In this collection of Friday collaborations with Sierra Estes, we included a local (to us) milled grain. Yecora Rojo, a wheat that’s a staff favorite of Barton Springs Mill, was first received in Califorina in 1970. It’s softer bran and color lends to lighter whole grain baking and offers a balanced aroma of wheat when other ingredients want to also shine. Here are two recipes that work well with whole grains and great for comforting the cooler weathers.

 

SHORTBREAD
1 cup (227g) butter, room temp
2/5 cup (84g) sugar
1/2 tsp (2.5g) salt
2.5 cup (335g) Yecora Rojo whole wheat flour

Cream butter, sugar, and salt. Add flour in stages and mix until homogenous. Do not overmix. Form into a retangular-ish shaped disk no more than 1/2″ thick. Wrap and let it firm up and hydrate overnight in fridge. When ready to bake, let it come to a rollable texture and dust counter lightly with flour. Roll to desired thickness, somewhere between 1/8″-1/4″ is great and cut into rectangles or punch out shapes. Bake at 162C/325F until golden and dry.

 

ONE LAYER GINGERBREAD CAKE, vegan
Makes 1 (9-inch) cake

1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar
1/2 cup (100 grams) unsulphured molasses or dark syrup of choice
1 cup (200-225 grams) orange juice with pulp
1/2 cup (120 grams) olive oil
1/2 cup (70 grams) minced fresh ginger
3 TBSP orange zest
2 TBSP flax seeds, ground
2 1/4 cups (300 grams) Yecora Rojo whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking soda
1 teaspoon (2 grams) ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon (1.5 grams) kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon (1 gram) cloves, ground
1 cup (113 grams) pecans, chopped
1/2 cup candied ginger, diced

Mix sugar, molasses/syrup, orange juice, olive oil, ginger, zest, and flax seeds together. Mix together dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients into dry ingredients in 3 stages. Fold in pecans and ginger. Bake at 176C/350F in greased and lined pan for 45-60 minutes until tester comes out clean.