What is Einkorn Flour and Why Should I Care?
With more and more people finding out that they have a sensitivity to gluten, taking control of your food supply is more important than ever. And finding an alternative to modern wheat is also a huge concern for many people!
It seems like everyone has a friend or family member with a gluten allergy - and my family is no exception. But something always bugged me about the idea of gluten allergies... How did our ancestors eaten wheat products for so many generations without concern?
Long story short - they didn't.
The wheat products that they ate were a far cry from the ones we have today.
Modern wheat has been fiddled with. And I'm not just talking about GMO processes. No, wheat has been cross bred and hybridized for many centuries to produce the modern wheat we have now.
This has resulted in a food that our bodies weren't created to deal with. Our bodies don't know how to break down modern wheat into something that we can use. Instead, wheat weakens our systems and causes a myriad of issues - including wheat sensitivities.
Einkorn wheat is the only wheat that has never been hybridized! It is the ORIGINAL wheat!
It is also higher in protein and is far easier to digest than other wheat varieties.
As a bonus, it's also only available in organic form, so you also avoid such pesticides as glyphosate which is found is all non-organic modern wheat.
When I learned about Einkorn flour, I wondered if this original strain of wheat would be suitable for my family who cannot tolerate other wheat forms.
The author of the bestselling book Wheat Belly, Dr. Davis, mentioned Einkorn in his book - saying that after eating Einkorn wheat products "… I felt no perceptible effects — no sleepiness, no nausea, nothing hurt. In short, I felt fine. Whew!”.
Fabulous! I was sold!
In January of 2014, my family cut out all wheat, sugar, and any other form of non-vegetable or fruit carbs. I felt my energy come back and my wide variety of ailments disappear; it was amazing! But to be honest, I really missed Southern home cooking that included bread products!
So after reading about Dr. Davis' experience with Einkorn, I had to try it for myself.
Even for those who don't suffer from gluten allergies, getting back to food as it was created to be eaten is a very important part of homesteading. It reduces the chemicals and toxins that you put into your body, and it reduces the reliance you have on others in order to be able to feed your family.
So, I took control and ordered some Einkorn flour from Jovial foods. Free shipping and it was on my doorstep in about 5 business days! Jovial foods even talks about their own journey to Einkorn here.
I had known about Einkorn for awhile now, but hadn't taken the plunge yet. Initially, I found the cost to be high, but have since found simple ways to work the higher priced item into our budget.
The freedom of eliminating the toxins caused by modern wheat AND not have to give up my favorite bread products was too good to give up!
I'm happy to report that Dr. Davis' reports are true! After years of eating only Einkorn wheat, we have had no "side-effects" from eating Einkorn!
That's not to say that everyone will react the same way, but it worked out that way for us.
Einkorn Recipes
Since the all clear from our first experience with Einkorn, I've been using Einkorn to make all sorts of tasty things! Here are the recipes we make all the time, if you'd like to try your hand at a few (or all) of these delicious Einkorn recipes.
Click to view full recipe or read the full Einkorn Archives
Patricia Moore says
I got to enjoy some of these delicious treats a few days ago and let me assure you this is a recipe you’re definitely going to want to make… often! As soon as my Jovial einkorn flour arrives this will be one of the first things I make! (My husband is nodding his head!) So glad we can have some of the treats we’ve been missing!
Victoria says
I’m so glad you liked them! And I hope your einkorn flour comes in quickly… so many great recipes in your future!
Sherri says
Do you use whole grain einkorn flour in any of your recipes?
Victoria says
Hi again Sherri!
While I don’t use whole grain einkorn flour, many of my readers have reported that they were able to successfully use it in many of my recipes.
The only thing you really need to do is make sure it’s not too dry or too wet. So, keep an eye on the batter or dough and adjust as needed.
I do this by adding 1 tbsp at a time of either liquid or flour until the right texture is reached.
I hope that helps!