Ode to the Baker (and the Poet)

"I have often maintained that the best poet is he who prepares our daily bread: the nearest baker who does not imagine himself to be a god. He does his majestic and unpretentious work of kneading the dough, consigning it to the oven, baking it in golden colours and handing us our daily bread as a duty of fellowship. And, if the poet succeeds in achieving this simple consciousness, this too will be transformed into an element in an immense activity, in a simple or complicated structure which constitutes the building of a community, the changing of the conditions which surround mankind, the handing over of mankind's products: bread, truth, wine, dreams."

Pablo Neruda

 Photo: The field at Sossaman Farms.

Checkin on the Crops

From the nearby road the crop blurs into a green lawn. But if you stop your car and get out you'll see that the grass is growing in neat rows. And if you get down on your knees and pretend you are a cow you will start to see what is really going on. You will notice that the White Sonora is coming up in thick patches and that the Emmer is more blue than green and has tall fuzzy blades. 

It all depends on how fast you are moving. 

Photo: White Sonora Wheat 31 days after planting. 

 If we truly understood the growth of a grain of wheat, we would die of wonder.

 -Martin Luther 

Eating Whole Grains Whole

 

Whole grains are for pulverizing into flour. I guess that's the mind of a miller. But I forget that you can eat them whole too!

I was reminded of this reading through Maria Speck's Ancient Grains for Modern Meals. She has some gorgeous recipes using whole rye, oat and farro berries. This recipe originally called for for Kamut berries. I didn't have any on hand so I thought I'd try it with White Sonora Wheat. 

White Sonora Wheat is a soft wheat variety with small round berries. It's what's growing out a Sossaman's farm at the moment. Since I've never cooked wheat berries, I kept a close eye on the pot as it simmered and was amazed at how fragrent they were, like toasted walnuts. I got to know a whole new side of this grain's personality. Here's the recipe so you can see for yourself.

Whole Berry Sonora Salad with Carrots and Pomegranate

Recipe adapted from Ancient Grains for Modern Meals

Ingredients:

½ Cup White Sonora berries

2 Cup Water

2 ½ Cups shredded carrots (about 3 medium)

¼ Cup plus 2 Tablespoons golden raisins

3 Tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon honey

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

¼ Cup toasted, chopped walnuts

¼ Cup pomegranate seeds, for garnish

 

Preparation:

To prepare the wheat berries, bring the water and the berries to a boil in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan. Decrease the heat to maintain a simmer, cover, and cook until the berries are tender but still slightly chewy, 50-60 minutes. Remove from the heat and, if you have time, let it sit, covered, for 10-15 minutes. Drain any remaining liquid and transfer to a large servicing bowl to cool.

 

Once the berries have cooled, make the salad. Add the carrots and the orange and lemon juices, honey, cinnamon, and salt until smooth. Gradually whisk in the olive oil in a thin stream.

 

To finish, pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Taste and adjust for salt. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to come together. Toss again before serving; sprinkle with the walnuts and garnish with the pomegranate seeds. 

Ramona Farms

If you are a real Phoenix foodie then you've heard of the Tepary bean. And you have Ramona and Terry Button to thank for putting this desert bean back on your plate. 

The Buttons have a beautiful farm in the Gila River Community where they grow a variety of beans and durum wheat. We mill their durum into semolina to make vibrant yellow pasta. (The Buttons are helping us mill their durum in the photo.)

But I have to tell you these people are more than ordinary farmers; they have an incredible vision for restoring the Gila River land to its former glory. I've also heard that Mr. Button knows how to hunt with stone tipped arrows. Which tells you this guy knows what he's doing!

Check out their products here. 

(Thanks to Brandy Button for the photo)

Flavors Without Borders

When we were down at Grain School we got to check out Gary's new contraption.

It's wooden box on wheels. A very beautiful wooden box.

But if you tap on it just right, it pops open to reveal all sorts of desert treats. The idea is to travel around and teach about Arizona food history and culture.

Its not doubt that the Arizona Heritage Food Wagon will turn curious heads where ever it goes. The baskets of acorns and mesquite pods just beg to be tasted and touched. 

It's all part of the Flavors Without Borders project. Very cool. 

Grain School Snapshots

1. A rustic blue corn polenta. Shelled and milled by a collective effort, and cooked by the chefs from Canela on an outdoor grill.

2.What is Farro Piccolo? It's another word for Einkorn, the first domesticated variety of wheat. 

3. A mix of ancient corn varieties out at the Native Seed/SEARCH research farm. Hopefully this colorful corn will be back on our tables someday soon!

4. Sifting out the cornmeal, polenta and grits after a stone milling demo. 

Thanks to Belle and Bill and the wonderful people at Native Seeds/SEARCH for the first ever Grain School!

Follow us on Twitter! @haydenflourmill

A Time for Planting

It was a perfect day for planting. Today the White Sonora Wheat went into the ground out at Sossaman Farms. We helped Steve Sossaman and Al load up the drill (that's the green thing behind the tractor) with seed but mostly pretended to be farmers.

The seed will hang out in the ground through winter and start to come up in the spring. By May we should have 10 acres of amber waves!

Tempe in 1877

I've been doing a lot of reading on the early history of Tempe and the mill. I found this quotation from a letter. What a different place Tempe must have been in 1877! 

...Grain looks well and the indications are of a beautiful harvest, the soil is almost excellent producing crops in profusion, the water supply of the valley is ample, and the purity and softness of the water is proverbial. Here the young and vigorous man can advantageously plant themselves on rich farms an increase in means while the country is growing. Yours, Robert Daniels, 1877

 Do you recognize this place? 

The Miller's Children Do Have Bread

Fresh from the oven! My dad just pulled out this beautiful loaf. It's made from a mix of our barley flour and cornmeal.

Orange Polentina with Honey Mascarpone Topping

I've ben wanting to try this breakfast polenta from Maria Speck's Ancient Grains cookbook. We had some extra yellow corn grits from this week's milling so I thought I'd give it a try. The recipe calls for quick-cook polenta or grits. But regular grits work just as well, they just need more time on the stove.

I was really happy with the result. It's a good change from toast!

Here's the recipe: 

Orange Polentina with Honey Mascarpone Topping from Ancient Grains for Modern Meals by Maria Speck

Ingredients for Polentina:

2 cups water

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 cup instant or quick cooking polenta or grits

Ingredients for Mascarpone Topping:

1 large orange

1/2 cup Mascarpone cheese

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons honey

Method:

1. Bring the water, milk and salt to a boil. Using a whisk, gradually stir in the polenta in a thin stream. Decrease the heat to maintain a gentle bubble and whisk continuously until the polenta thickens, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes.

2. Finely grate the orange until you have 2 teaspoons of zest. Peel the fruit, remove the pith, cut the fruit into 1/2 inch segments. Set aside. Using a fork, beat the Mascarpone, yogurt, 2 tablespoons honey, and 1 teaspoon of the orange zest in a bowl until smooth.

3. Whisk the remaining 1/4 cut honey and the remaining 1 teaspoon zest into the polentina. Spoon into bowls, crowning each with 1/4 cup of the Mascarpone topping, and a few pieces of orange. Serve.

Chapalote

I wanted to show you the dark coffee color of the chapolote corn. The cobs that we milled last week were a lighter variation. Hopefully the next crop will come in these beautiful dark browns.

This cob is from Native Seeds/Search.  The great folks down there have been teaching us alot about the rich agricultural history of the southwest. If you haven't yet, go check out their selection of indigenous and heritage seeds on their website!

The Old Mill

There is an article in today's State Press about the renovation of the old mill building on Mill Avenue. We're excited to see the mill get a fresh coat of paint but more excited for this important piece of Tempe history get some attention. 

We've always said that the re-establishment of Hayden Flour Mills is in the spirit of the mill that Charles T. Hayden founded in 1872. Simply put. Charles T. Hayden was a great man. He had a vision for Tempe and Arizona and he was known as a friend to all people. 

Before the roller mills and bleached flour, Hayden Flour Mills was powered by the Salt River and stone milled the wheat that came from Arizona farms, mostly grown by the Pima Indians. Today we would call this flour fancy, organic, local, unbleached or natural. But in 1872, that's just how it was. 

We hope that the restoration of the mill building is also a restoration of some of the things that Charles T. Hayden valued: the land, the people and good tasting flour. 

California Wheat Commission

 A few weeks ago we got to meet some great people from the California and Arizona wheat commission. They are the people that ensure the quality of our wheat. Janice Cooper (on the right) is the California wheat commissioner and a lover of the artisan loaf!  e i 

The Mother Corn

Yesterday Gary Nabhan brought us some Chapalote corn. This is one of the oldest corn varieties in the southwest.

We wanted to see if we could turn this beautiful corn into a tasty and colorful polenta.But first we had to get all the kernels off the cob. Luckily Marco was there to help us. We ran it through the stone mill and Robbie turned it in to polenta. Beautiful color and taste!

Flour for sale at Singh Farms!

What are you doing this Saturday? Now that the heat has broken and it's starting to feel like Fall, get out to Singh Farms at the 101 and Thomas. They have a farmers market from 8am-1pm. It's an secret oasis in the middle of the city--you've probably driven past it on the 101 and never even realized it. 

They have an outdoor kitchen and you can sample the best of the garden for $5 a plate. It's a great way to spend a Saturday morning. 

And while you are out there pick up some of our Polenta, Cornmeal or Whole Grain Flours!

How To Dress a Millstone

Not with a shirt and pants.

The millstone needs to be sharpened every few years. Over time the grooves wear down and it doesn't grind as evenly and efficiently. It's an ancient art and very few people sill know how its done.

Roger Jansen gave us demo on how to dress a millstone at the 2011 Kneading Conference at Washington University. Here he is passing on his craft:

The First Stone Mill

Since moving the mill into the back of Pane Bianco we've been busy getting the mill prepped and tuned before we could turn it on. First we had to reassemble it, have it specially wired (and then re-wired because somebody but the motor back on wrong:me!) and then we had to level out the milling stones which had shifted in transit. But finally, this morning, we flipped the switch and threw in the first bag of grain. A Organic Turkey Red from Kansas. 

And guess what? It worked!

We were so pleased with our first batch of flour that Marco, Pane's baker extrordinare, took it right from the hopper and put it in his mixer. It will have to proof over night, but tomorrow we are going to bake some loafs and we are crossing our fingers for something inspirational. Stay tuned!

Hayden Mills in Phoenix Magazine!

Go out and pick up the September copy of Phoenix Magazine! 

There's a feature article about chef Chris Bianco and in it, he talks about the partnership between Hayden Flour Mills and his restaurants. He also talks about seeing local grain farmers growing wheat varieties that were grown in Arizona hundreds of years ago. Exciting stuff!

There is even a great quote from my dad:

"People are already doing a lot with heritage vegetables, but I just wanted to find out what ancient grains would taste like. It turns out they taste incredible."  

Well said dad!