If you’re like me and you’re not a huge baker, then maybe you’ve never heard of einkorn flour. Up until about a year ago, I wasn’t aware of einkorn flour, but then I started seeing homesteading accounts I follow on Instagram share recipes using einkorn flour. Then I wrote an article about einkorn flour for Tasting Table and had to research about what it was, where it originated, and how to cook with it.
Once I learned that einkorn is an ancient, non-hybridized form of wheat and that it’s incredibly easy to digest, in fact many people who have gluten sensitivity can eat einkorn without any issues, I knew I had to try it. Considering I’ve been experimenting with baking my own bread, as well as trying to eat healthier, less processed foods, I decided I needed to give einkorn flour a try.
There are some things to know about the flour before you being baking with it, mainly that you can use it as a 1:1 replacement for most whole wheat flour recipes, and it takes about 10 minutes for einkorn flour to absorb liquid, so you’ll need to let your dough or batter rest before cooking or baking for the best results. I found a bag at Whole Foods for around $6 for two pounds, which isn’t awful to pay for something that is non-GMO and organic. Once I had my bag of flour, I began researching recipes.
I found the website Live Simply, which features several einkorn flour recipes. The website has an einkorn oatmeal raisin cookie recipe that calls for simple ingredients, and not much sugar, so I decided to take a stab at it. I replaced the refined sugar in the recipe for date sugar (which is finely ground dried dates) plus about 3 tablespoons of honey. Additionally, for the amount of butter the recipe calls for, I used a 50/50 blend of butter and coconut oil.
My husband is hooked on these cookies and even my younger sister who loves to eat cookies made with regular, refined sugar thought they were delicious. They’re super easy to make (I’ve made two batches now) and you can place the dough in the freezer or freeze individual cookie-shaped pieces of dough and pop those frozen cookie pieces directly into the oven with great success!
After I made the cookies, I tried another recipe I found linked on the site for einkorn flour waffles. WOW! These remind me of those hotel waffles that I love to indulge in when I’m on vacation.
The recipe says they’re freezer friendly as well, but I can’t attest to that since both times I’ve made them, they’ve been gobbled up. Maybe the next time I’ll make a double batch of the batter so I intentionally have leftovers to freeze for lazy mornings.
I’m all out of einkorn flour at the moment, but I’m definitely buying more soon. And I’ll be trying some new recipes, including trying an einkorn pizza dough and einkorn muffins.
If you’re looking to add a new ingredient to your pantry, I hope I’ve encouraged you to give einkorn flour a try. If you do grab a bag and use it, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Let me know in the comments, or tag me on Facebook or Instagram.
Amanda Bretz 