Discover the timeless art of baking with ancient grains like Einkorn, Emmer, and Spelt, and transform your favorite recipes into nutrient-rich delights with a rustic, old-world charm. In my latest vodcast for members of the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy, you’ll learn how to adjust your baking techniques for these unique flours and unlock their rich flavors in everything from sourdough bread to flaky pie crusts.
These conversational vodcasts are available to the Kitchen Pioneers who have joined my YouTube membership community—The Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy.
Affiliates note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. My content may contain affiliate links to products and services. If you click through and make a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission. It does not affect the price you pay.
Table of Contents
- The Modern Pioneer Cookbook
- Introducing Ancient Grains
- Adjusting Recipes for Ancient Grains
- Making a Pie Crust with the Ancient Grain Spelt
- Recent Publications
- Grind Your Own Flour with the Mockmill
- Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy
- Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy
- Kitchen Academy Videos
- Shop for items used in this blog post or video
Order YOUR COPY Now!
The Modern Pioneer Cookbook
Seasonal ingredients, traditional techniques, and nourishing recipes. Over 85 traditional, from-scratch recipes! Discover for yourself how you can use simple ingredients and traditional techniques to cook the modern pioneer way.
Introducing Ancient Grains
Baking with ancient grains, specifically the ancient wheats of Einkorn, Emmer, and Spelt, is such a rewarding part of our traditional foods journey! These three grains connect us to centuries of baking traditions and bring us a rich, nutty flavor and added nutrition to every loaf of sourdough bread, soaked quick bread, or pie crust we make. Best of all, these benefits apply even when using their all-purpose ancient grain counterparts, which are still more nutritious than modern-day all-purpose flour that’s sifted from modern-day whole wheat flour.
Unlike modern wheat, which has been hybridized for higher yields, ancient grains retain their original genetic makeup, making them richer in vitamin and mineral content and easier for some people to digest. They’re an amazing gift from the past to our modern-day traditional foods kitchens!
Adjusting Recipes for Ancient Grains
One of the joys of using these grains is their unique texture. However, since ancient grains are different from modern day wheats, you’ll need to adjust your recipes slightly to ensure success. Ancient grains like Einkorn, Emmer, and Spelt absorb liquid differently than modern wheat. They have a lower gluten content and tend to produce softer, more tender doughs that are perfect for rustic breads, cookies, cakes, and pie dough.
The special attributes of ancient grains mean recipes using them typically need less liquid and fat. You’ll want to initially reduce the liquid and fat ingredients in these recipes by approximately 10-15%. But note it’s just a starting point. There is often a bit of trial and error involved to get the adjustments just right, but when you do, the correct amount of fat and liquid will help maintain a workable dough or batter and prevent your baked goods from becoming too heavy, dense, or greasy.
Einkorn, Emmer, and Spelt
For instance, if you’re making a classic quick bread with Spelt flour, you might cut back a tablespoon or two of butter and reduce the milk slightly. With Einkorn, the dough can be quite sticky, so using less liquid when making a basic boule and opting for gentler kneading can make a big difference in the final outcome. With Emmer, an exceptionally flavorful grain, you will notice that less fat allows its robust, earthy flavor to shine through.
Baking with ancient grains is also an opportunity to embrace simplicity. Their flavors are so rich and distinctive that you can often pare back added sugar or spices, letting the grains themselves take center stage. With just a few tweaks and a bit of experimentation, you’ll create wholesome, flavorful baked goods that nourish the body and teach us the art of traditional baking. It’s such a joy to work with these ingredients— they bring a cozy, old-world charm to our traditional foods kitchens!
Learn more
- Wheat Berries FAQ about Einkorn, Spelt, and More
- How to Make Fast No-Knead Sourdough Spelt Bread
- How to Make All Purpose Einkorn Flour at Home
Making a Pie Crust with the Ancient Grain Spelt
In my recent video, “How to Make a White Spelt Flour Flaky Pie Crust with this Easy Recipe“, I show you how to use all-purpose Spelt flour (also known as white Spelt flour) to make a perfect pie crust that you can use for all your home-baked holiday pies.
If you are new to making pie crust—specifically one made with ancient grains—you will find this to be a foolproof recipe with the adjusted measurements I provide for butter and ice water that are required when baking with Spelt. I share an easy technique along with a secret (albeit common) ingredient that I’m sure you have in your pantry that will make your pie crust tender and flaky every time, even if you overwork the dough!
Recent Publications
In my vodcast, I talk about two articles that I wrote that recently published by the following magazines:
- Backwoods Home Magazine
- How to Make a Panforte: An Italian Christmas Fruitcake (Oct/Nov/Dec 2024)
- Mother Earth News
- Make Sprouted Flour and Bake with It (December 2024/January 2025)
To learn more about the podcasts, TV appearances, and magazines that I’ve been in, visit Mary Bryant Shrader Around the Web.
Backwoods Home Magazine
The Backwoods Home and Self Reliance printed magazines are two of our favorite publications, especially since they deal with topics of interest to traditional foods cooks and modern pioneers.
Special Offer: The publisher of Backwoods Home and Self Reliance is offering my sweet friends 50% off subscriptions to their printed magazines. This is not a sponsored post. I love these publications, and I’m grateful you can get them at a discount.
Grind Your Own Flour with the Mockmill
When it comes to electric grain mills, after I did A LOT of research, I decided to buy a Mockmill. And am I so happy I did! The Mockmill is a very affordable but beautifully crafted German-made mill that stone grinds grain with settings ranging from 1 to 10—fine to coarse ground grain.
Learn more about Mockmill electric grain mills for making fresh flour and their Flake Lover’s Flaker that flakes whole grain in minutes. (This is not a sponsored post, I bought the Mockmill products that I show you, and I’m a happy user of their devices in my kitchen.)
- Mockmill 100 Grain Mill unboxing
- Get the Mockmill 100 Stone Grain Mill (Same product I show you in my unboxing video.)
- Flake Lover’s Flaker from Mockmill in action (Using this device, you can flake whole grain in minutes.)
Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy
My comprehensive vodcasts are exclusively available to members of the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy, who we call Kitchen Pioneers. You can learn more about my optional YouTube membership community, including members-only videos and exclusive perks.
This membership community is optional. I’m still publishing my weekly detailed instructional cooking videos on my public YouTube channel that you can watch for free. (Thanks so much for being a Sweet Friend and subscriber!)
Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy
As a Kitchen Pioneer member, your YouTube video comments include a special badge next to your YouTube username. You’re always welcome to post questions and comments on my videos, and I’m happy to reply.
Catch up on some of the videos in our membership community that you may not have seen:
- Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy video playlist (Optional Membership Community)
Kitchen Academy Videos
Discussing the Secrets to Perfect Green Herbal Oils
Let’s talk about the popularity of flavored herbal oils.
Are You Salt Sensitive or Salt Resistant? Get the Latest Salt Intake Research
Learn how your body may react to salt intake differently from others.
What Is the Best Time to Eat Dinner?
Find out if eating dinner early or late is best for you. You might be surprised!
Stay in Touch with Mary’s Nest
- Subscribe to My YouTube Channel for Traditional Foods Videos (Free) - When you subscribe, be sure to click on the notification bell that will let you know each time I upload a new video.
- Subscribe to Mary’s Traditional Foods Newsletter (Free) - Get a free 36-page eBook for signing up: How to Stock Your Essential Traditional Foods Four-Corners Pantry.
- Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy (Optional Paid) - For more detailed videos and exclusive members-only perks, join my YouTube membership community.
- Order The Modern Pioneer Cookbook (Optional Paid) - Get a printed book of Mary's nourishing recipes from a Traditional Foods Kitchen. This bestselling cookbook is published by Penguin Random House with their DK imprint.
I look forward to having you join me in my Texas Hill Country Kitchen!
Shop for items used in this blog post or video
Favorite Kitchen Supplies
- Favorite Aprons
- Spice Grinder
- Countertop Burner (On my kitchen island in many recipe videos.)
- Handheld Vacuum Sealing System
- Vacuum Lids
- Whisk
- Silica Gel Packets (Helps keep moisture from building up in your mix)
- Cast Iron Dutch Oven
- 8-Quart Slow-Cooker
- Fat Separator (Clever kitchen device to help you decant bone broth)
- Flour Sack Towels
- pH Strips (Helps you check on the acidity of your vinegar)
Amazon Shop and Shopping Guide
- Visit Mary’s Nest Amazon Shop
- Visit my Shopping Guide page
Get up to 15% off for stocking your Traditional Foods Pantry and equipping your Modern Pioneer Kitchen, including discounts from US Wellness Meats, Farmhouse Teas, Lehman's, Masontops, Cultures for Health, Survival Garden Seeds, Redmond Real Salt, Plan to Eat, and More!
