Wheat: a baker's first ingredient

This May, I will be graduating with a degree in Environmental Geography from the University of British Columbia. In light of this, I am often asked what I will do with my degree. What does my future as a geographer hold? I work as a baker full-time and have dabbled in farming and agriculture throughout my time at university. My degree taught me the skills of geographical and political analysis, provided anti-capitalist and anti-colonial frameworks to critique the world and facilitated discussions around commodity chains, degrowth, Indigenous sovereignty and a host of other areas of study. While my answer is not fully formed, nor do I believe it ever will be as life does not abide by such linear thinking, I tell folks that geography has taught me to question the norms and status quo of how and why systems function, what purpose they serve and who they benefit. The modern baking industry, an industry I have intentions to engage with throughout my life, has been built on an array of such norms; use butter and eggs in abundance, baking soda and powder sparingly, use sugar for moisture and cornstarch for stiffness and most importantly, use AP, bread, and cake flour as the base for all perfect pastry. We have been taught to question the source of our eggs (are they free-run, grass-fed?) the quality of our cocoa (single origin, fairtrade?) and the purity of our vanilla (is there colouring additives?) but flour is all too often left unquestioned. Why? The answer is complicated and contingent on a host of factors including where you are, your economic class and your traditional food practices. I feel, however, it is a deeply important question to ask, and I hope my answers here give justice to the vastness of this topic. But as I said, life is not linear. Systems will change, new knowledge will emerge, and preconceived notions will shift. It’s just the beginning. 

Liz Carlisle, researcher, and writer from UC Santa Barbara, writes “If All Purpose Flour is a symptom of a sociopolitical logic determined to concentrate power and quash difference, then fixing the problem starts with reasserting the distinctive ecological and social fabric of diverse communities” (Carlisle, 2019). Wheat cultivation and milling practices today exist primarily to serve cheap, white, mass-produced flour markets that feed the machine of capitalism… the grain has lost its uniqueness for the sake of efficiency. We will delve into more detail in a later portion of this essay. As bakers, we need to see our flour as an ingredient rather than a tool, an exceptional ingredient at that (Brehaut, 2021). Some bakers including LA-based bakers  Roxana Jullapat  and  Rose Wilde  as well as Texan  Pamela Thibodeaux  are already exploring grains within the pastry and bread world, engaging their communities along the way. They, as well as a host of other small-scale bakers, are seeking to redefine the way we use flour, and the relationships bakers cultivate with their millers and farmers. Accessibility is a major issue here as specialty flours (and their subsequent products) continue to be marketed to the elite. This is where the larger conversation needs to be had as government policy and subsidy programs must expand in the direction of supporting regenerative, diverse, and localized crops. I will address accessibility and affordability later in the paper but for now, I will say this: it is critical that we discuss these topics while recognizing the privilege and financial position that makes them accessible. 

Toni Cade Bambara, author, filmmaker, and social activist wrote that “the role of the artist is to make revolutionary change irresistible” (Bradley, 2019). In the context of this essay, a baker, and thus an artist, should see their role as critical in the agricultural revolution. And there must be an agricultural revolution if we are to prevent our world from imminent ecological and social collapse. Within the current status quo, the systems are too broken, the game too rigged and the players too poor.  

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To begin, let us explore the world of grains, wheat in particular. Milling grain is one of the oldest manufacturing processes in the world. Archeological findings show that milling practices date back to 2600 BC in Egypt, where the process largely involved grinding kernels between two stones (Cappelli, Olivia & Cini, 2020). Today, the roller mill dominates production, producing a product with a refined texture and off-white colour (which often forgo further bleaching to produce a stark-white colour) that appeals to bakers and consumers alike. More on that later. 

Globally, the species Triticum aestivum, commonly known as bread wheat, is our most cultivated wheat. The species makes up 90%-95% of the market (Padilla-Torres, 2022). Historically, einkorn (Triticum monococcum), emmer (Triticum turgidum ssp. dicoccum) and, spelt (Triticum aestivum ssp. spelta) were the most prominent wheat crops grown. Together these species carried the Neolithic revolution and the rise of modern civilization in the Fertile Crescent, ~8,000 to 10,000 years ago (Longin & Würschum, 2016). It was not until WWII and the Green Revolution that dwarf genes in crops, particularly wheat, emerged (Balfourier et. al, 2019). Triticum aestivum produces compact, short-stalked, and shallow-rooted grains, making it perfectly primed for mass production. Large investments were made into the genetic modification of the species to maximize the harvest index and subsequent profit (Longin & Würschum, 2016). Thus, the era of white flour began. 

From then on, landrace wheat species (ones adapted to their specific environments) have become increasingly rarer, while the cultivation of the modern germplasm (Triticum aestivum) has increased and spread across the globe. This focus on a few species and their accessions (as is common across industrial agriculture) has had “negative consequences such as the extinction of species, vulnerability of ecosystems, and difficulties to meet future agricultural demands because genetic variability to provide climatic and pest adaptation is lost” (Longin & Würschum, 2016). Such is the case with modern corn, rice, and soy species. 

Many of the articles and peer-reviewed papers I read for this piece noted how certain “artisanal” products have embraced the French concept of terroir – which sees environmental factors including soil, water, and heat, as impacting a crop's flavour profile and use. Terrior has been widely accepted in the production and consumption of wine and coffee; however, there are few other products that the public associates with the term. In ancient grain research, terroir is often compared with landrace wheat varieties, taking into consideration local practices and histories. Wheat can be a regionally distinctive food… but we must build the systems first. To me, this speaks to the collective lack of education and knowledge about our agricultural systems, not to mention the systemized disconnection to lands and our local ecosystems via colonial and capitalist agendas.

To have these larger conversations, we must first understand grain itself. Whole grains (of all species) are made up of three equal parts: the endosperm, the germ, and the bran. AP flour consists only of the endosperm, rendering common flour with its white colouring and soft texture (The Nutrition Source, n.d). One hundred percent endosperm flour blends are also lacking any fat, elongating their shelf life, and allowing them to produce lighter, fluffier pastries and breads (The Nutrition Source, n.d). To produce whole wheat, ratios of bran, germ and endosperm are reintegrated. Of course, this process involves extensive mechanization and refinement.

Modern flour production uses two primary milling methods: stone milling and roller milling. Research published in the March 2020 edition of Trends in Food Science and Technology compares the two methods, offering an objective review of the pros and cons of both. Stone-milled flours have a better nutritional and flavour profile, notably producing flours with 11.4% protein content, significantly higher than the 7.3% found in the final product of roller-milled flours (Cappelli, Olivia & Cini, 2020). The authors found that roller mills are highly efficient and flexible, thus why they have become the primary means of milling following the Green Revolution. Roller mills provide a highly mechanized means to produce large quantities of flour. This is critical to the industry as the world needs means to combat increasing hunger. That being said, the quality of flour they produce cannot compete with that of stone milling, especially when temperatures are monitored closely (one of the only challenges with stone milling) and as a result, flours produced by this method (roller milling) are unlikely to combat global health issues such as malnutrition, obesity, and diabetes (Cappelli, Olivia & Cini, 2020). 

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As a baker, I often hear the phrases “Oh, what an indulgence” or “just as a special treat” in reference to my pastries. I understand where they are coming from, my goal here is not to undermine the luxury of a sweet confectionery. My goal is to illustrate that pastry has so much potential outside of the preconceived indulgence; pastries can be nourishing and nutrient-dense, filled with good fats, proteins and yes, nutritive carbs. Sourcing these nutrients from wheat and other grains that are high in dietary fibre vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals is essential. The industrialized world of pastry makes no such consideration in its craft. 

Wheat is one of the most widely consumed crops in the world. Estimates claim that grain provides 15% of daily caloric intake internationally (Balfourier et al., 2019). Global populations continue to rise and with that, consumption patterns continue to increase the demand for wheat – particularly cheap wheat. Triticum aestivum accounts for 222 million hectares of cultivated land worldwide and data from 2015 shows that approximately 733 million tons of wheat were produced that year (this has most likely increased since) (Mondal et al., 2016). These are significant numbers. However, as was discussed above, the production of this crop may be combating global food insecurity, but a vast array of studies show that the systems by which we produce and consume grains do little good for our health and hidden hunger (i.e., malnutrition). 

Researchers Wei et. al, find that eating more whole grains and foods that are rich in dietary fibre (including flour, continuing germ, and bran) may help prevent obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer and reduce the risk of premature death (2022). Unfortunately, in today's flour market, grocery breads can be labelled “whole grain” if they contain just 51% of the two components of wheat (germ and bran) rendering the other 49% endosperm only (Pipkin, 2017). Most commercial breads are made with white, endosperm-only flour. This flour not only tastes sweeter, but it also is incredibly stable, easy to work with and very predictable (Appelbaum, 2016). In the United States and Canada, many of our bread and pastry products found in supermarkets, restaurants and even “artisanal” cafes contain chemicals ranging from bleach whiteners, dough conditioners and rising agents (Farah, 2019). These include a list of ingredients that are banned in the UK and European Union including potassium bromate, azodicarbonamide and titanium Dioxide (Farah, 2019). 

Part of the issue here is that many mega-scale companies use internal organizations to test, monitor and report on the safety of their products. An emergency medical toxicologist at the University of Pittsburgh, Ryan Marino claims that “there is not often any financial incentive for additional testing [within the companies]” (Farah, 2019). Often, once the FDA approves a chemical additive, it takes years to readdress the additive (Farah, 2019). According to Farah, “The World Health Organization has recommended against adding potassium iodate [a now known carcinogen] to flour since 1965, yet the EWG [Environmental Working Group] lists more than 600 products that include potassium iodate” (2019). The lack of knowledge regarding these chemicals is astonishing and once again, it remains that elite, upper-class communities are the only ones capable of affording alternative products. The Environmental Defense Fund in the US has advocated revoking rules that allow the FDA to offset responsibility of safety regulations to individual companies however, as of 2021 there has been little progress in their claims (Glavinskas, 2022). Chemicals make food cheaper and more marketable to the public, this is near-common knowledge. We must continue to educate and spread awareness about the potential health risks of foods (particularly ones that we consume almost daily, such as flour).

Not only will diversity within our flour and grains potentially benefit global health epidemics, but there is also an abundance of research showing the benefits it could have on the health of our planet. 

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While I make my income as a baker, my formal education has been grounded in environmental principles. Whatever I may do in my pursuits, I will always seek to encourage environmental stewardship and care. I have been privileged enough to also experience farming (on a small scale) and I feel strongly that it is important for people in the culinary world to connect with the land and the community that provides the building blocks for their endeavours in the kitchen. There are movements of change in this sphere, but it remains overwhelmingly directed towards the restaurant industry, leaving pastry, and baking behind. This is largely in part to the globalization of ingredients when it comes to baking; sourcing local chocolate and sugar is not an option for people living in British Columbia. But there is potential, we just have to know where to look.

Farm Folk, City Folk, a non-profit in Vancouver seeks to inspire and equip people to “eat good food that nourishes themselves and the planet” (Farm Folk, City Folk, n.a). The organization works with many grain farms across BC to adopt climate mitigation solutions including cover cropping, reduced tillage, renewable energy technology and supporting biodiversity (Farm Folk, City Folk, n.a). Cover cropping in grain farms and increased rotation are key as many grains varieties demand much from their soils and organic matter. There is huge potential for carbon sequestration on a grain farm, achieved by reducing the amount of disturbance getting rid of summer fallow, finding good food genetics, and increased diversification (Farm Folk, City Folk, 2021). In simplified food systems (which most industrial-scale food systems are), short crop rotations and high external inputs are required to support production. These have global implications including topsoil erosion, biodiversity loss and increased carbon release (Smith et, al., 2023). A recent study published in the journal Nature found that increasing crop rotational diversity (which the authors measure as crop species diversity and functional richness) can enhance cereal yields across many environments (Smith et. al, 2023). 

Globally, 20% of all arable land is considered degraded (Frison et. al, 2016). In this context, degraded refers to the health of the soils in terms of the physical, chemical, and biological decline of said soils (Begum, 2021). There is growing evidence that agroecological and diversified farm systems can keep more carbon in the ground and even revive previously degraded land (Frison et al., 2016). Increasingly, privatized agricultural companies are investing in research and development that focuses on a handful of crop commodities (including wheat, corn, and soy) to ensure the market stays secure and provides significant returns (Frison et. al, 2016). Capitalism still dictates many of the major decisions within our food systems.

Regardless of nutritional and social system changes that need to be made in the way we consume grains, there are also pressures on plant breeders to develop and evolve wheat varieties that are more adaptable to climate change tolerance. This is where landrace species can play a crucial role. Many landraces have genes that could potentially improve grain yield improvement in irrigated areas as well as heat and drought-stress environments (Mondal et al., 2016). Research on the benefits of diverse agricultural systems is vast and far-reaching. We need to encourage farmers, millers and bakers alike to expand their production and use of grains if not for nutrition and health reasons, then for the planet. Our governments need to support this endeavour for it to succeed.

Image from IPES report, found  here 

Historically, there have always been alternative food movements. Uprisings Baking Collective, a worker-run bakery established in 1975 in Berkeley California (no longer in operation) saw the “industrial food systems as part of the larger military-industrial complex ravaging society and instead hoped to create an alternative “people’s economy,” starting with their daily bread” (Carlisle, 2019). To me, the idea of a bakery as a starting point to promote a more fair, just, and inclusive society makes all the sense in the world. In the West, most people eat some form of baked goods every day. Food is a daily choice we make to support and foster the world we exist in. Authors and Researchers Bob Quinn and Liz Carlisle in their book Grain by Grain: A Quest to Revive Ancient Wheat, Rural Jobs, and Healthy Food, find that “small business and effectively dispersed grassroots action could lead to better nutrition and resilience in the food system” (Francis, 2020). 

Today, supported by industrial agriculture and combined with capitalistic-driven consumer habits, food markets have become characterized by an abundance of relatively cheap, highly processed foods that are available everywhere, year-round (Frison et al., 2016). According to the United States Food and Agribusiness Merger Moratorium and Antitrust Review Act of 2019, the top four grain companies today, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Bunge, Cargill and Louis Dreyfus, control as much as 90% of the global grain trade (Booker, 2019). The Act concludes by claiming that “to restore competition in the agricultural economy and to increase the bargaining power and enhance economic prospects for family farmers, the trend toward concentration must be reversed” (Booker, 2019). According to Stephen Jones, renowned genetics professor and coordinator of the Bread Lab at Washington State University, wheat needs to shift away from its global commodity resource status and towards enriching and protecting local communities (Applebaum, 2016). As it currently stands, agriculture within capitalism is dictated by supply chains and corporate monopolies, not by what consumers want. Organizations like the Bread Lab are making changes but, it is incremental, and progress is slow.

Despite the current barriers, there is evidence that the revolution is growing. The 2016 International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems claims that “the way food systems are currently structured allows value to accrue mainly to a limited number of actors, reinforcing their economic and political dominance, and thus their ability to influence the governance of those systems” (Frison et al., 2016). Localizing our farming systems and engaging with more sustainable, agroecological farming methods also requires more labour, which engages workers and provides more sustainable, long-term farming jobs that impassion and empower workers. Unfortunately, these local programs are not supported by government funding which often, supports conventional chemical agriculture with a focus on very few crop commodities (Francis, 2020). Thus, we need to start with organizing; call your representatives and demand changes in the way our agricultural systems are subsidized, support your local mills and bakeries if you have the means and share the knowledge you have now gained!

Read more about United Grain Growers Limited  here. 

"In her extraordinary debut cookbook, Rose Wilde shares her joy of grain. From buckwheat, barley and brown rice to spelt, sonora and sweet corn, Bread and Roses is a comprehensive guide to choosing ingredients with an impact beyond the plate, resulting in delicious results, FEaturing incredible illustrations and luscious photos to make sense of testing, tasting and ultimately creating delicious food! Rose also seeks to reintroduce flowers to our palette with her "root to blossom: approach to cooking. Botanicals provide beauty but go beyond garnish, providing integral depth of flavour in all of Roses's recipes. Inspired by her childhood in South America and global travels, Rose has organized the book into regions of the world. Each recipe features a nod to nostalgia, unique twists and bold combinations, drawing from various cultures and traditions. By pairing grains with produce and botanicals all from the same region, Rose teaches us how to celebrate the abundance of what grows together goes together"

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"A compelling agricultural story skillfully told; environmentalists will eat it up." - Kirkus Reviews When Bob Quinn was a kid, a stranger at a county fair gave him a few kernels of an unusual grain. Little did he know, that grain would change his life. Years later, after finishing a PhD in plant biochemistry and returning to his family's farm in Montana, Bob started experimenting with organic wheat. In the beginning, his concern wasn't health or the environment; he just wanted to make a decent living and some chance encounters led him to organics. But as demand for organics grew, so too did Bob's experiments. He discovered that through time-tested practices like cover cropping and crop rotation, he could produce successful yields-without pesticides. Regenerative organic farming allowed him to grow fruits and vegetables in cold, dry Montana, providing a source of local produce to families in his hometown. He even started producing his own renewable energy. And he learned that the grain he first tasted at the fair was actually a type of ancient wheat, one that was proven to lower inflammation rather than worsening it, as modern wheat does. Ultimately, Bob's forays with organics turned into a multimillion dollar heirloom grain company, Kamut International. In Grain by Grain, Quinn and cowriter Liz Carlisle, author of Lentil Underground, show how his story can become the story of American agriculture. We don't have to accept stagnating rural communities, degraded soil, or poor health. By following Bob's example, we can grow a healthy future, grain by grain.

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Knowing how and where food is grown can add depth and richness to a dish, whether a meal of slow-roasted short ribs on creamy polenta, a steaming bowl of spicy Hmong soup, or a triple ginger rye cake, kissed with maple sugar, honey, and sorghum. Here James Beard Award–winning author Beth Dooley provides the context of food’s origins, along with delicious recipes, nutrition information, and tips for smart sourcing.

More than a farm-to-table cookbook, The Perennial Kitchen expands the definition of “local food” to embrace regenerative agriculture, the method of growing small and large crops with ecological services. These farming methods, grounded in a land ethic, remediate the environmental damage caused by the monocropping of corn and soybeans. In this thoughtful collection the home cook will find both recipes and insights into artisan grains, nuts, fruits, and vegetables that are delicious and healthy—and also help retain topsoil, sequester carbon, and return nutrients to the soil. Here are crops that enhance our soil, nurture pollinators and song birds, rebuild rural economies, protect our water, and grow plentifully without toxic chemicals. These ingredients are as good for the planet as they are on our plates.

Dooley explains how to stock the pantry with artisan grains, heritage dry beans, fresh flour, healthy oils, and natural sweeteners. She offers pointers on working with grass-fed beef and pastured pork and describes how to turn leftovers into tempting soups and stews. She makes the most of each season’s bounty, from fresh garlic scape pesto to roasted root vegetable hummus. Here we learn how best to use nature’s “fast foods,” the quick-cooking egg and ever-reliable chicken; how to work with alternative flours, as in gingerbread with rye or focaccia with Kernza®; and how to make plant-forward, nutritious vegan and vegetarian fare. Among other sweet pleasures, Dooley shares the closely held secret recipe from the University of Minnesota’s student association for the best apple pie. Woven throughout the recipes is the most recent research on nutrition, along with a guide to sources and information that cuts through the noise and confusion of today’s food labels and trends.

Beth Dooley looks back into ingredients’ healthy beginnings and forward to the healthy future they promise. At the center of it all is the cook, linking into the regenerative and resilient food chain with every carefully sourced, thoughtfully prepared, and delectable dish.

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In this monumental new work, beloved dessert queen Alice Medrich applies her baking precision and impeccable palate to flavor flours—wheat-flour alternatives including rice flour, oat flour, corn flour, sorghum flour, teff, and more. The resulting (gluten-free!) recipes show that baking with alternate flours adds an extra dimension of flavor. Brownies made with rice flour taste even more chocolaty. Buckwheat adds complexity to a date and nut cake. Ricotta cheesecake gets bonus flavor from a chestnut flour crust; teff is used to make a chocolate layer cake that can replace any birthday cake with equally pleasing results. All of the nearly 125 recipes—including Double Oatmeal Cookies, Buckwheat Gingerbread, Chocolate Chestnut Soufflé Cake, and Blueberry Corn Flour Cobbler—take the flavors of our favorite desserts to the next level. The book is organized by flour, with useful information on its taste, flavor affinities, and more. And because flavor flours don’t react in recipes the same way as wheat flour, Medrich explains her innovative new techniques with the clarity and detail she is known for.

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Finalist for the IACP Cookbook Award in Baking and the James Beard Foundation Book Award in Baking and Desserts. Named the Best Cookbook of the Year by Bon Appétit, NPR, Washington Post, Epicurious, WBUR Here & Now, and Five Books. Named the Best Cookbook of the Spring by Eater, Epicurious, and Robb Report The key to better, healthier baked goods is in the grain. Barley, buckwheat, corn, oats, rice, rye, sorghum, and wheat will unlock flavors and textures as vast as the historic lineages of these ancient crops. As the head baker and owner of a beloved Los Angeles bakery, Roxana Jullapat knows the difference local, sustainable flour can make: brown rice flour lightens up a cake, rustic rye adds unexpected chewiness to a bagel, and ground toasted oats enrich doughnuts. Her bakery, Friends & Family, works with dedicated farmers and millers around the country to source and incorporate the eight mother grains in every sweet, bread, or salad on the menu. In her debut cookbook, Roxana shares her greatest hits, over 90 recipes for reinventing your favorite cakes, cookies, pies, breads, and more.

Her chocolate chip cookie recipe can be made with any of the eight mother grains, each flour yielding a distinct snap, crunch, or chew. Her mouthwatering buckwheat pancake can reinvent itself with grainier cornmeal. One-bowl recipes such as Barley Pumpkin Bread and Spelt Blueberry Muffins will yield fast rewards, while her Cardamom Buns and Halvah Croissants are expertly laid out to grow a home baker’s skills. Recipes are organized by grain to ensure you get the most out of every purchase.

Roxana even includes savory recipes for whole grain salads made with sorghum, Kamut or freekeh, or easy warm dishes such as Farro alla Pilota, Toasted Barley Soup, or Gallo Pinto which pays homage to her Costa Rican upbringing. Sunny step-by-step photos, a sourcing guide, storage tips, and notes on each grain’s history round out this comprehensive cookbook.

Perfect for beginner bakers and pastry pros alike, Mother Grains proves that whole grains are the secret to making any recipe so much more than the sum of its parts.

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