Over the past couple of years, we’ve been experimenting with ancient wheat flours – specifically Spelt and Kamut.
According to Richard Bertinet, Kamut (or Khorasan, as it was known in its native Iran) “has been grown in subsistence farming systems for centuries. The flour is slightly more fibrous than wheat flour, with a sandy golden colour and a lovely earthy flavour – almost a taste of the fields. ”
Kamut is now grown organically in Australia and available at a reasonable price from health food stores like Santos Trading. It’s a little tricky to work with, as it has a weaker gluten structure than standard bakers flour. As a result, the dough lacks elasticity and doesn’t rise much. Despite that, the 100% kamut sourdough loaves I made recently had a surprisingly tender crumb and a delicious nutty flavour.
Kamut bread is well suited to cheese in much the same way as walnut bread is. We made an entrée inspired by Philip Johnson’s E’cco – toasted kamut slices were topped with sliced bocconcini, grilled, then served with pan fried tomatoes and Kalamata olives, and finished with fresh pesto. It was a great start to dinner!
