A Welcome and Introduction

           

Hi, I'm Hilary Kass, the owner of Ancient Grains Bakery.  Thanks for checking out this blog - we will be sharing information, tips, and recipes about the ancient grains that we also feature in our products.


We hope this blog can become a resource to learn about less commonly used grains and seeds that can be eaten as healthy and interesting alternative.

My History with Food and Ancient Grains

When I was a kid growing up in 1970’s California, my two favorite activities were watching “The Galloping Gourmet” and making cookies. I was lucky to have parents that were happy to give me free reign of the kitchen, where I could often be found creating yummy dinners for a busy working family.

Growing up in a hotbed of new and alternative ideas, I was always dipping out for blocks of fresh tofu from a five gallon bucket at the health food store and enjoying salty, mineral rich nutritional yeast.  On the other hand, I also just as routinely ate frozen dinners with my family …on a TV tray…in front of the TV. A nice balance, I guess.

So while I was learning to make wonderful traditional foods like oatmeal cookies, chocolate cake with buttercream frosting, meatloaf and scalloped potatoes I also learned about chile rellenos, Indonesian Bami, and Szechwan eggplant.

And so I have been enjoying a lifetime of cooking. Everyone’s got their “thing” and food is mine. I studied health promotion and disease prevention as an undergraduate and later on in graduate school. I started teaching cooking classes at a local hospital wellness center, then at the Community Mercantile Co-op in Lawrence, KS.  With a whole foods approach, I helped people increase the amount of unprocessed whole grains, unrefined sweeteners, fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts, seeds, and beans.

I have also worked as a nutrition consultant, providing direction to people interested in making improvements to their diet. Several years ago I began seeing more people that were experiencing health problems that couldn’t be explained. For a long time, holistic health practitioners were identifying food allergies in many of their patients, but mainstream doctors were slow to come to this table. Nowadays, fortunately, there are simple blood tests to determine if some foods just don’t work well for people.

Three of the most common foods that many people are sensitive to are wheat (which contains gluten), dairy, and eggs. I would provide store tours showing the products that are available that were free of these ingredients. Many of these fine products are made with white rice flour and tapioca starch to mimic the qualities of our beloved all-purpose flour. But where were sorghum, millet, quinoa, amaranth, tef and buckwheat- the rich, heavier grains full of flavor and nutrition? There were bags available on the shelves but few readymade products were made from these nutrient-rich “ancient grains.”

This provided the idea behind Ancient Grains Bakery.  I began to experiment, first with cookie dough made with sorghum flour, then flatbreads made with millet and amaranth, and then biscotti made with tef.  Most recently, a piecrust made with sorghum and brown rice flour. I now have these products available through my bakery, Ancient Grains, in Lawrence, KS with a growing distribution.

It is my mission to prepare convenient, nutritious, interesting foods using the highest quality ingredients and to educate regarding the benefits of eating a variety of these whole grains.  My belief is that these grains do not simply provide a “replacement” for wheat products, but more complex and interesting ingredients in their own right.  And in an environment where wheat has been genetically modified or stripped of its nutrition, these grains offer a diverse and nutrient-dense alternative.

 So whether you are sensitive to wheat or gluten or are just looking to expand your culinary and nutritional experiences, try some ancient grains today.