Healthy Baking Ingredients

At the core of our approach is a simple idea: healthy ingredients intelligently combined equals delicious and healthy eating. Here’s a little background about the key ingredients in GRAINSTORM baking.

What we put in the bag

All our mixes are made from organic ancient grains that we grind and blend ourselves, just hours or minutes before we pack it. We use whole meal–that is, the entire wheat berry or oat groat is ground–nothing added, nothing taken away.

red fife wheat

Red Fife is a heritage grain native to southern Ontario and one of the grandfathers of modern wheat. Cultivated since the mid-19th century, it has been prized for superior taste and baking performance. It is currently (and deservedly) enjoying a revival among Ontario organic farmers and artisan bakers across the continent.

kamut

Kamut (pronounced ku-moot) is an ancient wheat grain that is enjoying a revival. While modern wheat has been genetically tweaked over the years to maximize production, kamut remains much as it was thousands of years ago. It’s high in protein and rich in vitamins and essential amino acids. We like it for its unique nutty taste, golden colour and texture. Many people who are sensitive to regular wheat find they can tolerate kamut.

spelt

Yet another ancient grain enjoying a revival, spelt was originally native to the Middle East and was used by the Greeks and Romans. Like Kamut, it is a popular alternative for people with wheat sensitivities.

oats

Oats were once considered strictly horse feed, but now we know they are one of the healthiest grains around, with over 17% protein, lots of Omega-3 fatty acids and valuable micro nutrients. We hand-roll whole oats as we need them for superior flavour and nutrition.

organic raw sugar

Our organic raw sugar is made from sugar cane and spares you all the chemicals and bleaches used in mass-market sugar production as well as carrying trace minerals besides.

unrefined dried cane juice

Often sold under the trade name Sucanat, many people believe it is the healthiest natural sweetener available. It’s a whole food product made by squeezing the juice out of sugar cane and then removing the water so it retains the natural molasses and minerals and a rich, complex flavour.

salt and leavening

• baking soda
• non-aluminum baking powder
• natural sea salt

What you add in your kitchen

eggs

The cholesterol scare of the 70s-80s-90s notwithstanding, eggs have been a nutritional cornerstone in most cultures for countless generations, and they add great taste, texture and nutrition in most of our recipes. We like organic free-run eggs, both for us and the chickens.

natural yogurt

A great natural, healthy source of protein and good fats, yogurt also provides a certain delicious richness of flavour and texture. We use and recommend organic yogurt with pro-biotic cultures. Yogurt provides natural acids that work with baking soda to cause the product to rise.

extra virgin olive oil

The most widely available of unrefined oils imparts a unique earthy taste to recipes. One of the major benefits of olive oil is its high smoke point of 190C. Because temperatures inside baked goods stay below that, most of the delicate and important micronutrients are preserved for you and your body.

fresh cultured butter

Butter has a bad rap, but, according to the latest thinking, it is actually a good fat—or at least it is not a bad fat. Although 70% saturated, it is natural and easily digestible. Based on the latest research, thought-leading nutritionists are starting to reverse their long-standing recommendation of replacing butter with margarine and refined vegetable oils. Turns out these “healthy” refined products can pose serious health risks, while natural saturated fats in reasonable quantities are not only okay, but are necessary and beneficial.

Science is still working through this issue, but, whenever in doubt, we turn to natural and unrefined; shying away from any food where science claims they have improved on nature. Our basic muffin recipe uses about a teaspoon of butter per serving.

sunflower oil

If 30 years of anti-butter crusading means you simply can’t stomach the idea of eating butter, unrefined sunflower oil makes a good substitute. Its flavour can be a little strong but generally compliments most of our recipes.

milk

Milk adds moisture, richness and protein to certain recipes. We use organic wherever possible and encourage you to do the same.