Red Fife Flour

What's On This Page?

• Common Uses
• Characteristics of Red Fife Flour
• Red Fife Flour Nutrients

Red Fife Flour Uses, Properties and Benefits

With Red Fife Wheat, you can make rustic breads, cereals and other wheat products without the excessive gluten content found in modern white flour. As a lesser-known and utilized wheat variety, red fife retains its original growth patterns, structure and flavor profile. Modern wheat varieties, on the other hand, have been excessively hybridized to maximize yields and make the most of limited farmland.

The hybridization process changes the fundamental structure and function of the wheat over time. Modern farming practices have also greatly increased the gluten content and glycemic index of wheat. As a result, products made with modern white flour varieties remain highly inaccessible to those even slightly sensitive to gluten.

You can add red fife flour to your cupboards to elevate your baked goods and other dishes to a whole new level. You will notice a more robust flavor and texture profile in all your culinary creations when you make this smart switch.

Common Uses

From no-knead skillet bread to full rise loaves, you can make all of your favorite baked goods and more by substituting red fife flour for all purpose flour in your recipes. This product tends to work on a one to one ratio due to its similarities in baking and thickening properties.

You can find this wheat flour as a sprouted product that preserves the natural nutrients found in the raw wheat. The milled flour mixes into your recipes just the same as traditional white flour without increasing the glycemic index or gluten content of the finished product nearly as much.

Although this heirloom wheat variety has a relatively low gluten content, its dough retains the important elasticity properties that make it a good candidate for pastries, such as cinnamon rolls. Both sweet and savory flavored breads work well with this grain due to its subtle nutty flavor and dense texture.

Characteristics of Red Fife Flour

With zero native varieties of wheat available in the early 1800s, Canadian farmers adopted the red fife type as their milling industry standard to meet culinary demands. The red in the name comes from the distinct appearance of the seeds, which are light strawberry tones throughout.

Fife comes from the first cultivator of this heirloom wheat variety, David Fife. He has the seeds sent to him from abroad to introduce wheat fields to the landscapes across Canada.

Modern wheat varieties in Canada all share red fife as their genetic parent due to the complete adaption to the native climate. As these hybrids were developed, the Department of Canadian Heritage sought to protect the original seeds and preserve the choice wheat of the late 1800s. Farmers of red fife continue production to this day to provide supporters with ample access to their favorite wheat variety.

When milled into red fife flour, this wheat product bakes up into the perfect bread, muffin or cookie product with ample crumb and excellent flavor. When used on its own, or while mixed with rye or spelt, red fife flour makes exceptional bagels, pizza dough, pancakes, crackers and much more.

Red Fife Flour Nutrients

The complete lack of hybridization keeps the gluten content of red fife flour at an acceptable level. Each ounce of the flour of this specialty grain contains almost 100 calories and 20 grams of carbohydrates.

With a protein content of four grams per each serving of red fife wheat, you can use this flour to make bread that acts as an excellent complement to your meals. Although red fife wheat comes in flour form most often, you can acquire full whole grains to sprout before you consume them on their own or as a part of a meal.

Where to Find Your Perfect Blend of Red Fife Flour

With a simple switch from all purpose white flour, red fife flour can elevate your cooking experience. You can make the switch slowly or simply replace flour in all your recipes with red fife. Either way, you will enjoy a truly unique and decadent flavor profile and texture from this flour’s properties.

Red fife wheat still continues to thrive in the Canadian climate, though it has been largely replaced with high yield hybrids. Add red fife flour to your cupboard space to prepare for the improvement of all your favorite baked goods and dishes.