Evo organic wholemeal rye flour
Key information
- Variety name: Evo
- Certified organic wholemeal rye flour
- Evolutionary spring rye developed by Hans Larsson in Sweden, grown at Balcaskie in 2021
- Above-average values for most key minerals
- Suitable for making real bread (with long fermentation and no additives) and moist fruit cakes and North European spice biscuits
More Information
‘Evolutionary’ means that there is a high degree of genetic diversity in the crop (unlike in modern ‘monoclonal’ wheat varieties where every plant in a field is identical to the others). This diversity is a key part of the radical agro-ecological transformation of our food system that is needed to steer our farming and food towards net zero climate heating emissions in line with national commitments to deal with the climate emergency.
A field of grain in which every plant is identical is highly vulnerable to ‘shocks’ from pests, diseases or seasonal weather events. Diversity means that at least some of the plants will survive, crucially without the use of pesticides and fungicides. Our Evo rye has been grown on from Hans Larsson’s evolutionary Fulltofta rye, composed of varieties and mixtures sourced from many places and then grown together over successive seasons. Careful selection and evaluation of the best grains ensure that the crop improves without sacrificing diversity. Transplanted into Fife soil, this rye is gradually adapting to the local soils and micro-climate. After one more growing season in Fife, we will be able to call our rye (with Hans Larsson’s blessing) ‘Balcaskie Evolutionary Rye’.
We know from previous experience that this rye has above-average levels of minerals. The current crop is being tested and we will publish the results as soon as we have them.
Top tips for baking with this flour:
- Always ferment your bread slowly (using sourdough) to control dough development, bring out flavour and enhance digestibility and nutrient bioaccessibility
You will find more baking advice and recipes here.
Apart from its above-average mineral content, this grain has some other qualities that bakers should note:
- This crop is quite high in protein (12.82%) but has a low Falling Number (73), probably due to rain falling on the ripe crop and delaying the harvest. Nevertheless, this rye can be turned into wonderful bread by bakers with a basic understanding of fermentation. It is no accident that the great rye bread baking traditions of Eastern and Northern Europe depend on long fermentation with sourdough. Indeed, without sourdough, this flour will make an extremely sticky dough and bread. The reason is that sourdough lactic acid bacteria take time to acidify the dough in a way that controls excessive conversion of starch to sugar by the amylase that is naturally present in cereal grains. Low Falling Numbers equate to higher amylase levels, and by industry standards 73 is low indeed. But the pay-off is that this flour is naturally rich in maltose sugar which accounts for the lively fermentation that sourdough bakers will enjoy even as they learn to tame it.
- It follows that best results will be obtained with a longer, cooler fermentation in which the sourdough lactic acid bacteria have sufficient time to acidify the dough. It can help to reduce the water and proportion of ‘production sourdough’ (see Andrew Whitley’s helpful DO Sourdough book for an explanation of this term) in your final dough so that the final rise (‘proof’) takes longer, allowing time for the all-important acidity to infuse the entire dough.
You will find more baking advice and recipes here.
| Weight | 3.1 kg |
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