Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Baking With An Ancient Grain
Mary Helland loves history. History is the lifeblood of her store, Mary's Mercantile on Front Street in Glasgow. Everything about the establishment is a throwback to an earlier time, an homage to the ranchers, farmers and outlaws who established themselves in the region. She can speak at length on the history of her building, the condition it was in when she purchased it and what it took to restore the space.
In recent months she has taken her love of history and incorporated it into a new venture at the Mercantile. Helland added a bakery and ice cream component to her operation in May of this year. For her baking she uses Kamut brand khorasan wheat, a brand created and milled in Montana. Helland extolls the virtues of the organic, ancient grain, which she has been baking with personally for over a year.
She described how she first learned of the grain, "Oh at a bread making course at the courthouse with Roubie Younkin. It was an artisan bread making class." There Bob Strand asked her if she had heard of Kamut. Helland had not so Strand delivered some of the ancient grain to her home. "It was so nutty and sweet," she exclaimed. "So totally different."
The flavor was not the only draw for Helland. The story of how the grain came to Montana also captivated her inner historian. From listening to her speak about Kamut, it is clear she has read Bob Quinn's book, "Grain to Grain," a time or two. In fact, she normally keeps a number of copies around Mary's Mercantile to lend out to anyone interested in the history of khorasan wheat in Montana.
A retelling from Helland involves a young Quinn attending a fair in Fort Benton as a youngster and encountering a World War II veteran who gave several kids a sample of the grain, telling them it came from King Tut's tomb. Quinn took the grain home and began to grow it on the family farm, harvesting the seed in order to continue to harvest the unique crop. According to Helland, he took a sack of the grain to a bakery in California. Upon sampling the flour, they told him they would take all the grain he could provide.
Finding some success with his product, Quinn decided to look into the King Tut story and sent out samples of his grain to five DNA labs for genetic testing and tracing. The lab results pointed to the Mesopotamia region as the origin of the ancient grain. Helland related that Quinn traveled to Turkey to learn more about the wheat he was growing in Big Sandy. Turkish legend calls the wheat the "prophet's grain," claiming it came from the lowest level of Noah's ark where it was being stored to feed the animals after the waters receded.
"It's a bridge to the ancient world," marveled Helland caught up in the wheat's history. She is drawn to the wheat for the history and the nutritional benefits it offers. She said that Quinn had invested heavily in testing his organic grain and found that it contains five times the nutrition offered by hybridized wheat more commonly farmed in the region, while containing 1/5 the gluten. Helland claims that gluten-sensitive people can bake with and eat Kamut grain without issue.
According to Helland, much of the wheat grown in the region has become a commodity to be shipped to "third-world countries." In conversations with area farmers, she said she found only a handful who consumed themselves the wheat they grew. In looking at world conditions, Helland foresees a possibility of the need to return to local reliance, wherein there will be little choice in whether or not to consume the product that is grown here. "I mean look at COVID and what that did," she said. "We saw a bit of that in the grocery stores here."
Further, she claims that khorasan wheat is beneficial for the body's immunity system, key in fighting off diseases like COVID-19. She promotes high nutrition foods and encourages people to avoid junk food, while drinking lots of water and getting a full eight hours of sleep. "A strong and healthy immune system can fight that (COVID-19) off," she claims. "If we don't have that we're screwed."
So, Helland bakes with Kamut grain, offering whole wheat bread, cinnamon rolls, cookies and muffins. She also bakes half-wheat half-white bread and white bread, though she is quick to point out that her white flour is never bleached. Helland cycles through a variety of cookie and muffin flavors. Ginger, peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies feature heavily in the rotation though she laughs that the flavor is chef's choice since she is the sole baker in her establishment.
All of Helland's flour is procured from Montana Flour & Grains in Fort Benton. Her breads are free of sugar and preservatives, using a simple recipe of flour, salt and water. The cinnamon rolls are topped with a generous dollop of frosting and come with or without a serving of pecans.
Helland is sensitive to the fact that farmers are rightfully proud of their product and acknowledges that the commitment to convert a farm to organic is daunting, yet she encourages farmers to consider the value of their product and whether it could sustain a local population if needed. "Keep your mind open," she encourages area farmers. "Try it and see if it's a better product. We might be dependent on local product someday if world conditions get worse." She specifically mentioned truck drivers in the food supply chain and how quickly the chain can break if just one link is removed. "We have to have access to highly nutritious food to be well."
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