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Working with ancient grains

When working with non-glutinous flours (pseudo-cereals and ancient grasses), you have to more aware of the source of the flours. A variety of mills offer the same flours with different milling processes and different particle sizes, resulting in significantly different flour handling properties. For example, the rate of water absorption for the same flour varies greatly from mill to mill. Water absorption also varies significantly from grain to grain. The pseudo-cereals tend to absorb and hold significantly more moisture, acting more like a paste, than the ancient grass-based flours, which tend to remain gritty in dough systems. The fact that these flours are gluten-free makes their inclusion rates critical. The minimum percent inclusion rate to achieve a noticeable flavor enhancement is to replace 10 percent of the total flour weight (TFW) in your existing formula. This is easily added with minimal interference of the gluten structure being developed by the dough. As you approach a 15 percent inclusion rate, the interference becomes more noticeable. The dough will become more fragile and will require modified mixing and handling. Inclusion rates above 15 percent are possible, but require more attention at all stages. As you approach inclusion rates greater than 50 percent, it is important to understand the limitations of the gluten structures within these doughs.

Looking to the traditional uses of these grains will help understand how to work with them in a modern bakery. Typically, these grains were used to make flatbreads. Flatbreads do not require internal structure, and it is possible to make flatbreads with high inclusion rates (more than 50 percent TFW). The method of inclusion also is important. While dry inclusions are easier to facilitate, they do not offer as much flavor to the final dough as pre-fermenting the flour. Traditional pre-ferments should be used as a basis for flavor development. The most advantageous preferment is one that uses high hydration, such as poolish or liquid starters. This high hydration pre-ferment allows the grains time to hydrate more fully. Depending on the finished product, it may even be necessary to pre-gelatinize some or all these flours by par-cooking with hot water to partially swell the starches prior to the final mixing and ensure full hydration during the bake. Grains such as millet, sorghum and teff do not absorb or hold water well at room temperature, and can greatly benefit from a pre-gelatinization technique.

Whether using dry or pre-gelatinized flour, these grains also greatly benefit from pre-fermentation, which allows the full flavor of the grain to emerge. The flavor profiles of each grain are unique and pleasing. Acidifying your specialty flours through a sourdough preferment magnifies and maximizes the true essence of the grain. Creating an ancient grain starter is a fairly simple way to extrapolate these unique flavors. This can be done quickly through the manipulation of an already existing sourdough culture. With any culture you already have, you can seed a new ancient starter. Using equal parts specialty flour and water, add 40 percent existing sourdough seed and mix until incorporated. Allow it to mature at room temperature for 12 hours. Repeat this feeding every 12 hours. Within one full day’s feeding, the starter will have transformed into a new and unique culture ready for use. Mature cultures can be used as “wild yeast” sourdough. With the application of new sourdoughs, you can begin to create new and unique formulas from specialty flours, with a variety of new flavor profiles.

The San Francisco Baking Institute (SFBI) is a world-renowned leader in artisan bread and pastry education. Its global alumni base includes thousands of professionals, educators and enthusiasts. Critics hail its book, Advanced Bread and Pastry, as the authoritative textbook in the field. SFBI is conducting a five-day workshop on ancient grains from June 28-July 2 and five-day workshops on whole grains and specialty flours Feb. 8-12, June 21-25 and Sept. 13-17 in San Francisco. For more information about the classes or for more formulas incorporating ancient grains, visit SFBI's website, www.sfbi.com.