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Baking Bread with Kernza® Perennial Grain
With our commitment to supporting regenerative agriculture, offering Kernza® perennial grain in our shop makes perfect sense. This grain derived from intermediate wheatgrass was developed by The Land Institute and we source it from Luke Peterson at A-Frame Farm where it’s grown regeneratively and organically. As a perennial, the roots of Kernza grow deep into the ground, so it’s more drought resistant. Moreover, the soil doesn’t need to be tilled every year for a new planting, which improves soil health, water infiltration, and carbon sequestration. We’re hopeful that Kernza and other perennial grain crops will help global food security in the long run.
Kernza ripens at The Land Institute
[Kernza® photos used under creative commons license are copyright The Land Institute]
As soon as the dark golden Kernza grains arrived in my kitchen, I milled them in my Mockmill at the finest setting and began testing the flour’s performance and flavor. I found that Kernza has a delicious nutty, herbal flavor and aroma. It mills into a relatively dark flour with noticeable flakes of bran and it can hold an average amount of water (76% hydration is manageable). Kernza contains gluten, but both the elasticity and extensibility are low. In a dough, it performs like rye or einkorn, though it’s a bit more cohesive and not as sticky.
Yecora rojo hard red spring wheat on the left; Kernza on the right
Kernza grains are small with a notable husk. Compared with modern hard red wheat wheat, Kernza is higher in fiber (18g vs. 12g) and protein (19g vs. 15g). This nutritional data is based on a 100 grams serving and sourced from Kernza.org and from USDA.gov.
One of the first things I did was a slurry test on Kernza and two other grains to explore their relative absorbency, gluten strength, and enzymatic breakdown. In the photo gallery below, you can see that Kernza grains are smaller than einkorn and yecora rojo. Kernza and einkorn milled into a fluffier volume than yecora rojo, and the flours all have distinct colors.
Each 50 grams of flour was mixed with 38 grams of water (76% hydration). Yecora rojo was the most absorbent, followed by Kernza, and then einkorn. At 30, 60, and 90 minutes, Kernza and yecora rojo became increasingly cohesive, with yecora rojo developing by far the strongest gluten network. Einkorn was over-hydrated and did not gain strength. Kernza became more cohesive but could not be stretched thin.
The following morning, none of the slurries had broken down due to enzymatic activity — and all three were fermenting, likely due to residual sourdough microbes on my hands the day prior as I was handling a Kernza sourdough bread dough.
fermentation and minimal enzymatic breakdown after 24 hours
You can learn more about slurry testing in this article: Baking Bread with Low Gluten Wheat.
After the slurry testing, I worked on a few recipe formulas, using the same process that is described in more detail in this Kernza Artisan Style Bread recipe. That recipe also explains how to make these formulas with instant yeast instead of sourdough starter.
Stay tuned for future recipe testing, including a 100% Kernza whole grain flour bread and perhaps trying a high hydration mixed whole grain dough in a loaf pan.
50:50 Kernza and Bread Flour
Nice deep color and flavor, relatively pliable slices
67:33 Yecora Rojo and Kernza
Flavorful dense crumb, low gluten feel
67:33 Bread Flour and Kernza – full recipe HERE
Kernza flavor and airy, chewy texture
Baking Bread with Kernza® Perennial Grain