Ancient Grains: Spelt, Einkorn, Emmer – A Baker's Guide to Forgotten Flavors
Walk into any good bakery today and you'll spot them on the menu: spelt, einkorn, emmer, khorasan. These "ancient grains" have surged back into fashion — and for good reason. They offer flavours, textures, and a connection to baking history that modern wheat has largely left behind. But baking with them takes a little understanding. Here is a baker's guide to the forgotten grains worth rediscovering.
What Makes a Grain "Ancient"?
The term "ancient grains" usually refers to the wheats and cereals that have remained largely unchanged for thousands of years, in contrast to modern bread wheat, which has been intensively bred and hybridised. Chief among them are the older wheat species — einkorn, emmer, spelt, and khorasan (Kamut) — but the label often stretches to include barley, rye, oats, and grains like millet and sorghum. What unites them is antiquity and authenticity: these are close to the grains our ancestors actually grew and ate.
Einkorn: the First Wheat
Einkorn (Triticum monococcum) is the oldest cultivated wheat, domesticated over 10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent. Its name means "single grain," and it is genetically the simplest of the wheats. Einkorn has a lovely golden colour, a rich, almost buttery flavour, and a different gluten structure from modern wheat — weaker and more delicate, which makes it wonderful for flavour but challenging for tall, airy loaves. Many people who struggle with modern wheat find einkorn easier to digest, though it is not gluten-free.
Emmer: the Grain of the Pharaohs
Emmer (Triticum dicoccum), also called farro in Italy, was one of the first crops ever farmed and the grain that fed ancient Egypt — the bread of the pyramid builders. Nutty, hearty, and robust, emmer makes dense, satisfying loaves and superb whole-grain dishes. It carries real historical weight: to bake with emmer is to work with the same grain that sustained the earliest civilisations of the Near East.
Spelt: the Medieval Favourite
Spelt (Triticum spelta), known as dinkel in German-speaking lands, was a staple across medieval Europe and remains the most baker-friendly of the ancient wheats. It has more gluten than einkorn or emmer, so it behaves more like modern flour and can produce a good rise, while still offering a sweet, nutty, slightly tangy flavour. For bakers new to ancient grains, spelt is the ideal place to start.
Khorasan (Kamut): the Big Golden Grain
Khorasan wheat, sold under the trademark Kamut, is an ancient relative with unusually large, elongated golden kernels and a rich, buttery, nutty taste. High in protein and prized for its flavour, it makes lovely breads and pastas and has become a favourite of the artisan revival. Like the others, it is an un-hybridised wheat that many find distinctive and satisfying.
How Ancient Grains Differ from Modern Wheat
The key difference is gluten — not necessarily less of it, but a different, often weaker and more fragile structure. Ancient wheats also tend to be hulled (the grain is tightly encased and must be de-hulled before milling), which historically made them more laborious to process. In the loaf, this means ancient-grain doughs are often stickier, slacker, and less tolerant of long, aggressive kneading. They reward a gentler hand.
The Nutrition Question
Ancient grains are often marketed as healthier, and there is something to it: many are higher in protein, and rich in minerals like zinc, magnesium, and iron, especially when eaten as whole grains. Some people report they digest ancient wheats more comfortably than modern bread. But an important caveat: einkorn, emmer, spelt, and khorasan all contain gluten and are not safe for people with coeliac disease. Their appeal is flavour and character as much as nutrition.
Baking Tips: Handling the Dough
The golden rule with ancient-grain doughs is restraint. Because their gluten is more delicate, knead less and handle gently; over-working can break the structure down rather than build it. Watch your hydration — these flours absorb water differently, and doughs can turn sticky, so adjust as you go. Shorter proofs and a light touch during shaping help. If a full ancient-grain loaf collapses, you have simply asked too much of its gluten.
Blending for the Best of Both
A practical trick used by many bakers is to blend ancient grains with strong modern bread flour — say, 25–50% einkorn or emmer with the rest bread flour. This captures the nutty flavour and character of the ancient grain while borrowing enough gluten strength from the modern wheat to achieve a good rise and open crumb. It is the easiest route to loaves that both taste ancient and behave well.
Ancient Grains and Sourdough
Ancient grains and sourdough are natural partners. The long, slow fermentation of a sourdough build suits these flours beautifully: it develops their complex, nutty flavours, improves the texture of their delicate gluten, and may make the finished bread easier to digest. Many of the most celebrated ancient-grain loaves are naturally leavened, and a lively starter is the ancient-grain baker's best friend.
Why They Faded — and Returned
Ancient grains nearly disappeared for practical reasons: modern bread wheat gives higher yields, is free-threshing (no laborious de-hulling), and its strong gluten suits industrial baking and machinery. Faced with these advantages, farmers and millers abandoned the old grains through the 19th and 20th centuries. Their return has been driven by exactly what mass production overlooked — flavour, heritage, biodiversity, and a hunger for bread that tastes of something. The artisan and health-food movements rescued them from near-oblivion.
Beyond Wheat: Rye, Barley, and Oats
The ancient-grain world stretches well past the older wheats. Rye, hardy enough to grow where wheat struggles, gives the dark, dense, deeply flavoured breads of northern and eastern Europe; its low, sticky gluten makes rye baking its own craft, and it takes beautifully to sourdough. Barley, one of the very first domesticated grains, brings a soft, nutty character to breads and porridges and is superb in soups and stews, though its minimal gluten means it is usually blended for bread. Oats, beloved for porridge, add moisture, sweetness, and tenderness to loaves and are a staple of rustic baking.
Each of these grains predates modern bread wheat and carries its own history and flavour, and each rewards the curious baker. Blended thoughtfully into a loaf — a little rye for depth, some barley or oats for softness — they expand the palette of home baking far beyond the uniform taste of white flour, and reconnect the kitchen to the full, ancient family of cereals humanity has relied on for thousands of years.
Getting Started in Your Kitchen
If you want to bake with ancient grains, begin with spelt, which behaves most like familiar flour, then experiment with einkorn or emmer as you gain confidence. Try a spelt sourdough, or blend a little einkorn into your usual loaf to taste the difference. Cooked whole, emmer (farro) and einkorn berries make superb salads and porridges too. However you use them, you'll be tasting grains that fed humanity for millennia — proof that sometimes the best way forward in the kitchen is to look back.
Source note
This guide draws on the work of grain historians, millers, and artisan bakers on the older wheat species and their revival. "Ancient grain" is a loose, partly marketing term, and the exact botanical relationships and health claims are the subject of ongoing research; anyone avoiding gluten should note that ancient wheats still contain it.
Frequently asked questions
What are ancient grains?
Ancient grains are wheats and cereals left largely unchanged for thousands of years, in contrast to intensively bred modern wheat. The main ones are einkorn, emmer, spelt and khorasan (Kamut), often stretched to include barley, rye and oats.
Are ancient grains gluten-free?
No. Einkorn, emmer, spelt and khorasan all contain gluten and are not safe for people with coeliac disease. Their appeal is flavour, character and (for some) easier digestion — not being gluten-free.
Which ancient grain is easiest to bake with?
Spelt. It has more gluten than einkorn or emmer, so it behaves most like modern flour and can give a good rise, while offering a sweet, nutty flavour — the ideal starting point for new ancient-grain bakers.
How do you bake with ancient grains?
Handle the dough gently and knead less, since their gluten is more delicate; watch hydration, as they absorb water differently; and consider blending them with strong bread flour or using a long sourdough fermentation for the best results.
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