Estimated time: 5 mins.
When most people think of flour, they think of a bag of flour. When I think of flour, I see a meadow, and all that is growing in it. My base blend is called a Meadow Blend, but I want to encourage you to make your own botanical blends. So this is a list of some of the grains I use to blend with. It is very important to note that when we are making the Classic Sourdough Formulas, we blend the flour with bread flour that contains 13 per cent protein to make use of its gluten strength.
What kind of ratio do you blend?
For beginners, I recommend starting by blending 80 per cent wheat with 20 per cent non-wheat. Look for a bread wheat or use spelt. You can source grains using our Milling Ingredients Directory.
For example, in a typical 1kg mix, I might use 600g spelt + 100g einkorn + 100g emmer to make up 800g, and then for the remaining 20 per cent ( 200g), I play about with other grains.
I have not included buckwheat in the list below as it is not technically a grain, but it would work as part of a blend if you like.
I then create more diversity by adding herbs, flowers and seeds. Sometimes I use fresh herbs, but in the winter I use dried.
How to store
I store my grains in glass jars. It looks attractive, but more importantly, it means they are safe from beetles and other insects. If I am concerned about an outbreak of insects, I freeze the bag of grain for 24 hours and then transfer into the jar.
| Amaranth Barley Bulgur Corn/Maize Durum wheat Einkorn Emmer wheat Farro Freekeh Kaniwa | Kamut Khorasan Millet Oats Quinoa Rice Rye Sorghum Spelt Teff Wheat |
