Artisan Wheat – Taste the Difference

By Charlie White, Sustainable Agriculture Extension Associate

Food culture is on the rise in the United States and consumer demand for food that is fresher, healthier, and most of all, tastes better, is stronger than ever.  At the beginning of this food revolution baked goods did not see quite the same level of interest as cheese, charcuterie, and heirloom tomatoes did.  But that has changed, and now there is strong interest in heritage and specialty grains, freshly milled flours, and artisan baked goods.  Here are a few tips about getting started with artisan wheat, gleaned from the experience of myself and colleagues around the Northeast.



A local loaf, crafted from 1/3 whole wheat flour, freshly milled from wheat grown in PSU’s 2010 variety trial, and 2/3 white spelt flour from Small Valley Milling in Halifax, PA.



Make the most of what you have.  Pennsylvania farmers have traditionally found soft red winter wheat best suited to the local agronomic and market conditions.  While soft wheat doesn’t make a great bread flour, it is well suited to other uses in the home and bakery such as flour for pancakes and biscuits.  My family has spent countless weekend mornings devouring pancakes, waffles, and biscuits made from freshly milled wheat obtained from the Penn State variety trials and local farmers.  You wouldn’t imagine it, but Greg Roth has perfected the recipe for a peanut butter cookie made from hulless barley flour.  And the Weatherbury Farm Bed and Breakfast in Avella, PA serves oatmeal made from freshly rolled oats grown on their farm.  These are just a few examples of how the crops traditionally grown in Pennsylvania can be utilized to meet consumer interests.

Try an artisan variety.  Not all wheat varieties taste the same, according to panels of bakers and consumers throughout the Northeast who have conducted taste tests of numerous wheat varieties.  Many of the more flavorful varieties seem to be heirlooms.  In a Vermont taste test, preliminary survey data suggested that Ladoga, a spring wheat variety developed in Russia in 1916, was the most favored variety.  Red Fife, a 19th century heirloom revived from Canada in recent years is reputed to have exceptional flavor and performed well in trials in Pennsylvania and New York.  We included the variety Frederick in this year’s PSU winter wheat variety trial based on the suggestion of Mary-Howell Martens of Lakeview Organic Grain.  Frederick is a soft white winter wheat that produces a whole wheat flour that is lighter in color and milder in flavor than red wheat.  We’ll let you know how Frederick mills up later this summer.

Use it freshly milled.  To appreciate the true flavor of wheat, use whole wheat flour when it is freshly milled.  Whole wheat flour contains the bran and the germ of the wheat kernel, which are valuable sources of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and flavor.  The germ also contains a small amount of fat which will turn rancid if stored at room temperature for more than a few weeks after milling.  This is why many whole wheat flours purchased off the grocery store shelf can result in a slightly bitter finished product.  Some farmers and mills, like White Frost Farm in Danville, PA and Farmer Ground Flour in Trumansburg, NY sell freshly milled flour direct to consumers.  You can also invest in a family-scale grain mill and source grain directly from a local farmer.  The Country Living grain mill I own is made of cast iron, has replaceable steel burrs, and hopefully will be passed down through many generations.  Originally it was hand cranked, but a few years ago I built a cabinet for it that houses a ¾ horsepower electric motor and belt drives.  There are also countertop grain mills with an integral motor and plastic housing that are slightly less expensive.

Penn State plans to expand it’s testing of artisan and heirloom grain varieties under organic management this fall, in collaboration with colleagues in New York and North Dakota.  Also, on September 16th, Penn State’s Sustainable Agriculture Working Group will be hosting Thor Oechsner, a partner in Farmer Ground Flour, as a seminar speaker to learn more about the production and marketing of organic specialty grains.  Stay tuned to this blog for more information about our work in this area.

Resources on artisan grains:

Northeast Organic Wheat Project- http://www.growseed.org/now.html

Northern New England Local Bread Wheat Project- http://sites.google.com/site/localbreadwheatproject/

Organic Growers’ Research and Information-Sharing Network – http://www.ogrin.org/