Flour from Lammas Fayre is special stuff. John Letts has researched, identified, obtained and bulked up rare and historically accurate cereals over many years in order to create authentic blends of flour that would have been the commonly available flour for various periods of British history. The cereals by definition are not the modern high-yielding varieties and so in many cases, have a limited availability.
Lammas Fayre's wholesome white spelt flour is milled from a blend of heritage spelt wheat varieties grown organically in Buckinghamshire and Gloucestershire. Spelt (Triticum spelta) is the parent of modern bread wheat (T. aestivum). It was first grown in Britain in the Bronze Age over 4,000 years ago, and became the staple bread and drink corn in the Iron Age and Roman Periods, but then disappeared from farmers' fields in the early Saxon period 1,400 years ago. Older varieties produce an all-purpose flour with exceptional flavour with less of the 'strong' gluten found in modern spelt varieties, most of which have been hybridised with modern bread wheat. The grain is dehulled, polished and stoneground on the farm to create a delicious all-purpose flour ideal for home baking.
Usage: flours from ancient rather than modern varieties of grain can be more challenging to the baker since they tend to have lower protein levels. If you want the authentic experience of a heritage loaf then you may choose to make your bread from 100% of this flour. However, for a lighter loaf with the heritage flavour, we have found that using 50% Lammas Fayre and 50% strong white is a good starting point, giving enough strength for a free-form loaf. As you increase the proportion of Lammas Fayre flour, you may find that giving your dough extra support in a tin is helpful.
About Lammas Fayre Flours: Lammas Fayre is a very small-scale artisan operation and consequently the stock and re-stocking can be a little variable. Our advice is simple - if you see it in stock then place your order: many lines are only available in very limited quantities.
Milling: Stoneground
Ingredients: spelt wheat flour (with no added gluten)
Allergy Advice: for allergens including cereals containing gluten see ingredients in bold. This flour may contain traces of nuts.
Bread Machine Advice: Most heritage flour is not suitable for use in most bread machines. Mix with at least 50% bread wheat flour for best results.