No kidding. Bantam Bread Company is baking what they call Local Loaf. They source the grains from Wild Hive, in NY’s Hudson River Valley (where I get my grains). Bantam‘s Local Loaf is a dense, multi-grain bread with strong rye notes. You can find this bread at their bakery in Litchfield and right here at Holbrook Farm in Bethel.
Speaking of local wheat, Lisa of Goatboy Soaps (knowing my affection for the same) shared some Connecticut grown wheat with me to try out. It’s an heirloom White Red Fife wheat grown by Curtis Eck near Kent, CT. Red Fife was popular in North America during the 19th century but nearly went extinct after World War II. Canadian farmers are largely responsible for the Red Fife movement and its resurgence.
As flours go, the Red Fife is “heavy” and Ecks suggests cutting it 1 part Red Fife to 3 parts all-purpose flour.
My first “trial” was with these little tart-like treats.
The shell is a standard butter pie crust recipe using half Red Fife from Curtis Eck and half Soft White Winter Wheat from Wild Hive. The filling is Apple Pie Jam and Peach Jam from Sara at Daffodil Growers.
The crust really worked out. The taste and the texture were just fine.
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Howdy Holbrooks, Happened upon your site. Very nice. Wanted to offer a clarification on the ” local loaf”. It is a 100%whole wheat loaf using a wheat flour that is a 90% extraction. 10% of the coarsest bran is sifted out creating a flour that is a little lighter than whole wheat, baking into a more voluminous loaf. The loaf is leavened with a natural sour culture, made of the same wheat, plus a pinch of commercial yeast to further lighten the bread. Always there to help……Best Niles
Thanks for the details Niles! By the way, this isn’t Holbrook’s site–I’m just a big fan. Here’s the link to Holbrook Farm.