As you may know, modern whole grains (and bread in general) are not a healthy dietary option for a variety of reasons including its impact on inflammation and insulin, aside from being almost devoid of nutrients. Einkorn is an ancient grain and inherently more nutritious than our modern wheat, being much more nutrient dense and possessing very little gluten.

So, what is Einkorn wheat? It is the most primitive of wheats, unmodified by man with all of its nutritional and health benefits coming to us directly as our maker intended. It has two sets of chromosomes similar to most plants rather than the 6 sets found in modern wheat varieties. Due to its chemical makeup, it is much more easily digested by our bodies, allowing for greater absorption of its essential dietary and trace minerals. This ancient grain is a good source of protein, iron, dietary fiber, thiamine and a number of other B vitamins. It also contains a significant amount of the powerful antioxidant lutein, with higher antioxidant levels than durum and bread wheat. Einkorn wheat is also rich in phenolic acids which protect our bodies from oxidative damage and diseases. This wheat also contains more carotenoids, which can help in preventing serious diseases, whereas carotenoids are harder to find in modern whole wheat.

And you may be overjoyed to hear that Einkorn wheat has much lower levels of gluten. Studies show that ancient grains tend to have a lower number of chromosomes (Einkorn having 14) which leads to lower gluten content. Make no mistake, Einkorn does contain gluten, however, it does not contain the D genome but rather the A genome, which is significant because the most popular test for detecting the presence of gluten is based on the presence of the D genome. Einkorn’s gluten passes the ELISA test, which is a commonly used laboratory test to detect antibodies in the blood.

Now that I’ve gotten you all excited about Einkorn wheat, here is a very simple no knead Dutch Oven Einkorn Bread recipe you can try at home to enjoy this nutritious ancient grain!

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Ingredients:

• 3 cups all purpose Einkorn flour
• 1.5 tsp Himalayan Salt
• 1 tsp active dry yeast
• 1 1/4 cups of warm water

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Directions:

1. Mix Einkorn flour, salt and yeast together in a large bowl. Combine water until fully mixed.
2. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and allow it to sit in the mixing bowl for a minimum of 3 hours up to 12 hours at room temperature or in a warm place for the dough to rise. The rise will not be as dramatic as modern wheat flour.
3. When it is time to bake, place the dutch oven in the oven and turn the heat to 450 to heat the dutch oven. Heat up for 1 hour.
4. After 30 minutes of heating, take a spoon and scrape around the edges of the dough to deflate slightly, and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. 
5. After the dutch oven has heated for 1 hour, and the dough has rested for 30 minutes after scraping down the edges, carefully remove the heated dutch oven from the oven, take the lid off and pour the dough into the pan. Place the lid on and bake for 25 minutes.
6. After 25 minutes, remove the lid and allow the bread to bake and crusty up for 5 more minutes.
7. When done baking, remove the loaf from the dutch oven and place it on a wire rack to cool.

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(Recipe from www.fitmamarealfood.com with slight modifications)

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