All About Einkorn Flour, Einkorn Pitas + a Jovial Foods Giveaway!

The idea of einkorn flour is nothing new around here, not when we’ve brought you einkorn pizza crust, einkorn apple tartlets, einkorn overnight pancakes and einkorn pumpkin cake. But, ask any wife of a fantasy-football-lover, even familiar ideas can be confusing (am I right?). We’ve received so many questions about this ingredient—Why are we using it? What is it? Where can you find it? What’s it like to cook with? Can we buy the berries and grind them ourselves?—that we realized it was probably time for an all-around einkorn explanation post. So in the following lengthy, photo-filled, FAQ-style paragraphs, we hope to give you the clear, nuts-and-bolts low-down on this new-to-many-people flour (which is actually an ancient grain). What’s more, we’ve got a recipe for using it in the homemade pitas we eat like crack, a giveaway (one bag of Jovial einkorn flour for three winners!) and (!!) a 10% online discount code (plus free shipping!) at JovialFoods.com, which you can go use right away, today.

So einkorn flour. What is it? The simple answer is einkorn is an ancient form of wheat, thousands of years old, the kind of thing men were eating in their earliest grain-eating days.

The longer answer is einkorn is original wheat, as in, the kind that hasn’t been hybridized. It’s high in minerals and, like other ancient grains, rich in nutrients (such as beta carotene and B vitamins). It has fewer chromosomes than other grains—14, as pictured in the Jovial Foods chart below—and it doesn’t have the D genome, which is known to cause gut inflammation. The combination of these characteristics makes einkorn a pretty big deal, at least in terms of digestibility. What’s more, because the gliadin in einkorn functions so differently from the gliadin in modern, hybridized wheat, there’s good reason to think it would be tolerated better by people with gluten sensitivities.

(So einkorn does have gluten? Yes.)

Why are we using einkorn flour now? We like that it’s an ancient grain, we like that it’s easier to digest than other options, we like its versatility and, it should also be said, we like its mild flavor and faintly sweet smell.

Where can I buy einkorn flour? The best resources for buying einkorn flour are online. We’ve purchased Jovial Foods einkorn on its website and via Amazon, when it’s been available there. Note that Jovial only ships within the United States; if you’re located elsewhere, we’d love to hear if/where you find it near you.

But it’s expensive! Einkorn flour is more expensive than other flour we’ve bought in the past, but we think it’s worth it. Likewise, we don’t use it every day. Our current eating lifestyle is fairly produce-heavy, with grains and dairy and meat in smaller proportions. Over the last few months, we’ve just moved the grains section increasingly to einkorn.

What about einkorn berries? I’ve seen those at [insert grocery here]. Can I buy them and grind them? Yes! Jovial also sells einkorn berries online, as does our local Whole Foods, in its bulk bins. They not only can be ground into flour at home but also make an excellent breakfast porridge or can be used like farro or wheat berries in a grain salad.

One thing to note, at least when using the flour in recipes, however, is that proportions may be slightly altered in freshly ground flour versus packaged (due to variations in the fineness of the grinding).

What’s it like in baking? Einkorn is a fairly easy substitute for all-purpose or wheat or spelt flour in recipes, but it absorbs liquids a little differently. So when using einkorn, we usually lower the recipe’s liquid content slightly to accomodate the difference.

What’s going on with the giveaway? Because of how much we’ve been enjoying einkorn flour, we contacted Jovial Foods about running a giveaway here at the blog. We’re thrilled they came on board! You can use the Rafflecopter tool below to enter the giveaway in a variety of ways—it runs through the end of the day Tuesday. And if you have further questions about einkorn, check out Jovial’s website or post them in the comments here!

I want to go buy some einkorn right now! Where’s the discount code you promised? Head over to JovialFoods.com—use the discount code FLW at checkout and you’ll receive 10% off your order, as well as free shipping.

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY HERE!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Einkorn Pitas
Makes around 15 to 18 small-to-medium pitas

As mentioned above, when it comes to mixing ingredients, einkorn flour reacts a little differently to liquids than other flours; for that reason, it’s unlikely a simple one-to-one substitution would work here (whether with spelt or another flour). HOWEVER, if you’re willing to play with the dough a little, it wouldn’t be too difficult. Just follow the below recipe, starting with one-and-a-half cups of the flour you’re using, and keep adding flour until the mixture forms a workable dough. (And then come let us know how it went!)

Ingredients:
2 to 2 3/4 cups einkorn flour, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 packet yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
3/4 cup warm water

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine two cups of einkorn flour, honey, salt, yeast and warm water. Add more einkorn flour as needed to get mixture to turn into a dough, using your hands to work it. Knead it right in the bowl for five to ten minutes.

Divide dough into 15 to 18 same-sized balls. On lightly floured parchment, roll balls into 1/4-inch-thick circles. Cut out parchment around the pitas to make 15 to 18 individual little pitas on parchment, ready to be baked.

Preheat oven to 500F and insert a preheated stone if you have one. Let pitas rest on the counter while oven warms. In 30 minutes, you can begin baking the pita dough. We used a pizza peel to slide parchment-lined pitas onto the stone, baking them for around four minutes each, until they were puffed and golden. You have to do this in batches as they won’t all fit on the stone at once, but because the cook so quickly, the whole process doesn’t take very long. Enjoy pitas stuffed, dipped in hummus or sauces, topped with sauce and cheese or any other way you like!

*Disclosure: We were not paid for this post and all opinions expressed are our own. Jovial Foods sent us some flour and einkorn berries to try, sponsored the giveaway and is offering the discount code for readers. Thanks again, Jovial!

About Shanna Mallon

Shanna Mallon started Food Loves Writing back in 2008, as a way to remember her grandma and write about her life through food. Since then it's become a place leading her to a lifestyle of eating whole foods, a new home in Nashville and the love of her life, Tim. Follow Shanna on Twitter @foodloves, keep up with Food Loves Writing on Facebook and stay inspired with the monthly newsletter.