Farro? Spelt? Emmer? Einkorn? What is going on with these terms and which is which? Have you been wondering too? I have been mighty confused lately so I thought I would share what I found out. My trusted source on all things heirloom and ancient grains is Glenn Roberts from Anson Mills. According to Glenn, Farro is and Italian name and there are three types: Farro piccolo (Tritium monococcum), Farro medio (Triticum dicoccum) and Farro grande (Triticum spelta).  The name corresponds to their kernel size and their scientific name always helps me get things straightened out. All three of them have another name in various languages some of which we have adopted in english and this is where things got confusing. Farro piccolo is also known  as Einkorn which in German means “one kernel” a name that refers to an individual awn’s tendency to break into single spikes. Farro medio is also know as Emmer the hebrew name for “mother” and Farro grande is otherwise known as Spelt. What they all have in common is they are ancient grains and all wonderful too cook and bake with! So from now on I am going to stick with Einkorn, Emmer and Spelt. So when you see Emmer Bread on next months offerings, it is the same as Farro this month. If you haven't cooked with any of the three “Farro’s” yet I highly recommend it. They are really tasty and you can buy Emmer (called Farro on the package) from Timeless Seeds, which is grown here in Montana and substitute it for rice in your next meal!
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This week’s Share
Farro (Emmer) Sourdough
Ingredients: Montana grown org. wheat flour, C5 Organics’ emmer berries, fresh ground Timeless Seed’s Farro, water, org. sourdough culture, sea salt.
Sunflower Seed Sandwich Loaf
Ingredients: Montana grown org. wheat flour, water, org. sunflower seeds, org. sourdough culture, sea salt.
Bakers Choice: Red Quinoa Wheat Sandwich Loaf
​Ingredients: Montana grown org. wheat flour, water, org. red quinoa, org. sourdough culture, sea salt.

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.

This week I finally got to experiment with a wonderful Sonora Heritage Wheat grown by Jacob and Courtney Cowgill in Powers, MT. This is my first (almost) single farm loaf! 75% freshly milled, whole grain Sonora Heritage Wheat grown by two people that truly believe in organic farming, family farms and local food.  
Let me introduce you to these wonderful farmers and Prairie Heritage Farm in their own words:
“The farm is owned and operated by Jacob and Courtney Cowgill, two central Montanans returning to their roots. We both left Central Montana as young adults, for school and careers but came back as soon as we possibly could.
We wanted to find a way to make a life in Central Montana but we also wanted to give back to the communities that raised us -- to be part of sustaining and reinvigorating the culture and economy of rural Montana.
Prairie Heritage Farm is, in a lot of ways, the kind of farm that existed in this region 50-100  years ago: diversified, small-scale and locally based. Our vision is to be a model for how to revive elements of that old kind of agriculture alongside the kind of agriculture that has sustained our communities in the last several decades.
We believe that family farms nourish not only the people who work them, but the people they feed and communities in which they live. We believe organic agriculture, diversification and a robust local food system are good for the health of our farm, our customers, our community, ourselves and our environment.” To read more about Prairie Heritage Farm and see pictures you can go to their website www.prairieheritagefarm.com
I am very excited to be working with them and am honored to use their grains in my bread. Let me know what you think!

This week’s Share
German Rye Bread
Ingredients: MT org. wheat flour, org. rye flour, sourdough culture, sea salt,  honey, barley malt, org. coriander, org. fennel, sea salt.
Polenta Sandwich Bread
Ingredients: MT org. wheat flour, org. yellow corn , water, sourdough culture, sea salt.
Baker’s Choice: Montana Heritage Bread
Ingredients: Sonora Heritage Wheat, MT org. wheat flour, water, sourdough culture, sea salt.