausage Stuffing

Print Recipe
16 cups

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup Bluebird Emmer Flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 cup Bluebird Cracked Emmer Farro
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 teaspoons salt kosher or sea salt
  • 2 large eggs
For Farro:
  • 1 cup Bluebird Emmer Farro
  • 5 cups water
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt kosher or sea salt
Stuffing
  • 1/4 cup olive oil extra virgin
  • 1 large shallot diced
  • 2 medium onions halved and sliced 1/4" thick
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt kosher or sea salt
  • 2 large cloves garlic minced
  • 1/4 cup dry sherry or white wine
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 lemon zested
  • 1 large carrot peeled and diced
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • 3 stalks celery diced
  • 1/3 cup fresh parsley chopped
  • 9 ounces sausage links fully cooked: andouille, chicken or kielbasa, diced

Methods

To Make the Emmer Cornbread
  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  • Place an 8-inch cast iron skillet on the stove over medium-low heat and add the butter to melt.
  •  In a medium mixing bowl combine the Emmer flour, Cracked Emmer, sugar, salt and baking powder. Stir with a fork to blend.
  •  In a small mixing bowl combine the buttermilk, milk and eggs. Whisk with a fork to blend.
  • Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to mix gently just until most of the dry ingredients are incorporated (its ok if there are a few dry streaks – you don’t want to over mix this).
  • When the butter has melted, pour in the batter and gently spread it toward the edges in an even layer. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 – 30 minutes, until golden on top.
To Cook the Farro
  • Place the farro, water and salt in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low, cover, and simmer for 50 minutes. Drain excess water.
To Make the Stuffing
  • Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.
  • Place a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion slices and sprinkle with the salt. Stir frequently for 1-2 minutes, until the onions start to turn translucent. Turn heat down to medium-low, and stir occasionally for about 25 minutes, until onions are golden and caramelized.
  • Add sherry to the pan and cook, stirring for about 1 minute. Pour onions into a bowl and set aside.
  • Place the sauté pan over medium heat and add the butter to melt. Add the carrot, celery, sausage, shallot and rosemary. Cook for 2 minutes, add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the broth and cook for an additional 2 minutes to heat through.
  • Crumble the Emmer cornbread into a large bowl and add the cooked farro. 
  •  Use a microplane or the small holes on a grater to grate the zest from the lemon over the bowl.
  • Pour the sausage mixture over the bread mixture, then pour in the eggs and parsley. Stir gently to combine the ingredients.
  • Pour stuffing into a large rimmed half-sheet pan or casserole dish. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for 15-20 minutes, until the top is crispy.
  • You can also use this stuffing to stuff your turkey, or to stuff squash halves for baking.