Most people who stroll the grocery isle to pick out flour have no idea which option would be the best to choose. I know until a year ago, I had no idea either! There is so much that goes into wheat and the flour we buy. So I’m here today to share with you what I have learned as a mom of kids with gluten sensitivities and how we substitute einkorn flour for all purpose flour.
Gluten sensitivity and celiac disease are two very different things and should be treated as such. For today, I’m only speaking to people with sensitivity and not true celiac!
First, let me explain a bit more about einkorn wheat, one of the ancient grains used a long time ago. Einkorn flour is one of the first types of ancient wheat used in baking. It’s differences include less gluten, a more fragile gluten structure, higher nutritional value, and it’s grown without every being hybridized or sprayed with harmful chemicals. Why does this matter at all?
Modern wheat flour has been hybridized time and time again. What this has produced is a wheat with a much higher gluten content, the gluten structure is very tough and robust, it has a much lower nutritional content because most all purpose flour is bleached or overly processed, and most modern wheat flour is heavily sprayed with chemicals.
What does this have to do with gluten intolerance?
So glad you asked! How do all these differences between all purpose einkorn flour and modern wheat flour add to the rising number of people with gluten intolerance or gluten sensitivity? If you have ever heard of people who can’t eat modern wheat taking a European vacation and being able to binge eat pasta, this is one of the reasons! The flour quality and type they use is vastly different from what the standard U.S. uses. Because modern day wheat flour has a higher and tougher gluten structure you need a pretty robust digestive system to break it down. Lacking the vital nutrients to aid in this process over time can lead to gluten sensitivities in individuals.
Swapping your flour from all purpose white flour to all purpose or whole grain einkorn flour can help your body digest the flour easier and fully be able to absorb and use the nutrients in the wheat. And the best part, einkorn flour bakes pretty closely to regular all purpose flour. You can swap this flour in your favorite recipe with a tiny bit of conversion.
Einkorn Flour Usage
Einkorn Flour absorbs less water and at a much slower pace than all purpose flour. Because of this, a great conversion rate in recipes is to use an extra 1/4 cup of einkorn for every 1 cup of all purpose. This will help accommodate for the lack of moisture absorption. You can also use the same amount of flour but just decrease the liquid by 1/4 cup. Whichever your choice, its a great way to add in this nutrient dense flour to your favorite recipes!
Another pro tip: if you using Einkorn flour in a quick bread or bread recipe where you need to knead it, it might be sticky despite adding in the maximum amount of flour. My suggestion, add a bit of oil to the counter and your hands and continue kneading. This should help with the sticking without adding in too much flour and ending up with a dense, overly dry bread.
Do I need any special tools?
Baking can be as complicated or as simple as you make it! You can have the fancy baking equipment if you want, and I’m not saying sometimes it’s not helpful. But it will be an extra cost and isn’t always necessary. If you are new to baking in general, you don’t need anything special to work with einkorn flour vs all purpose flour. My baking basics would be alarge mixingbowl,silicone baking mats,baking sheet, agood rolling pin,measuring cups, andtea towels. If you have these basics, you are good! Extras could include things like a stand mixer or Dutch oven (for baking sourdough)
Should I use All Purpose or Whole Wheat
To use einkorn flour, think of it similarly to all purpose flour. Where you would use all purpose vs whole wheat is the same as using einkorn all purpose flour vs einkorn whole wheat. The conversions would still be the same in your recipes. If you want the added bonus of wheat flour, you can add that as your recipe calls for with the conversion of more flour or less liquid!
Favorite Einkorn Recipes
I have been experimenting with einkorn flour for a while now and have tried a long list of recipes subbing in this ancient grain. It works really well! Some of my favorite recipes include homemade tortillas, pizza dough, pie crust, & banana bread. Any quick bread for that matter, muffins, focaccia bread, any of your favorite bread recipes will work great. Just know with the weak gluten structure the kneading will be less than modern wheat. To check out these and many other einkorn flour recipes head toour siteand search ‘einkorn flour’.
Where to buy
Your local grocery store chain is a good place to start. But if you can’t find it check local! Most health food grocery stores will carry this flour and some even carry einkorn wheat berries if you want to mill your own flour! This would be a great place to start if you are just wanting to begin to experiment with it. It will likely be a smaller bag so if you are wanting a 10lb bag to experiment with,amazonhas the best deal!
If you love this flour and want to have it delivered regularly, you can set up an autoship with Vitacost! This saves you a few dollars on each bag and is the best way to get this delivered for the best price. I love Jovial Foods brand of Einkorn as their farming practices are top notch but feel free to do your own research and buy what works best for you!
This packed in a ton of information about the ancient grain flour, einkorn. The nutty flavor, health benefits, and lower gluten are such selling points to make the extra effort to swap out traditional all purpose wheat flour. This is such a good alternative to modern wheat while not missing out on your favorite recipes you and your family love! I hope you will feel confident to give this a try, it will be hard not to fall in love!
