Why use Fresh Milled, Ancient Grains
in our Norton's Wellbread?
Spelt | Amaranth | Quinoa | Millet | Oats | Teff |
Fresh Milled Whole Grains? We mill grains fresh for your order.
We use both stone grinding and steel burr mills to grind the grains fresh for your order. They help retain the maximum nutritional value for the final Norton's Wellbread bread product. Plus, we freeze our bread mixes to also further preserve the nutrition. Here is a little background on milling methods and types of flours: The modern milling and distribution system for normal flour means it has lost as much as 80% of its nutritional value by the time you use it!
The three basic flour categories are:
| Wholemeal - | 100 percent extraction, made from the whole wheat grain with nothing added or taken away. (this is how we mill our flour for Norton's Wellbread) | |
| Brown - | usually contains about 85 per cent of the original grain, some bran and germ have been removed. This flour is frequently labeled as "85 per cent flour" rather than brown. | |
| White - | usually 75 per cent of the wheat grain. Most of the bran and wheat germ have been removed during milling. |
Other varieties of flour:
| Wheat germ - | white or brown flour with at least 10% added wheat germ. | |
| Malted wheat grain - | brown or whole meal flour with added malted grains. | |
| Stone ground - | whole meal flour ground in traditional way between two stones. (We stonegrind much of our flour for a coarser feel and nutty taste.) | |
| Organic - | flour milled from a wheat grown and processed naturally without the use of chemicals. (All the grains we mill are organic!) |
Ancient Grains and Nutrition Value
Organic Grains Why we use them
Organic farming produces nutrient-rich, fertile soil which nourishes the plants, and it keeps chemicals off the land to protect water quality and wild life. Organic farming also gives us food that is safer to eat and much more likely to keep us healthy.
Food Allergies? Are you sensitive to wheat?
Some people are sensitive to wheat or gluten. The protein gliadin, found in wheat gluten, causes digestive distress in these people. While wheat is highest in gluten, rye, barley, and oats all contain smaller amounts. People with wheat sensitivities can enjoy gluten-free grains such as amaranth, rice, corn, quinoa, buckwheat and millet. Surprisingly, some people with wheat sensitivities tolerate kamut and spelt. Consult your health care practitioner before experimenting with these older forms of wheat. For a list of foods that contain either gluten or wheat, refer to the gluten-free diet and wheat-free diet articles. (Norton's Wellbread Products include recipes with our organic whole grains for hot cereal mixes, pancake mixes and bread mixes that a friendly for people with food allergies. We continue to develop recipes for people with food allergies or Celiac Disease. Please watch for more News at: www.breadwithoutborders.com )
Like some of the other exotic grains, Quinoa isn't a grain at all but is technically a fruit. Quinoa might be a new and exotic item here in North America, however, this isn't so in South America where it has grown for more than 5,000 years in and around the Andes Mountains. The Incas called Quinoa 'the Mother Grain' as eating this food tended to give long life. Quinoa can be grown just about anywhere - presently being grown in the US and Canada. But North American growers, so far, are unable to match the quality of Quinoa that comes from the high mountains of South America. Farmers trying to grow this variety of Quinoa, called Altiplano, haven't been able to get it to produce in the lower elevations of North America.
Instead, North American farmers grow a darker brown, more bitter tasting variety of Quinoa called 'Sea Level Quinoa.' The really good, light colored, sweetly delicate Quinoa comes from the highest mountains in the Andes. This 'Golden Grain of the Andes' is such a rugged little plant that it can even grow at high, extremely dry elevations where even grass won't grow. Yet, the most sought-after strains of Quinoa are so fragile that they won't produce at lower elevations on good soil. Interestingly enough, much of the world’s Quinoa is grown in Bolivia at elevations around 12,000 feet.
Quinoa is one of the few foods with a relatively balanced protein. Quinoa’s high level of the amino acid, lycine, complements wheat nicely. By mixing Quinoa into your wheat at a ratio of 25% Quinoa to 75% wheat, the Quinoa will make your wheat breads a complete protein. This is a Celiac friendly grain.
Amaranth is an 8,000 year old crop called the “super food” by the ancient Aztecs. Once an abundant part of the empire’s crop base, Amaranth was fed to runners and warriors because of its reputation for providing large bursts of energy and improving athletic performance. The crop was regarded so highly that each year bushels of Amaranth were presented to their leader, Montezuma. Because the crop figured so prominently in Aztec culture and religious ceremonies, the conquering armies of Cortez burned the fields to the ground. As European crops replaced indigenous ones, Amaranth slowly fell out of use. Twenty years ago, the “ancient crop with a future” enjoyed a renaissance when the National Academy of Sciences recommended Amaranth as one of twenty foods to be re-introduced into the American diet.
The main reason for Amaranth’s recommended re-introduction is its phenomenal nutritional profile, which provides several important nutrients that are often difficult to incorporate into a restrictive diet. For example, Amaranth contains large amounts of dietary fiber, iron, and calcium as well as other vitamins and minerals. Amaranth also has naturally high amounts of lysine, methionine and cysteine combined with a fine balance of amino acids making it an excellent source of high quality, balanced protein, which is more complete than the protein found in most grains. In addition to Amaranth’s outstanding nutritional value, it is also very low in sodium and contains no saturated fat. Another outstanding feature is that our Amaranth is organically grown and is naturally Non-GMO.
Amaranth is also the only grain in this study that contains significant amounts of phytosterols which scientists are just now learning play a major part in the prevention of all kinds of diseases. Amaranth is also rich in many vitamins and minerals.
The millet seed is a small, round, ivory colored seed about 20 mm in diameter. There are 6,000 varieties of millet grown around the world. The variety sold in North America for human consumption is called "Pearl Millet". It has a rather alkaline pH which makes it a really easy grain to digest. Used mainly as bird feed, millet has a rather bland flavor.
The Hunzas, who live in a remote area of the Himalayan foothills and are known for their excellent health and longevity also enjoy millet as a staple in their diet.
Millet is used in various cultures in many diverse ways: The Hunza’s use millet as a cereal, in soups, and for making a dense, whole grain bread called chapatti.
In India flat thin cakes called roti are often made from millet flour and used as the basis for meals.
In Eastern Europe, millet is used in porridge and kasha, or is fermented into a beverage and in Africa it is used to make bread, as baby food, and as uji, a thin gruel used as breakfast porridge. It is also used as a stuffing ingredient for cabbage rolls in some countries.
Millet is tasty, with a mildly sweet, nut-like flavor and contains a myriad of beneficial nutrients. It is nearly 15% protein, contains high amounts of fiber, B-complex vitamins including niacin, thiamin, and riboflavin, the essential amino acid methionine, lecithin, and some vitamin E. It is particularly high in the minerals iron, magnesium, phosphorous, and potassium. Millet contains more calories than wheat, probably because of it’s higher oil content of 4.2% which is 50% polyunsaturated.
Millet is highly nutritious, non-glutinous and like buckwheat and quinoa, is not an acid forming food so is soothing and easy to digest. In fact, it is considered to be one of the least allergenic and most digestible grains available and it is a warming grain so will help to heat the body in cold or rainy seasons and climates. Millet is a gluten free grain and is the only grain that retains it’s alkaline properties after being cooked which is ideal for people with wheat allergies. With a texture much like brown rice, millet can be used in pilafs, casseroles or most oriental dishes that call for rice, quinoa or buckwheat.
Oats, like barley, have a hard outer hull that must be removed before it’s ready for human consumption. Even though the outer hull of an oat kernel comes off easier than a barley kernel’s hull, it’s still not within reach of the average consumer to accomplish this. For this reason, if you want whole oats to eat, purchase them already hulled. Hulled oats, called oat groats, look very much like rye or Triticale. (We use Cut Oats, plus we mill it into fresh flour for our Norton's Wellbread.)
Through modern science, we learned that oats are a remarkably healthy food. With a relatively high soluble and insoluble fiber content of 10%, oats are an excellent food in lowering cholesterol and reducing the risk of heart disease. Containing over 4 times the fatty acids of wheat, oats can be considered a high calorie food containing 19% more calories than wheat. One third of those fats are the polyunsaturated type which are required for good health. Oats are also rich in the B vitamins, contain the anti-oxidant vitamin E and oats are mineral rich as well.
Teff is a tiny grain (150 grains weigh only as much as a kernel of wheat) with a distinctive flavor. Native to northern Africa, it has been a staple of Ethiopian cooking for thousands of years, and it is the main ingredient in the traditional flat bread called injera. Teff is now grown in the United States, primarily in Idaho. Because teff is gluten-free, it’s a good choice for people who need to avoid gluten and wheat. Courtesy of Teff & Co.
Teff comes in white, brown, and red. The flavor of each is best described as nutty. Teff is used in cereals and in baked goods like crackers, cookies, and breads. It is available packaged as a whole grain or flour.
Yet another of the super grains, gluten-free teff is one of the nutritious giants. It is much higher in iron and calcium that wheat, rice, millet or oats. It is also a rich source of other minerals including magnesium, boron, copper, phosphorous and zinc.
Teff is the smallest grain in the world so tiny it takes 150 teff seeds to equal the weight of a single wheat kernel. Because it is so tiny, the entire grain must be milled since there is no way to remove the germ or the husk. Teff has been the "rice and wheat" of Ethiopia for centuries.
Teff now comes in three colors: red, brown and white. White is the most delicate and the mildest of the three. Even though it is white, it is not processed. The red and brown teff have a richer, nuttier flavor.
Teff is a grain prominent in Ethiopian cuisine, and although it is native to northern Africa, it is now being cultivated in Idaho, of all places. Teff happens to be one of the smallest grains in the world, measuring only about 1/32 of an inch in diameter. One cup of cooked teff contains 387 milligrams of calcium (40 percent of the USRDA, which is more than milk), 15 milligrams of iron (100 percent of the USRDA) and is high in protein as well as fiber. You can buy teff in its whole grain state or ground into flour for baking. And I can tell you from experience that teff makes the best pie crust I've ever had.
Barley, wheat (at first emmer and since Ptolemy II, 3rd century BCE, a more modern, naked sort) and durah, a kind of millet, were used. The corn was pounded by men to make a fine grain. The bran was separated and used as animal feed. The grinding was mostly women's work and took hours of hard
labor kneeling down every day, often causing disability. Only the amount of meal used each day was prepared. They fought tedium by singing chants such as "May the gods give my master strength and health" (or that is what their master, who left the record of these words, would have liked them to sing.) ...more
When wheat began to be cultivated and not just gathered, people began to develop ways to grind more grain at one time. At first, a couple of good stones were used. Then sloping or saddle stones or a simple mortar and pestle were used. This was very physical labor as it took several hours to grind enough grain for just one meal. The coarsely ground grain also wore down people's teeth. The flour would contain powdered bits of stone as well as the grain.
This site is all about ancient Egypt, including great original art about how they harvest , store, and mill grain (spelt).
Courtesy of Fordham University including
The Tale of The Eloquent Peasant, c. 1800 BCECourtesy of Norton's Wellbreade grain gluten free whole grain bread gluten free yeast free gluten free recipes ancient grains ancient grain bread celiac disease wheat free