A Beginner’s Guide To 8 Heritage And Ancient Grain Canadian Flours 

Refined, bleached flours are the kind mostly commonly found on grocery store shelves, but many artisan bakers swear by old-school nutrient-rich ancient wheat varieties like einkorn, emmer, spelt and khorasan.

Yes, the labour-intensive farming of ancient and heritage grains means they are naturally more expensive than self-stable, genetically altered modern wheat flours. But the agricultural practices to grow them tend to be kinder on the planet, and there’s nothing like the popping aromas and rich, distinct tastes.

"As a chef committed to Slow Food values [of], it's important that we encourage biodiversity in our food region through the growing of different wheats and grains,” says Oliver Kienast, owner of Wild Mountain restaurant in Sooke, B.C. “Most flour in the supermarket has been highly processed, whereas fresh-milled flour [from] retains important enzymes for digestion, but also makes for a healthier fermentation process—without the use of commercial yeasts–so our sourdough is naturally more delicious.”

Here are eight wholesome freshly milled wheat flours from six of the country's leading small-scale producers—along with their best tips for how to use them.

Organic Red Fife Flour, Flourist, Vancouver

As Canada's oldest wheat, Red Fife is a cherished heritage variety. It comes in both whole grain, bread and all-purpose variations, which can be used in a direct swap for everyday flours. Flourist suggests using its Sifted Red Spring Wheat Flour like you would bread flour; its Whole Grain Red Spring Wheat Flour (above) as you would whole wheat, and its Sifted Red Fife Flour as you would all-purpose. Loved by bakers, these flours pack an unmistakably wheaty, almost nutty flavour. Flourist's freshly milled hard wheat is also much softer than modern bread wheats. Use its everyday sifted flour to create super moist, flavour-packed pancakes, cookies, sweet loaves (like banana bread and lemon loaves) and muffins.

With a focus on transparency, every grain milled, distributed and baked at Flourist is traced back to the Canadian farming family and harvest date. Organically grown grains are gently crushed at a low temperature using a hand-crafted Australian stone mill to produce a deliciously aromatic flour.

Pro tip: “If you've ever over-mixed your muffin batter with all-purpose flour and the muffins turned into hockey pucks, try using [sifted] Red Fife flour instead. Its lower strength means you won't over-mix with one too many turns of the spatula. It results in a lovely soft crumb every time,” says Flourist co-owner Janna Bishop. From $15.95 for 2 kg

Organic Whole Grain Marquis Wheat Flour Flourist, Vancouver

A close relative to Red Fife, because of its exceptional strength, elasticity, and higher protein count, marquis was the bread-baking wheat of choice in the early 1900s. “Marquis wheat works great in place of all-purpose flour, but it works especially well in sourdough and yeasted breads. It can be used on its own in bread or blended with other flours,” says Bishop. From $17.95 for 2 kg

Organic Whole Grain Dark Rye Flour, Highwood Crossing Foods, High River, Alta.

Rich in fibre, minerals and vitamins, this whole grain flour uses 100 percent of the kernel (bran, endosperm and germ); unlike light rye, nothing is removed or goes to waste. Noticeably lower in gluten than whole wheat flours, adding a little whole grain rye to your baking mix brings malty flavours, a darker colour and a dense pop of nutrition to bread, cookies, crackers, brownies or any recipe that calls for rye flour (including pizza dough).

Established in 1996 by Tony and Penny Marshall, Highwood Crossing Foods is an artisan producer and distributor of certified organic flours, grains, cereals and oils from crops grown in Alberta and neighbouring Saskatchewan.

"Whole grain flours are the perfect choice for feeding sourdough starters and are a great addition [to] when baking hearty loaves,” says Tony Marshall. “For a lighter, more conventional leavened bread, use no more than 25 percent dark rye flour [in].” From $19 for 1.9 kg

Organic Stone Milled Emmer, Brodflour, Toronto

Commonly known as farro (which is also delicious in salads or a rice substitute), emmer is the second oldest wheat variety after einkorn. This high-protein ancient grain is full of fibre and magnesium, as well as vitamins A, B, C and E.

Working closely with three family-run regenerative farms in Manitoba and Ontario, Brodflour is Toronto's only urban flour mill and bakery that stone-mills their flours onsite. “The freshness means it's more ‘alive’ than commercial flour, so when using it for sourdough cultures or with yeast, you can expect more activity and faster proofing/rising times,” says Anthony Togeretz, head miller and kitchen manager at Brodflour.

“Emmer is quite a hard grain. The bran breaks down really well, so we only use emmer as whole grain flour. [The] can feel a little sandy. It can be hard to work with on its own, but it has great flavour and nutritional value, so [it] a great addition to any baked good,” says Togeretz, ranging from 100 percent emmer loaves to alongside another flour to whatever ratio you desire. From $8 for 1 kg

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Organic Stone Milled Spelt, Brodflour, Toronto

Until the end of the 19th century, spelt was the dominant wheat variety in Europe. As the convenience of modern farming kicked in, the grain went out of style: hulling the grain's thick outer (bran) layer before milling or cooking became too much work. Today, thanks to farmers like Peter Leahy of Merrylynd Organics in Peterborough, On., the humble grain is re-gaining popularity.

“Spelt is a great addition to pastries, cookies, muffins, cakes, and to breads to create a softer, [airy] texture; we add it to our baguettes,” says Togeretz. When bread baking with spelt, use high-protein flour to help build its gluten structure (for example, mix 80 percent bread flour with 20 percent spelt). From $8.00 for 1 kg

Imperial Pastry Flour, Arva Flour Mill, Arva, Ont.

Milled from soft red winter wheat, use this lower-protein flour when seeking that deliciously flaky pie crust and crumbly biscuits and cookies (like shortbread). "What makes the flour special is [how] the grain gets processed with our vintage Goldie & McCulloch roller mills,” say Mark Rinker, owner of Arva Flour Mill. When milled at a lower temperature, the resulting flour is loaded with more enzymes and nutrients, producing a noticeable difference compared to mass-produced flours milled at higher temperatures.

Dating back to 1819, the Arva Flour Mill is one of Canada's O.G. businesses. That's how long some of their current-day relationships stretch; several farms have supplied the mill with non-GMO grains for 200 years.

Pro tip: Sometimes known as cookie flour, it has a protein (gluten) content of nine to 10 percent for a tender but crumbly pastry. Use like you would any other pastry flour, plus “Imperial Pastry Flour works well as a thickener for stews and gravies [too],” says Dustin Blackall, the mill’s general manager. From $9.95 for 2.5 kg

Heirloom Wheat Flour, Gold Forest Grains, Sturgeon County, Alta.

This beautiful, protein-rich hard red spring flour—a blend of Red Fife and heritage park varieties, Alberta's first wheat—is perfect for sourdough or other yeasted bread-baking projects. Or simply use it like you would all-purpose flour.

With farming roots spanning generations, Cindy and John Schneider’s cozy, certified organic farm grows heritage and ancient grains, which later become freshly stone-milled flour and other whole grain products, including cereals, pancake mix and oats.

“For years, we have been using this heritage flour blend that John [Schneider] has customized for our restaurant and retail shop,” says chef-owner Blair Lebsack of Edmonton’s award-winning RGE RD. “Our breads are 65 to 70 percent hydration: higher hydration, less yeast and a long [overnight] fermentation time means the grains [can] really develop a special flavour and makes for wonderfully textured bread.” From $13.50 for 2 kg

Organic Whole Grain Einkorn (sold as whole grain for home milling), Fieldstone Organics, Armstrong, B.C.

Einkorn is the oldest wheat variety around (dating back roughly 10,000 years). Known as ‘nature’s wheat,’ einkorn was one of the first grains to be domesticated, and is high in essential fatty acids, the antioxidant lutein, protein, phosphorous and potassium. With a soft texture, the flour made from this whole grain is a good choice for cookies, muffins, cakes and quick loaves.

The north Okanagan’s Fieldstone Organics began as a co-op run by farmers and growers to shorten the supply chain and connect the consumer to organic whole grains, legumes and seeds. Since the bran crushes extremely easily, einkorn is commonly sold as whole-grain flour. From $8.30 for 750 g

A quick note about storage:

These artisans deliberately skip the preservatives. Keep these flavourful flours in a fridge or freezer—and not your pantry—to preserve those delicate oils extracted from stone milling and lock in that freshness for months (or as per the mill’s instructions). When using yeast or another leavening agent, bring your flour up to room temperature before baking.