Know Your Farmer: Capay Mills

We are thrilled to now be offering Capay Mills' fresh and delicious heirloom flours in our online Farm Stand. There's an heirloom-grain resurgence taking place in local communities to reclaim the flavor of wheat. Once upon a time, flour used to be milled fresh to order, and there was a multitude of tastes and textures to choose from. Today, the flour we find in the grocery stores can be stale and lacking in taste and sustenance. Lucky for us, we didn't have to look further than our own Capay Valley community to find some of the most delicious heirloom flours on the market.

David Kaisel inspecting the grain yielded (Photo provided by Sally Fox)

David Kaisel, flour miller and local wheat expert, launched Capay Mills in 2014 to develop markets and provide infrastructure for re-introducing small-scale heritage grain production. Drawing inspiration from traditional community farming practices, Capay Mills focuses on increasing the availability of traditional grain varieties, fresh stone-milled flour and fostering collaborative relationships between growers, millers, bakers and chefs. With an emphasis on 100% whole grain flour, Capay Mills sources sustainably grown local grain and mills to order using an Italian stone mill, the old-fashioned way.

Capay Mills emmer flour

Since many of us on the farm are still experimenting with heirloom flour, we decided to pick one (we chose emmer) and whip up a batch of Apple Breakfast Muffins to pass around the office.  I have to say, they were quite the success, and I definitely enjoyed the unique flavor. This flour produces a robust dark red/brown grain, high in fiber and minerals, which adds to its rich earthy flavor, texture and deep color. It is also used for rustic pastas, that may be better tolerated by those sensitive to modern wheat flours. Emmer's relatively low gluten make it a great choice for pie crusts, gallettes, scones or hearty biscuits. Give it a try and share your creations with us.

Apple Breakfast Muffins (made with emmer flour)
Makes 12

These apple breakfast muffins are made with emmer (farro) flour, delicious seasonal apples and a touch of maple syrup, which will have you dreaming of a crisp fall morning and a hot cup of coffee.

Ingredients:
1-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup emmer flour (spelt or einkorn flour would also work)
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
½ plain yogurt
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup apple sauce
2 tablespoons of maple syrup
½ cup olive oil
1-3/4 cups finely chopped peeled & apples (Braeburn, Golden Delicious and Granny Smith work well)

Topping:
¼ cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons of emmer flour
3 tablespoons rolled oats
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons of olive oil

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin tin with papers.

In a large bowl, whisk together the two flours, baking powder and baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, yogurt, apple sauce, maple syrup, sugar and oil.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined (the mixture is thick and a bit more dry than a typical muffin mix).

Spoon batter into each muffin cup so cups are about three-fourths full.

In a small bowl, mix together the topping ingredients with your fingertips. Sprinkle a little of the topping ingredients over each muffin, then bake for about 20-23 minutes or until firm to the touch. Enjoy!

Lead photo of heirloom wheat growing at Capay Mills provided by Capay Mills.

How To Add Capay Mills flour To Your Delivery: CSA members - head on over to our online Farm Stand Market to customize your upcoming delivery. The Market is open from noon on Thursday until 10 am, 2 days before your scheduled delivery day. After you confirm your produce items, click the orange button "Confirm and Continue To Other Farm Products" to add the products to your delivery. 

Not part of our farm family? Find out if we deliver to your neighborhood.