Types:

There are two main wheat types heritage and modern wheat.

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Heritage varieties: Heritage wheat varieties, like Øland, are too new to be considered an ancient grain, but too old to be a ‘modern variety’. These heritage wheat varieties are what our great-great-grandparents would have planted. They have benefited from centuries of selective breeding up to about the 1990s. (Ancient wheats date back tens of thousands of years and are in a class on their own.)

Modern varieties: Since the 1990s, the cultivation of wheat took a different turn. The aim became to produce more grain in smaller spaces through intense farming, and higher protein levels to create bigger loaves from less flour. Unfortunately, together with chemical insecticides and modern milling methods, these systems are not only depleting the soil of its nutritious content, but the high gluten strains found in today's wheats are also causing an increased intolerance and digestion issues.

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HISTORY

Wheat is part of the Triticum grass family which is grown and cultivated worldwide for its seed the edible grain kernel (Also referred to as the wheat berry). There are numerous varieties of wheat both modern and old. Heritage grains  

 

We source various raw wheat types that have been cultivated with organic processes. This means no chemicals were used at any stage, read more about this here. Wheat comes in two forma hard and soft. Hard wheat, usually high in protein, is well suited for bread-making. It is also a good basis when blending other variety flours like Spelt, Emmer or Einkorn, giving it a rich full texture and flavour.

Soft wheat, higher in starch and lower in protein, is perfect for baking cakes, pastries, pasta and other more delicate

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USES

The most common use for wheat is wheat flour for breads, pasta, cookies, crackers, breakfast cereal, cakes, muffins, mixes for breads, pancakes and waffles, and in animal feed stuffs. Øland  has high protein content and makes high quality bread.

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NUTRITION

Raw (organic) stone ground verses Modern wheat: Most wheat used for food requires processing. This process determines the nutrition of both the grain and the flour.

Raw: This raw wheat has not been treated, protected or improved by chemicals. Here here for more information. On our connect page you can learn who produced this beautiful grain.

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Modern Wheat: The grain is cleaned and then conditioned by the addition of water so that the kernel breaks up properly. In milling, the grain is cracked and then passed through a series of rollers. As the smaller particles are sifted out, the coarser particles pass to other rollers for further reduction. About 72 percent of the milled grain is recovered as white flour. Flour made from the whole kernel is called graham flour and becomes rancid with prolonged storage because of the germ-oil content retained. White flour, which does not contain the germ, preserves longer. Inferior and surplus wheats and various milling by-products are used for livestock feeds.

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BAKING

Baking with wheat flour is similar to baking with any other hard wheat variety and can be a straight substitute. 

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COOKING

Besides the use of flour, grain makes an excellent alternative for rice. It is delicious when topped with a sauce, sprinkled on top of salads or added to stews. If you are new to eating cooked grains why not mix some with rice and take a first step to introduce this delicious newcomer into your diet. Cooked grain is a healthy supplement to any meal adding its unique of vitamins and nutrients. As the grains are very hard to eat they can be softened by pre-soaking them, then boiling as stated in the recipes, then added to any dish of your choice.