Einkorn is the only form of wheat on Earth that is completely unhybridized, containing the good gluten that even sensitive individuals can usually eat. Consuming it has four main benefits.
In my home, I’ve purchased organic white wheat and spelt in bulk for many years. Grinding it into fresh flour is the most nutritious and tastiest way to bake! I also did this to avoid the conventional toxic wheat in North America.
Farmers on this continent frequently desiccate their crops with glyphosate-containing herbicides. This practice is beneficial for ease and speed of harvest.
I credit this approach with my family avoiding any wheat allergies or problems digesting grains in general. This is true provided they are traditionally prepared. Bulgur is an example of this ancestral practice still widely used today.
For those of you who do have wheat issues, you’ll be encouraged to know that my husband used to have allergy and digestive issues with wheat years ago. He no longer does thanks to careful avoidance of wheat for several years, rebalancing the gut with traditional cooking, raw dairy, and the GAPS Diet.
Having a lot of experience dealing with wheat allergies, I can say that there certainly is a huge difference between modern processed wheat, products made with it such as seitan, and what you produce yourself at home.
I remember when I was breastfeeding my youngest child, if I ate so much as a mouthful or two of processed wheat at a restaurant in the form of a sandwich, slice of pizza, or a bread roll, she would spit up for one or sometimes even two days!
If I ate wheat that I ground myself and either sprouted, soaked, or sour leavened, however, she never had any spit up issues. To me, this was a huge testament to the radically improved digestibility of wheat that is prepared using the wise methods of ancestral cultures.
Einkorn Health Benefits over Modern Wheat
Given my success over the years with incorporating traditional methods of wheat preparation in my home, you may be surprised to learn that I’m switching the type I use.
What’s more, I’m switching 100%.
I still have about half of a large bucket of organic spelt to use up and a small amount of organic soft white wheat before the switch is complete. My goal is to have my family completely transitioned to einkorn wheat within another month or two.
Here are the 4 reasons why I am making the wholesale change to einkorn. Note that this strain is not to be confused with farro or heirloom wheat:
#1: Better Taste
My first experience baking with einkorn occurred after I received a thoughtful gift of, among other things, einkorn flour and wheat berries. I was delighted when I ground the einkorn into flour and saw how light and white it was.
I am not a fan of bran and am not of the food philosophy that all that fiber is actually good for you. Folks just think they need a lot of fiber as they are so constipated from all the processed foods they eat! Observing that einkorn, the most ancient and unhybridized form of wheat, has less bran compared with modern wheat was encouraging to me.
I was thrilled to see that my family thoroughly enjoyed the soaked waffles made with fresh einkorn flour. It was my first einkorn dish! Ever since they have asked me to use only that flour.
Like any Mom, I’m a sucker for kids who love my cooking and tell me so on a frequent basis. So, I made the easy decision to switch to einkorn completely for all my home baking.
#2: More Digestible
My husband’s stomach is my canary in the coal mine. If something is not easy to digest, he can tell and lets me know right away. As he has fully recovered from a wheat allergy, he knows which forms of wheat and which preparation methods sit best in his stomach and which do not.
While my properly prepared grain dishes made with wheat or spelt digest fine for him, once he tried the einkorn, he could tell that his digestion was even lighter for the experience. This is possibly because einkorn contains good gluten, different on a molecular level from modern gluten. It is much better tolerated by those with gluten sensitivity.
Better digestion means better absorption of nutrients, so einkorn surpassed the competition in that category.
#3: Einkorn is Visually Different
The first thing I noticed when I ground einkorn into flour for the first time was how much smaller a grain of einkorn is compared with a grain of modern wheat. They are about half the size!
In addition, the telltale crease on one side of a grain of modern wheat is absent from a grain of einkorn. The reason for the differences is that over the centuries, the genetics of wheat gradually changed due to human cultivation practices.
Year after year, farmers selected the seeds at harvest time that suited the goal of higher yields and more gluten. This worked best for big farms and larger-scale agriculture, production, and distribution of wheat products.
#4: Only Unhybridized Wheat on Earth
Einkorn is like most plants in that it is diploid. This means that contains only 2 sets of chromosomes. About 2,000 years after einkorn wheat, nature created emmer via the hybridization of 2 wild grasses. Consequently, emmer has 4 sets of chromosomes. Kamut and durum (bulgur) wheat are both descendants of emmer.
Spelt, an heirloom wheat, is the result of hybridization between cultivated emmer and another wild grass. Thus, it contains six sets of chromosomes. Modern wheat is a descendant of spelt.
Note that while humans extensively hybridized wheat over the millennia, there is currently no genetically modified wheat on the market. In the Western United States, however, test plots of GMO wheat have caused some contamination issues.
As you can see, einkorn is the purest and most ancient form of wheat available. It has only 2 sets of chromosomes with a very different composition of gluten. This form is easier to digest for many with non-genetic gluten intolerance.
Where to Source the Best Quality Einkorn
The only downside of einkorn is that it is not widely available and tends to be more expensive than other types of wheat. It is still quite new to the North American market.
My healthy shopping guide lists sources that I’ve vetted that are fast and affordable to ship to your door. I use these reliable companies myself and have for many years.
The organic einkorn wheat berries from these sources are grown and packaged on one secluded and pristine farm in Tuscany. It is very important to rotate crops on this farm. This is due to the hilly terrain, where yields are low and the land must stay fertile.
What this means is that this particular source of organic einkorn comes from fully pastured fields for five years prior. In addition, soil nutrition is enhanced using one year of crop rotation with the cultivation of chickpeas, lentils or fava beans. This ensures that there is no risk of cross-contamination with other types of grains. Each year’s crop of einkorn comes from truly fertile earth!
Have you tried einkorn wheat yet? If so, what observations have you made about this ancient, unhybridized wheat?
More Information
Sourdough Crackers with Nut Butter
No-Knead Sourdough Bread
Teff Nutrition
Kayla Wheeler
Have you tried to make sourdough with this? How does it compare to rye? Also, can we grow our own einkorn?
Sarah
Yes, here’s a sourdough recipe using einkorn. https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/no-knead-einkorn-sourdough-bread/
Kayla
Hi Sarah, my little ones are on gaps now and i am breastfeeding and hope to do intro when done. My husband eats store bread and ive been avoiding it out of fear and it makes me break out in acne. Do you soak the berries first, then grind? Or does “souring” replace the soaking step? Thank you for your time.
Sarah
Souring replaces the soaking step.
Holly Cory
Sarah,
I used to make a lot of my own bread. Six years ago I was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis. It is a type of arthritis. It is inflammation of the joints. I have avoided biological drugs, but my NSAIDS were not working and I put myself on the AIP diet. It has helped a lot, but, but I still have some pain. I’ve been on it 1 month, and will try and continue a couple more. When I begin to add one item at a time I want to try Einkorn wheat. Have you had people with autoimmune issues doing ok on it? Also, what about oats? What about Organic Valley pasture raised milk?
Thanks,
Holly Cory
Jane
I have non celiac gluten sensitivity. I tried Einkorn and I don’t have any problems eating it. It’s amazing and tastes great. I am an avid baker and absolutely love breads and cinnamon rolls made with it.
Anthony
Has there been any clinical testing of the glycemic index/load of the ancient wheats?
L
Thank you for this information, I have been depriving myself from eating bread due to all the scary information of Franken-wheat. However, I’ve been truly wanting to make my own healthy alternative but my schedule doesn’t allow for me to tinker and figure it out! I am so grateful that you took all the guesswork (and tears) have provided all this information down to which brand is best! Will be purchasing it and start this new year with nourishing homemade bread 🙂
Kim Bakker
Hi Sarah! My husband was diagnosed 26 years ago with Celiac disease and I have longed to make him a healthy sourdough bread. I have been racking my brains ( and internet recipes) for a gluten free sourdough not only for a safe alternative but a HEALTHY alternative ( and tastes too) Have you heard of reported “celiacs” tolerating einkorn sourdough? I am wondering if any research has been done on this. I am digging as deep into this as I can and thought you might have read something on the subject
Sarah
Hi Kim, this is all the research I know of on the subject. https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/can-celiacs-eat-true-sourdough-bread/
Karen Hughes
Hi Sarah, we can only source Emmer flour here in Australia. I’d love to make this bread but do you think it will work with the Emmer flour instead of Einkorn?
Sarah
Emmer is a hybridized wheat and behaves differently in baking than einkorn.
Lesley-Ann Presbury
Where is the best place to buy the Einkorn wheat and flour? My naturopathic doctor told me today to purchase my imported wheat and flour because most of the wheat grown in the US is not good and many gluten intolerant people can eat European bread but not US bread!
Sarah
I buy from and recommend Jovial Foods. https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/go/jovial-foods/
Martha Glanville
We made the switch from modern wheat to heritage about 7 years ago when no doctors, including the Mayo Clinic, could figure out why he had to sleep,sitting up for a year due to severe acid reflux and sinus problems. We tried spelt, emmer and einkorn, the three usually promoted when researching heritage/ancient wheat. We then tried Turkey Red and Red Fife and found them to be superior in both flavor and baking properties. We now have added White Sonora for our soft wheat and are amazed by the way it bakes and testes. It works well in bread when added at about 20-30%.