A Guide To Heritage Grains
Our mission, and the heart of what we do, is to revive and celebrate forgotten heritage and ancient grains. But you may be wondering what they even are.
Heritage Grains are grains that were grown before the introduction of intensive, scientific plant breeding in the mid 1900s, while Ancient Grains date back to almost 10,000 years ago. Both are rich in flavor and dense in nutrients unlike the modern over-processed wheats we’ve become accustomed to.
Discover the heritage and ancient grains we’ve been reviving and cultivating at Hayden Flour Mills.
Heritage Wheats
Einkorn
- About
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- Ideas for Use
Over 10,000 years old, Einkorn is the food of our ancestors and the oldest wheat known to scientists. It’s a slender, petite grain, and far less genetically complex than bread wheat. It fell out of favor because of an extra casing around its seeds called a hull, which can be difficult to remove, but has grown in popularity in its revival as it doesn’t have the D chromosome which seems to be connected with wheat intolerance in many humans.
Full-bodied with a gentle herbiness and undertones of vanilla.
Whole berries can be boiled and added to grain bowls, salads, and soups. Whole grain artisan breads, pound cakes, cookies, muffins, waffles, homemade pasta, and crackers.
Emmer Farro
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Considered an ancient grain variety, dating back 10,000 years, Farro originated in the Fertile Crescent (a crescent-shaped region in Western Asia formed by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and the Mediterranean Sea) and was named after the Pharaohs of Egypt. Farro is encased in a tough outer shell, or hull, and is naturally low in gluten and high in protein, with a nutty flavor and satisfying texture.
Toasted walnuts with light caramelly notes.
Whole berries can be boiled and added to grain bowls, salads, and soups. Farmer’s Porridge (with cracked Emmer Farro) makes an excellent cream of wheat style cereal, or can be added to baked goods for added texture and fiber. Flour can be baked into cookies, quick breads (like banana bread), crackers, and pie crusts.
White Sonora
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White Sonora is the oldest wheat variety in North America. Spanish missionaries, who needed wheat for their communion bread, brought White Sonora to North America around 1640. This disease-resistant, drought-tolerant wheat variety was first planted as a rotation crop to corn in the Sonoran Desert, near the present-day United States-Mexico border. It’s sweet flavor and nutty texture lent itself to a traditional southwestern diet, and eventually gave birth to the first white flour tortilla.
Light and creamy with a sweet essence.
Whole berries can be boiled and added to grain bowls, salads, and soups. Blended with semolina to make homemade pasta. Flour can be baked into cakes, cookies, pancakes, tortillas, cinnamon rolls, muffins, pizza crust, and dinner rolls.
Blue Beard Durum
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Blue Beard Durum is a rare drought tolerant durum that delivers a deep, complex flavor. It gets its funny name from the bright blue whiskers that grow from the ripened wheat, looking a lot like a beard. Durum wheat, produces both a semolina (the texture of cornmeal) and durum flour, depending on how the flour is milled and sifted. Semolina is the sole ingredient in dried extruded pasta. Durum flour is the starchy part of the grain – a golden-yellow flour thanks to the high level of beta carotene in durum wheat. Durum flour is typically used to make bread.
Soft honey taste with notes of cardamom and fresh-cut pine.
Homemade pasta, pancakes, cakes, biscotti, artisan bread, and crackers.
Rouge De Bordeaux
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Rouge de Bordeaux is a heritage bread wheat that is high in protein and was a favorite of French bakers in the 19th century. Named after its region in France, Rouge de Bordeaux wheat has a rich, nutty aroma and is high in protein, making it an excellent option for baking bread.
Rich nutty aroma with notes of cacao and brown sugar.
Artisan breads, rolls, crackers, focaccia, pizza crust, and muffins.
Red Fife
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Red Fife is a heritage bread wheat that was first grown in Canada in 1842 by farmer David Fife. Hardy and disease-resistant, it was popular among Canadian farmers and bakers alike for close to 50 years, until modern dwarf wheat varieties surpassed the yield of heritage wheat, becoming the new preferred crop for farmers. In 2003, Red Fife was revived allowing us to now be able to enjoy its robust whole wheat flavor.
Nutty and robust with notes of cinnamon.
Artisan breads, rolls, crackers, focaccia, pizza crust, and muffins.
Corn
Yellow Corn
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Sadly, 92% of corn planted in the US is now genetically modified. One of the few remaining sources of non-GMO corn in the US is grown by the Ute Nation, where we source our yellow corn. At the base of the legendary Sleeping Ute Mountain, lies the home of the Ute Nation. Growing their yellow corn in a protected valley allows them to harvest beautiful non-GMO crops year after year.
Bright and sweet with a milky, starchy texture.
Polenta / Grits, Cornbread, Cakes, Cobbler, Soup, Waffles, Stuffing, and Tarts.
Olotillo Blanco (White Corn)
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Single origin Olotillo Blanco corn is sourced from the coastal climes of Oaxaca, Mexico. Its high natural oil content makes for a more concentrated, decadent corn flavor that lingers on your palate. Its light, floury starch make it ideal for pillowy tortillas that won’t absorb excess oil when fried. Masienda, who we source our Olotillo Blanco corn from, proudly partners with hundreds of traditional farmers in Mexico to grow, source and offer the highest quality single-origin ingredients.
Light, creamy, and decadent.
Homemade tortillas, cookies, and pizza crust.
Other Grains
Purple Barley
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Cultivated in the mountains of ancient Tibet, Purple Barley was first brought to the United States almost 100 years ago, but had been forgotten for decades - until now. Purple barely is not only rich in majestic color but also flavor, texture, and antioxidants.
Deep, earthy taste with tangy citrus undertones.
Whole berries can be boiled and added to grain bowls, salads, soups, and even barley water! Homemade pasta like pierogi and cavatelli. Flour can be blended with All Purpose or Bread flour and baked into cookies, scones, pound cakes, flatbreads, pancakes, waffles, and artisan bread.
Raw Oats
- About
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Rich, buttery and full of nutrients, our Raw Heritage Oats date back to the 18th century and are a rare hulless, or “naked,” variety that is historically tough to find and farm. But we believe all that hard work is worth it when you taste the full flavor of fresh oats! Grocery store oats have been heat-treated and stripped of their natural oils to extend shelf life, leaving behind a bland cereal. Our award-winning Raw Heritage Oats are harvested and milled to preserve those beautiful natural oils so their flavorful goodness remains intact.
Oatmeal cookies, with notes of cinnamon and brown butter and faintly tannic undertones.
Oats are a very soft grain, easy to turn into flour or cracked oats in a home blender or food processor. We recommend using them to make granola, oatmeal, cookies, oat bars, fruit smoothie, oat flour pancakes, vegan bone broth, and oat milk.
Ryman Rye
- About
- Flavor
- Ideas for Use
First cultivated around 13,000 years ago and long considered an undesirable weed, often shunned for its bitter taste, over time, Rye finally found its place in Russia, Germany, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Scandanavia, where it’s still widely used today. Higher in fiber and lower in gluten than wheat, it’s recently experienced a revival in sourdough baking due to its higher enzymatic activity making it a great starter. Our Whole Rye Flour is stone milled at 100% extraction so all the flavorful, nutritious components are preserved in this whole grain flour. On the spectrum of flavor, Ryman Rye is a mild variety offering a tangy, grassy flavor with complex floral notes.
Complex, layered flavors with hints of coffee with notes of fresh hay and heady sage, and a floral aroma when freshly milled.
With its higher enzymatic activity, bakers love it for their sourdough starters. If baking bread with rye, keep in mind that it moves through the fermentation process more quickly. European style breads like pumpernickel and rye bread, feeding sourdough starter, flatbreads, cakes, cookies, brownies, pancakes, crepes, pizza & pie crust.
Chickpeas / Garbanzo Beans
- About
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Originating in the Middle East, chickpeas are one of the earliest cultivated beans. Chickpea Flour (also known as gram flour, or besan) is high in protein and an important staple in Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and Indian dishes such as Socca (flatbread) and Kalinti (tart). Naturally gluten free, it is widely used in European dishes, such as Italian Farinata and French Panisse (Chickpea Fries). Chickpea Flour is versatile and can be incorporated into everyday recipes, adding an intriguing flavor to cakes, cookies, and even pasta!
Warm and buttery with a hint of nutmeg.
Homemade pasta, crepes, cakes, cookies, farinata (Italian crepe), frites, and falafel.
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