The Loaf
Available from the 13th September, our new wholesome Emmer Sourdough is a delicious loaf made with wholegrain ancient Emmer flour and coated in Bran.
This healthy and hearty loaf features a soft open crumb which boasts pronounced nutty and earthy flavours. In addition to being one of the world’s oldest wheat varieties, Emmer is also a good source of fibre, protein, magnesium and vitamins A, B, C and E.
This loaf is extremely versatile making it the perfect ingredient for open and closed sandwiches, or as a complement to a large variety of dishes.
Our Emmer Sourdough will be available to all industry customers including cafes, restaurants, hotels, caterers, and retailers and through our Café at the Bakery in Banksmeadow.
The Grain
Emmer is thought to have originated in a similar area to Einkorn in the late Paleolithic era (17,000BC) and cultivation began around 10,000BC. Cultivated Emmer became the dominant wheat grown in the Middle East, Europe and north Africa from 10,000 BC to 4,000BC, and is still grown today in parts of north Africa, India and Italy. Emmer is a Tetraploid wheat with 28 chromosomes.
Perhaps more commonly known as farro, emmer wheat was widely cultivated in ancient times and is only now experiencing a resurgence.
Although a difficult process to remove, the outer hull protects the kernel from insect damage and preserves the quality of the kernel during storage. Modern wheat’s hull is easily removed with harvesting equipment, therefore, modern wheats gained popularity, replacing the ancient wheats, due to their lower costs of production.
However, ancient wheats are regaining popularity because of their unique flavour and emerging health benefits being revealed by studies. Ancient wheats are suitable to modern, sustainable no-till farming methods. Many products are made with ancient wheats including bread, pasta, noodles, breakfast cereals and biscuits. Each ancient wheat exhibits its own flavour and texture, and all are truly GMO free.
The Farmer
Geoff Brown, from Buckwheat Enterprises, is the farmer responsible for growing our Emmer wheat in Parkes, central west NSW.
Buckwheat Enterprises is a major supplier of high quality, Australian grown ancient grains such as Emmer, spelt and Khorasan. In addition to ancient grains, Geoff has been processing and exporting buckwheat since the 1970’s.
Their facility in Parkes was built with segregated sealed silo storage and conveyors to minimise contamination between grains. Ancient wheats grown by them have not been breed or modernised in any way, they are in their original ancient form.
Geoff is a member of the Sustainable Farmers of Australia which maintain as part of their farming practises the following guidelines:
- No detectable chemical residues in harvested grain
- No-till farming system
- 100% Australian grown
- No in-crop spraying with any herbicides, insecticides or fungicides
- No stubble burning
- Soil testing for nutrient levels and safe fertilisers used
- Ancient wheat varieties selected for baking quality, flavour, and human health benefits
Ancient wheats are relatively easy to grow without the use of chemicals being applied to the crop itself. In Australia’s long hot growing season, wheat crops are naturally dry in the hot summer sun, meaning there is no need for spraying.
For these farmers, it is vital that we protect our ancient soils. By utilising modern technology and no-till machinery it is possible to increase organic matter and soil fertility while producing high protein ancient grains.
For more information visit Buckwheat Enterprises here.
