Einkorn, an ancient grain, and the first wheat cultivated along the plains of western Asia, is my favorite grain for baking and I bake with it readily in my kitchen – using it for homemade breads, pies, pastries, and cookies. Its sweet nutty flavor and a characteristic golden crumb, owing to its high carotene content, are two of the reasons why I’ve come to love it.

While a nostalgic romanticism no doubt plays into my love of ancient and heirloom wheat like einkorn, there are other factors too as einkorn is richer in beta carotene and lutein than modern kinds of wheat, and its gluten profile also differs from the gluten found in modern wheat. For this reason, it bakes differently and needs a slightly different hand and touch than modern varietals.

Einkorn is an original wheat: it’s not hybridized, and it’s akin to wild grains and native grasses – harder to grow, less efficient to harvest and process into usable wheat berries and flour.

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Olive Oil and Wine Cookies

These cookies come together in just a few minutes, and have a delicious, ethereal fruitiness from the white wine. This recipe is from The Einkorn Cookbook and is reprinted here with permission.

Prep Time35

Cook Time18

Total Time53

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Ingredients

½ cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose einkorn flour
Pinch baking powder
½ teaspoon finely ground real salt
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 tablespoons white wine

Instructions

Set aside a tablespoon of the sugar on a small plate.
In a medium bowl, combine the remaining 7 tablespoons (87 g) sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Drizzle the oil over the flour and mix with a fork until the dough is very clumpy. Add the wine and continue mixing with the fork. The dough will seem overly wet, but keep working until the flour has absorbed the liquid. Knead the dough on a clean work surface for about 2 minutes until smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Take 1 tablespoon of the dough and roll it between the palms of your hands to form a ball. Place theball of dough on your work surface and roll with your fingers until it is about 5 inches long. Form a circle by pressing together the 2 ends. Brush the cookie with olive oil and dip the top of the cookie into the reserved sugar to dust lightly. Place the cookies on the baking sheet, spacing them 11?2 inches apart.Continue in the same manner until you have formed all of the cookies.
Bake for 25 minutes until the edges have begun to brown. Remove the cookies from the baking sheet and transfer to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before serving. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 7 days.

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