Product info, baking tips, videos, troubleshooting and more.
We mean baking like it was before the industrialization of food. This means not only rejecting white flour and industrial milling, but also rejecting modern wheat itself (it's been so genetically tweaked in the last 40 years that it no longer digests properly and is making people sick). It means baking with organic heritage grains, freshly stone ground, whole and coarse — the flour your great-great-grandmother would recognize. It also means using sane amounts of sugar, and only wholesome whole food ingredients. Want to learn more? Get the full story here
These are the heritage and ancient grains we use in our mixes. Kamut (Khorasan Wheat) and Spelt are 'ancient grains', meaning they have been around since antiquity. Red Fife is a heritage wheat, and the grandfather of modern industrial wheat before we wrecked it. We use these "artisan" wheats because they are superior in both taste and nutrition to modern wheat, and they have not been genetically modified.
No, but they are free of modern wheat. Many people with wheat intolerances find that our products work for them. Our oatmeal cookies have no wheat of any kind in them, so they have no gluten, however our facility is not gluten-free so there will be slight traces.
Fresh-ground flour, modest amounts of cane sugar, salt and leavening.
Yes, but in pretty modest amounts. Our muffin mixes use about 70% less sugar than typical muffins. One muffin will contain about 6g or 1.25 tsp of sugar. Also, keep in mind that not all 'sugar' is equal (or even actually sugar!): we use only unrefined organic evaporated cane juices.
The base muffin recipe calls for eggs, a little butter and olive oil, and lots of plain yogurt, which makes them moist and nutritionally dense. Pancakes are the same but you also add milk. Cookies are just the eggs, butter and olive oil—no yogurt. Scones are eggs, butter, cream and milk.
Not just easy, but forgiving—there's really no need for critical measuring. Just toss your four wet ingredients in a bowl and mix lightly, then add the bag of mix. A basic batter takes just 3 or 4 minutes, with just one bowl, a whisk and a spatula.
Yep. You can use your favourite egg substitute (ours is ground flax); you can swap your favourite oil for the butter (try coconut or all olive oil). If you want to switch out the yogurt, no problem, use whatever sounds appealing to you—just keep in mind the baking soda in the mix needs an acid to react with. Apple sauce is good vegan substitute as it is acidic itself, or add a little lemon in addition to whatever you replaced the yogurt with.
Of course! GRAINSTORM mixes are designed as bases for all kinds of great recipes. We have a bunch online or you can make your own. Just add up to two cups of whatever you like. Remember that if you add a lot of moisture and/or volume, you'll need to bake them longer.
Sure, you can use non-fat yogurt or less butter or oil. Just keep in mind that a low-fat version will be dryer, stale faster and not be as sustaining as a healthy snack. Good fats are good.
Yes, certified by Pro-Cert for Canada and the US.
Bags should be stored in a cool, dry, dark place—no need for refrigeration. Well-stored bags will be fine many months passed the "Enjoy By" date with no worries.
We buy some locally from an organic farming co-op, others need to come from the prairies. All of it is Canadian.
Our mixes are vegan however our standard preparation calls for eggs and dairy. We have alternative vegan preparation methods online, or you can use your own preferred substitutions. It all works well.
Bags can suffer microscopic leaks from rough handling or poor storage. You can still use the product, but it might not stay as fresh as long. However if you have a bag that puffs out, throw it away, we'll be glad to replace it (we've only seen this twice).
Like any natural raw food, whole grains need to be consumed fresh. Once the kernel is broken and ground into flour, it starts oxidizing and degrading immediately. (That's why, so often, whole grain baking doesn't taste good—the flour is stale and/or rancid.) Fresh is the key, not only to great nutrition, but to great taste as well. Just one bite and the difference is clear. That's why we vacuum seal our mixes within hours or even minutes of being ground, so the optimum fresh-ground quality is preserved.
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. And our flour is ground extra coarse with no sifting for rich texture, less nutrient destruction, slower digestion and tons of fibre. Just the way it used to be.
Modern wheat has been continuously cross-bred and hybridized over the last 100 years, with always the same goals in mind: increased yields for industrial farming, and improved “baking properties” (i.e. more gluten) for industrial baking. Which is all very well for industry, except an astonishing number of people now complain of an inability to digest wheat, or have a wheat allergy. Yet, many of these people find they can tolerate spelt and kamut. What’s going on here? Not sure, but we’ll stick with the stuff that has nourished civilizations for 10,000 years, rather than modernized version that seems to be increasingly wrecking our health.
Red Fife is a heritage hard spring wheat 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 (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.
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 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.
In a word, yes. However, we keep it as moderate and healthy as possible. Our fresh-ground grains taste so good we can use 50-70% less sugar than typical. And the sugar we do use is the very best: organic evaporated cane juices.
Here are the nutrition labels for each GRAINSTORM product, for both the raw mix and basic standard preparation
Store the bags in a cool, dry, dark place (the average pantry is fine). Our 500g bags use a sophisticated 4-part high-barrier package that will keep the product fresh for AT LEAST a year. The "Enjoy by" date on the back is a guideline, but don't worry if your bag goes a few months beyond—the product will not spoil and you may or may not notice a degradation in quality at that point.
GRAINSTORM mixes are designed to be used in one batch, but you can save unused mix in an airtight bag in the freezer for a couple of weeks easily.
The softness indicates a microscopic leak in the bag caused by rough handling during shipping. Our larger foodservice bags are particularly susceptible. This is not harmful as the product will not spoil, however, the freshness quality on this bag will degrade faster as a small amount of air is getting in. You can compensate for this by sticking it in the freezer which will dramatically slow any oxidization effect. It will still taste great!
IMPORTANT: While soft bags are OK, puffed up bags should be discarded. We'll be happy to replace it
We designed them as single use to take maximum advantage of the fresh-ground grain. If you want to make a partial batch, store the remaining mix tightly sealed in the freezer for up to 3-4 weeks, no problem. We find however, that once we're baking, it's more convenient to make a full batch and freeze the finished product (see below). They reheat beautifully, and you'll have nice healthy items on hand for those busy mornings or to grab for your lunch bag.
GRAINSTORM baking tends to stale faster than regular commercial baking; it also will more easily host molds. WE highly recommend that you immediately freeze whatever you aren’t going to eat within 24 hours. We like to use resealable freezer bags (push as much air out as possible when closing) and use it up within 6-8 weeks of going into the freezer. We always have some frozen pancakes in our freezer for our boys on those busy mornings!
GRAINSTORM mixes are designed to be used in one batch, but you can save unused mix in an airtight bag in the freezer for a couple of weeks easily.
Our base recipes have been carefully designed and tested to balance taste, nutrition, and baking performance at what we believe is optimum levels; but you may want your product richer or leaner, depending on your tastes and diet.
Here’s what you need to know: less fat will make your end result dryer and it will stale faster too; too much fat and the result will be overly greasy. As a guideline, it would be a good idea not to increase or decrease butter/oil content by more than 30% either way. Also, keep in mind, you are increasing or decreasing the fat content significantly by using lower or higher fat yogurt (We recommend 3%).
An editorial comment: For nearly 40 years now, we all have been taught to avoid fats whenever possible. We feel compelled to say that, in our opinion, despite this cultural conditioning, moderate amount of natural "good" fat is a very good thing.
We follow a whole food philosophy that says natural, traditional foods are preferable to modern processed foods. But if you would rather not use butter, you don’t have to! The character of the end product will be changed slightly by the flavour and texture of substitutions. Here are some options:
When substituting fats, keep this rule in mind: oils are a little denser than butter or margarine. So use 10-15% less oil than you would solid fat like butter.
One of the great things about GRAINSTORM baking is how easy, fast and foolproof it is. Even still, many of us are not frequent bakers and knowing and following simple baking best practices will ensure you are getting the best results.
Cooking time and temperature depend on two main variables: size and fullness of the baking pan and moisture content of the batter.
Package directions for baking times are good starting points. But you need to adapt to your recipe and your oven. For instance, if you have added a lot of extra fresh ingredients (like shredded apples, say) this adds to the baking time in two ways: first, you have added volume to the recipe and if you make the same number of muffins, each one will be larger and require more baking time. Second, you have increased the moisture content of the recipe which will add to the baking time as well. As a rule, the farther the distance to the centre of the product, the longer it needs to cook and the lower the temperature needs to be to keep the product from overcooking or even burning on the outside. Here are a few ballpark settings to get you started.
The most reliable way to judge doneness is by feel of the product. When touched lightly, the indent caused by your finger should spring back. If an indent remains, you need a bit more time. Keep in mind that leaving your baking in the oven too far past this done point will create an overly dry product.
GRAINSTORM baking does not rise in the same way as white flour as the grain is much heavier and coarser. However you should expect a decent rise and a pleasing rustic crumb. Muffins tend to rise a little better than loaves. Poor rise can be caused by:
The heavy weight of GRAINSTORM batter can cause large loaves in particular to sag in the center when cooling. This is most likely to happen when there is lots of extra ingredients, if the loaf pan is over-full or if there are other rising issues at work as well. A little sag can be normal, but, again, you should expect a nice crumb. If the sag is excessive, run through the checklist above and also try baking smaller loaves and/or putting less fresh ingredients in.
The most common cause of this is over-baking. See above for adjusting time and temperature and judging doneness. The other common cause of dryness is not enough moisture in your batter. When adjusting base recipes, be sure you keep the moisture content of your batter within a reasonable range of base formula. Another cause is reducing the fat content of the recipe too low.
There are three main causes of this:
By adjusting fat content and baking time, you can produce either a soft, crispy or chewy cookie.
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