Oh, how I love you, Organic Landrace Red Wheat from Camas Country Mill. I’m working my way through your 50-pound sack and each time I reach in for a new cup, I muse on how clean and plump and healthy you are. You will certainly nourish me to the core this week.
What is landrace wheat?
Landrace refers to a breed that has been adapted for a regional ecotype. My understanding is that within a species, there are genetic variations and some of these variations are adaptations to the specific environments where they are being bred. What seems important about landrace varieties to me is that they make certain breeds more relevant to the farm and farmer. Without getting too technical about how wheat breeds (and for now eschewing the conversation about hybridization), landrace varieties offer continual, gradual variation specific to place. This makes landrace breeds hearty and more diverse. Most importantly, they can be bred for flavor and oh yes! Does this one taste amazing!
If you want to try it for yourself, you can get flour made from this grain by getting in touch with Camas Country Mill.
I milled a few pounds on Wednesday and sifted out only the largest bran particles. I immediately mixed two levain loaves at 95% hydration. Simple, pure, four ingredients (organic red wheat flour, water, levain starter, and salt) that transform into a base for almost all of my favorite meals. This is what I eat for breakfast most days, toasted up with lots of good butter and a hunk of cheese on the side. Berries in summer, dried figs in winter. A small cup of coffee.
Often, this bread is lunch and dinner, too. Topped with garlicky greens or tomato conserva or refried beans or tuna straight from the can. There are countless ways to use up whatever is hanging around that needs to be used.
Inspired by a meal at Mamnoon in Seattle, on Wednesday I patted out two rounds of red wheat pizza dough to make flatbread. Any old pizza dough will work, but I make one with half freshly milled wheat (red wheat in this case) and the other half Central Milling Organic All Purpose. I brushed it with my best olive oil and a smattering of za’atar and put it in a hot oven on a pizza stone until it looked perfectly done.
Thursday I set to work making a bread that had popped into my head the night before. I roasted sesame seeds and fennel seeds and mixed them into the red wheat dough along with sultanas. It is resting comfortably in the fridge until tomorrow, but I keep peeking in and taking whiffs now and than. I can hardly wait.