It's a Labor of Love
Break free from your preconceptions about whole grain baking. With the right ingredients, like Community Grains Wheat Grain Flour, and trusty techniques (see below), baking a delicate, airy loaf of whole grain bread is a piece of cake, or should we say, a slice of bread. Made from 100% whole heirloom grains grown and milled in Northern California, this medium-fine flour has an inherent nuttiness that translates into a rustic, earthy loaf of bread with aromas of freshly toasted wheat. Community Grains' recipe for basic pizza and ciabatta is great for novice and experienced bakers alike. It doesn't need any kneading or additional butter or oil - all it takes is time. But, the reward of a light, crusty loaf straight from the oven is well, worth the wait.
Community Grains Whole Grain Flour
What exactly is a "whole grain?"
Community Grains is redefining whole grains as we know them. Unlike many commercial wheat flours, the parts that make up each grain - the endosperm, the bran and the germ -are never separated during the milling process, creating a truly WHOLE grain product. The result is full-bodied flour with sweet, nutty notes that enhances whatever you're baking.
Tips for Whole Grain Bread Baking:
- Don't shy away from liquid. Bread made with whole grain flour can take up to 90-95% liquid whereas bread made with all-purpose white flour only requires 70-80%.
- Wet your work surface and hands with water rather than flour. This stops the dough from sticking to the surface without adding more flour and drying out the dough.
- The trick is to FOLD, not knead. Pockets of air are created with each fold resulting in cloud-like dough with enough elasticity to be easily handled.
- Be creative. This full-bodied flour stands up well to bold additions, such as harissa and capers or sundried tomatoes and fennel seed.
Start Baking with Whole Grain Flour Now
Wild Fennel Seed from Sicily
The family behind Azienda Agrobiologica Marino hand harvests these organic fennel seeds from the hillsides of Monte Iblei in southeastern Sicily. These small, greenish brown seeds are highly aromatic with a pronounced aroma and taste of sweet anise and licorice. Use for making sausages, porchetta, chai or scatter over roast potatoes, rye bread, or, try chewing on a few seeds as a breath freshener.
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