Wild Flour

 Recently, I came across an account by Melanie Sawyer on dehydrating wild foods and grinding them into flour. She uses these at home, and found they served her health, during a stint on a reality TV show. 

Melanie writes, "making flours converts perishable, bulky or bitter forest forage into lightweight, shelf-stable staples to be used throughout the lean months."

I was delighted that she featured using the seeds of yellow dock, Rumex Crispa! We've all seen those beautiful red-brown seed heads - yes! They can be harvested and used for food! (And - at thousands of wee seeds per stalk, it's a great use!) 

"They are widely foraged over England, Scandinavia and Europe, and used as a nutritious, yeast and gluten-free wild brown flour that tastes similar to buckwheat."

Dock stem with chaff and seeds

With their deep roots, dock acts as a bio-accumulator, bringing minerals from the soil, so I leave a few in the beds, and there are more around the edges of the garden. 

Planning to reduce the spread, I'd already clipped a number of seed heads, so was excited to gather them up, and put them to use! And oh! I love the flavor! 

I clipped off any last leaves, then stripped the stems into a brown paper bag, gently rubbing the seeds/ and chaff as I went. 

I then used the stainless steel rack from my glass air fryer as a screen over a bowl to sift out any remaining leaves.

Toast: Set the air fryer at 250° and put in ~ 1/2" of seeds and chaff - toast 5-10 minutes - till it smells a bit nutty

Mill: let cool, then use an electric coffee mill or food processor to create flour - Viola! You now have flour!

Here's a video on harvesting & processing. 

Flour in measuring cup, toasted seeds & chaff

I had to try some, as soon as i could! 

Like buckwheat, dock floor has a rich flavor profile, so start by substituting several tablespoons to 1/3 of the flour in your recipe with dock flour. 

It would be lovely in pumpernickle style bread! With lower gluten than wheat, the tips for working with rye are helpful for gluten free baking, and for experimenting with wild flours. 

- I added 1/3 cup of dock flour to a cup and half of my GF blend, and made sourdough rounds. 

GF Sourdough with Dock

1 1/2 C flour (I use brown rice and sorgham)

1/3 C dock flour 

1 TBSP tapioca

1 tsp psylium

1 TBSP brown sugar

Water sufficient to moisten flour

Mix and Rest (autolyse): mix flours, sugar and liquid, cover and let rest overnight.

Activate starter: add an equal amount of liquid and flour, plus a spoonful of sugar to your starter, and put in a warm place to activate.  

- I use my microwave as a handy place for this, turning it on for 30-60 seconds, then place the bowl of flours and the starter jar in the chamber overnight. 

In the morning, or when it's nice and bubbly, stir the starter, and add ~ 1/2 C of starter and 1 teaspoon salt to the flour blend, and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Add a bit more of your flour blend if needed. 

- Cover and return the rest of the starter (at least 1/2 C) to the refrigerator.

Gluten free flours benefit from a longer rising period, so whilst mixing, I reheat the microwave (or oven) then return the bowl of now levened dough to the chamber for 4-8 hours.

When ready to bake, stir in 1 Tablespoon oil (melted coconut or other favorite) and a bit more flour if needed. You could add an egg and/ or 1/2 - 1 tsp baking powder at this point, and mix in. 

Let the dough rest 10 minutes, then form balls on parchment paper, or place in muffin cups, and let rise 20-30 minutes. 

Preheat an Air Fryer a few minutes at 350° (or an oven to 375°) 

Proofing on top of the food dehydrator 

Bake 15-20 minutes in the air fryer, or till well browned. 

Serve warm with coconut oil.

Other wild flour options include nettle or  other greens, dried and ground, grated squash, carrots, beets (use fresh, or dry for storage) 

Additions might include favorite herbs or spices, an egg (or tablespoon of ground flax), milk or other liquid, cooked and blended beans ... a teaspoon of cocoa powder...

You might enjoy these posts on Calazone and Raisin Rolls. 

Have you baked using wild flours?