There’s something especially satisfying about whole grain baking. Not only do they bring wonderful flavor and texture to our favorite baked goods, but they also connect us with generations of home cooks who understood the value of using every wholesome part of the grain.
Whether you’re just beginning to bake with whole grains or you’ve been milling your own flour for years, I hope you’ll join me in my Texas Hill Country kitchen as we bake together from scratch.
In this blog post, I highlight the new recipe posts I created for three of my earlier whole-grain baking videos. This will make it easier for you to get started on these recipes in your traditional foods kitchen.
- Foolproof Whole Wheat Pie Crust
- Lemon Arugula Tart with a Whole Wheat Pie Crust
- Whole Wheat Lemon Cake
Plus, I also have a new video for members of my Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy, where my husband, Ted, asks me about your baking questions.
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Table of Contents
- Learn to Make a Flaky Whole Grain Pie Crust
- Turn That Crust into a Beautiful Savory Tart
- An Easy One-Bowl Whole Wheat Lemon Cake
- New Members Baking Q&A Video
- Discover The Maslin Method
- A Little Story from My Kitchen
- Teach American History Through Traditional Foods
- Grand Teton Ancient Grains
- Grind Your Own Flour with the Mockmill
- The Modern Pioneer Cookbook
- The Modern Pioneer Pantry
- Start Your Traditional Foods Journey
- Download Your Free 36-Page Pantry List
- Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy
- Kitchen Academy Videos
- Shop for My Favorite Items
Learn to Make a Flaky Whole Grain Pie Crust
If you’ve ever been hesitant to make pie crust, don’t worry—I promise you’ve got this!
In my How to Make a Foolproof Whole Wheat Pie Crust recipe and video, I’ll show you how to make an easy, flaky whole grain pie crust that’s perfect for just about any pie you can imagine. The recipe makes a double crust, so you can use both for a classic two-crust pie, or use one crust for a tart or single-crust pie and tuck the second one away in the freezer for another day.
Along the way, I’ll share lots of my favorite tips and tricks for creating tender, flaky layers, and I’ll also explain what it means to blind bake a pie crust and when you’ll want to use that technique.
Turn That Crust into a Beautiful Savory Tart
Once you’ve mastered the crust, let’s put it to good use!
In my How to Make a Lemon Arugula Tart with a Whole Wheat Pie Crust recipe and video, I’ll show you how to transform your pie crust into a delicious savory tart that’s perfect for lunch, brunch, or even a light supper. It’s one of my favorite ways to enjoy seasonal vegetables, fresh herbs, and wholesome ingredients tucked into a buttery whole grain crust.
An Easy One-Bowl Whole Wheat Lemon Cake
If you’re looking for a simple whole-grain treat, you’re going to love this one.
This brightly flavored Whole Wheat Lemon Cake comes together in just one bowl, making cleanup almost as enjoyable as the cake itself! It’s a wonderful everyday cake that’s perfect with afternoon tea, coffee, or served as a simple family dessert.
New Members Baking Q&A Video
I also have a brand-new Members video this week where I’m answering many of your baking questions.
These Q&A sessions are so much fun because they give my sweet husband, Ted, and me a chance to spend some time together in front of the camera. Ted asks many of the questions you’ve sent in, and I answer the ones that come up most often as you’re baking along with me. Sometimes it’s those little tips and techniques that make all the difference!
If you enjoy this question-and-answer format, please let me know! I’d be happy to make these Members Q&A videos a regular feature because I truly love helping you become more confident in the kitchen.
Discover The Maslin Method
If you’ve ever wanted to feel more confident baking with whole grains, including ancient grains, I invite you to join me in The Maslin Method Baking School, a free special baking series of blog posts, recipes, and videos.
What Is The Maslin Method? (And Why It’s the Best Approach to Baking with Whole Grains)
This traditional way of blending grains creates flavorful, nourishing breads with better texture, rise, and ease.
The Maslin Method: How to Bake Bread That Is NOT Defective!
Learn why large holes in bread were once considered a defect and how the Maslin Method creates nourishing loaves with an even, practical crumb.
How to Bake The Modern Pioneer Flagship Maslin Hearth Loaf
Bake a nourishing whole grain hearth loaf with the Maslin Method using blended flours for balanced flavor, texture, and structure.
A Little Story from My Kitchen
Whenever I bake with whole-grain flour, I always find myself thinking about my sweet mom, Gloria.
Long before whole-grain baking became popular, she was already convinced it was the best way to bake. This was back in the 1960s, when finding whole-grain flour wasn’t nearly as easy as it is today. She would happily hunt from store to store whenever she heard someone carried freshly milled flour or a specialty whole grain product.
She also made sure my dad kept his eyes peeled whenever he was working in New York City.
“If anyone is going to have whole wheat flour,” she’d say, “it will be somewhere in New York!”
Back then, baking with whole grains was often considered a bit of a “hippy” thing. It certainly wasn’t something most families were doing.
A Refined Lady with a Crunchy-Granola Heart
What always makes me smile is that my mother didn’t fit that stereotype at all.
On the outside, she was every bit the beautifully refined lady. She always looked lovely in her dress, her pearl necklace and earrings, and when company came, she’d tie on her beautiful hostess apron with all the grace and elegance imaginable.
But underneath that polished exterior was the heart of a true crunchy-granola mama!
She believed that food should nourish us. She loved whole grains, homemade yogurt, fresh vegetables, and traditional foods long before those ideas became fashionable. Looking back now, I realize just how far ahead of her time she really was.
More Than Recipes
Some of my happiest childhood memories are standing beside her in the kitchen, measuring flour, stirring bowls of batter, and waiting impatiently for something delicious to come out of the oven.
Without realizing it, she was giving me something much greater than recipes.
She was giving me a lifelong love of whole-grain baking, traditional cooking, and the confidence that comes from making wholesome food with your own two hands.
Passing Her Love to a New Generation
Today, every loaf of bread I bake and every whole-grain recipe I share with all of you feels like a little way of honoring those wonderful days my mom and I spent together. And now I hope to pass that same love on to another generation.
Teach American History Through Traditional Foods
If you’d like to teach your children—or your grandchildren—not only about whole grain baking and traditional foods, but also about the remarkable story of America, I hope you’ll download my FREE Modern Pioneer Celebrates America Curriculum.
This curriculum is over 150 pages and is designed for grades K–12. Best of all, there’s no email required to download it—it’s our gift to you.
Throughout the curriculum, children explore American history through the foods that shaped our nation. Each lesson pairs an important period in our country’s story with traditional recipes, hands-on cooking experiences, historical readings, discussion questions, and family activities that make history come alive around the kitchen table.
Whether you’re homeschooling, supplementing your child’s education, or simply looking for meaningful family activities, I hope this curriculum will become a treasured resource for your family.
Grand Teton Ancient Grains
Check out the organic berries and flours available from Grand Teton Ancient Grains. I love their high-quality Einkorn, Emmer, Spelt, Millet, and more you can get to create nutritious and delicious baked goods.
Exclusive Newsletter Discount Code
Sign up for my Mary’s Nest newsletter for an exclusive discount code you can use on your order of berries and flours. This discount is available for a limited time, so be sure to stock up on the Ancient Grains you would enjoy using to bake delightful breads, desserts, and more.
And if you’re looking for a grain mill to make fresh flour from your wheat berries, I recommend the Mockmill electric grain grinder. (See below.)
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.)
- Get the Mockmill 100 Stone Grain Mill (Same product I show you in my unboxing video.)
- Mockmill 100 Grain Mill unboxing
- Flake Lover’s Flaker from Mockmill in action (Using this device, you can flake whole grain in minutes.)
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.
Order YOUR COPY Now!
The Modern Pioneer Pantry
Simple ingredients, timeless techniques, and a well-stocked pantry. Discover over 100 nourishing recipes to preserve food and turn pantry staples into homemade meals. Build a wholesome, traditional pantry—just like a modern pioneer!
Start Your Traditional Foods Journey
Sharing my passion for traditional cooking goes beyond my YouTube cooking school—it also comes to life in the pages of my cookbooks. Both of my books, The Modern Pioneer Cookbook and The Modern Pioneer Pantry, are proudly published by Penguin Random House.
The first is filled with time-honored recipes to help you create a traditional foods kitchen, while the second is your complete guide to home food preservation. Order both books today to start or continue your traditional foods journey.
Download Your Free 36-Page Pantry List
For an extensive list of the traditional foods you can make and purchase to stock your pantry, be sure to download my free 36-page Traditional Foods Pantry List. This comprehensive eBook is full of links to recipe videos, helpful articles, and more!
Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy
Are you looking for more traditional foods videos? If so, I invite you to join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy. Members of this optional paid YouTube community get access to exclusive videos and other members-only perks. Plus, your YouTube comments include a special members-only badge.
Kitchen Academy Videos
Baking Questions Answered with Ted and Me!
Join me and my husband Ted for a Q&A filled with practical kitchen tips, helpful techniques, and answers to your baking questions.
Baking with Whole Grains: The Maslin Method, Grain Mills, and America’s Bread Basket
Explore whole grain baking with The Maslin Method, fresh-milled flour, grain mills, heritage wheats, and more.
A Sweet Season of Celebration and New Beginnings with The Maslin Method Baking School Series
Celebrate the close of a heartfelt book tour and the exciting launch of The Maslin Method Baking School for traditional baking.
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 - For more detailed videos and exclusive members-only perks, join my YouTube membership community.
- Order The Modern Pioneer Cookbook - Get a hardcover book of Mary's nourishing recipes from a Traditional Foods Kitchen. This bestselling cookbook is published by Penguin Random House with their DK imprint.
- Order The Modern Pioneer Pantry - Get Mary's latest hardcover cookbook about preserving food and making delicious meals from your Four Corners Pantry. Mary's second cookbook is also published by Penguin Random House.
I look forward to having you join me in my Texas Hill Country Kitchen!
Shop for My Favorite Items
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
- Get a 30-day Audible trial with a free audiobook
- 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, Backwoods Home, Masontops, Cultures for Health, Survival Garden Seeds, Redmond Real Salt, and More!
