Easter has always been the perfect time of year to break out all your baking equipment. Every year we’re blessed with four days of freedom, to prove, knead, stir and eat to our hearts' content. Traditionally, the end of Lent signals the return of luxuries like eggs, sugar and flour, and what better to do with those three things than to bake?
Whilst we’re on the subject of tradition, trace our Easter bakes back far enough and you’ll find that the flour people used in the past is far different to what we use today. Modern all-purpose wheat flour is made specifically to be a jack of all trades, suitable for making breads, cakes, pastries and anything else in between. As such it also has a relatively neutral flavour profile. But in years past, bakers would have used flour made from ancient grains like spelt, khorasan and rye to make their breads and cakes. These ancient grains are not as forgiving as modern white flour – they don’t always have the same high gluten content and require a more careful hand when working – but they’re packed to the gunnels with flavour and are seriously rich in nutrients.
The Dusty Knuckle is one of London’s best bakeries, with queues running out of the door every morning for its signature sourdough loaves and pastries. We teamed up resident baker Miranda MacDonald to tackle some Easter bakes that use ancient grains to their full potential.
