All About Farro

This week I am using one of my favorite new grains, Farro which is a very old form of the heirloom grain emmer (triticum dicoccum). Emmer is an ancient precursor to wheat and has been cultivated by Neolithic farmers in the Middle East at least 10,000 years ago. In ancient Rome, farro was a staple food that provided the main source of nourishment for the Roman legions, and it was even used as a form of currency. Farro is high in fiber and a good source of iron and protein. Farro is easy to digest, allowing your body to readily absorb the nutrients. Besides all these fun facts about this ancient grain, it tastes delicious and I can’t get enough of it. If you like the taste in the bread you might want to try it in other dishes as a substitute for other grains. Its chewy texture and nutty flavor are great for salads, pilafs or with your farmers-market-ratatouille. Montana’s Timeless Seed Farmers (remember them from the Lentil Underground book I recommended a while back?) grow this beautiful grain right here in our state. You can find it in 16 oz packages at Town and Country with the other grains and seeds from Timeless Foods or directly on the Timeless website. 

The 100% Rye loaf is the kind of bread I grew up on. Coriander-Rye was my absolute favorite as a kid and there was only one baker that made it. The dense, dark and strong flavored loaf brings back memories of my favorite school lunch butter-sandwiches. It’s interesting to me that my favorite sandwich to this day, is still this dark bread with a lot of butter, a sprinkling of sea salt and nothing else. It lasts for days, so is perfect for those long airplane rides or road trips when there is nothing else good to eat. Enjoy!!

This week’s Share

Farro-Wheat Sourdough
Ingredients: Montana grown org. wheat flour, Timeless Food semi-pearled org. farro berries, Timeless Food fresh milled org. farro flour, water, sourdough culture, sea salt.

100% Rye Sandwich Loaf
Ingredients: fresh milled org. rye flour, water, sourdough culture, coriander, sea salt.

Bakers Choice: Country Sourdough variation
This loaf has the same ingredients the original Country Sourdough has, but I added more water to see how the crumb and crust change. Let me know what you think!

Ingredients: Montana grown org. wheat flour, water, sourdough culture, sea salt.