Red Fife — the great-grandfather of today’s wheat

Wheat came to Canada in the early 1600s with settlers in the Annapolis Valley, but it was not until the early 1800s that it found its way west to Manitoba. Credit is given to Russian Mennonites in the 1870s for cultivating the first wheat in Western Canada.

Red Fife, which arrived with David Fife, was a sample from east-central Europe. By the early 1900s, it was grown in Canada and the United States from Maine to Utah.

It wasn’t until the Industrial Revolution and the use of steel roller mills that hard wheat became marketable and began to replace Red Fife. Hard wheat did not mill well with stone grinders.

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Red Fife was crossed with Hard Red Calcutta to give us Marquis, which matures earlier than Red Fife and has a better bread baking quality.

The flavour of Red Fife flour is different from hard red spring and other wheat varieties. It has a hint of cinnamon and is both sweet and savoury in bread. Some find the lower gluten content easier to digest.

Today Red Fife is again in the limelight. Canadian chef Michael Smith is using an organic Red Fife grown on the Petersons’ family farm at Tompkins, Sask., for hamburger buns in his restaurant at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont.

In addition, the slow food movement has placed Red Fife on its Ark of Taste list.

Tarte Tatin

5-6 Granny Smith apples, peeled and thickly sliced

rind and juice of one lemon

1/2 c. sugar 125 mL

1 c. sugar 250 mL

6 tbsp. butter 90 mL

1/2 tsp. cinnamon 3 mL

1 tbsp. cognac or brandy, 15 mL

optional

whipped cream, ice cream and sliced almonds as accompaniments

Mix apples with lemon and 1/2 cup (125 mL) sugar. Let sit for 20 minutes. Drain liquid.

Preheat oven to 425 F (230 C).

Heat one cup (250 mL) sugar and butter in a cast iron skillet until brown and medium caramel in colour. Remove from heat and add the drained apple to the caramel.

Cook at medium high heat for about 10 minutes, basting with juices. Cover and cook another 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Roll pastry into a circle. Place crust on top, tucking in the sides. Cut slits to let steam out.

Cook 20 to 30 minutes in the oven or until crust is golden brown. Let cool about an hour before serving with whipped cream or ice cream and sliced almonds.

Serve from the pan or invert onto a plate.

Crust

3/4 c. all purpose flour 190 mL

1/3 c. Red Fife flour 80 mL

1/2 tsp. salt 3 mL

1 tbsp. sugar 15 mL

1/2 c. cold butter, cut 125 mL

into small pieces

2 tbsp. frozen lard, 30 mL

cut into small pieces

1/4 c. cold water 60 mL

Add dry ingredients to food processor and pulse to blend. Add butter and lard and pulse a few times until it is chunky but not as fine as cornmeal. Gradually add water while pulsing until the dough comes together.

Remove to a floured counter top and gently knead.

Form into a flattened disk and chill for an hour, then roll into a circle and top the apples.

Makes eight servings.

Rustic Red Fife Bread

No kneading or bread machine is required to make a hearty rustic loaf.

1 c. Red Fife whole 250 mL

wheat flour

2 c. bread flour 500 mL

1/4 tsp. instant yeast 2 mL

1 tsp. salt 5 mL

1 5/8 c. water 385 mL

In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast and salt. Add water and stir until blended. Dough will be sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap.

Let dough rest 12 to 18 hours at warm room temperature.

Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it, sprinkle with more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

Using enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Place on parchment paper.

Cover with towel and let rise about two hours.

When ready, dough will double in size and not readily spring back when poked with a finger. If desired, you can dust the top with flour and slash the top of the loaf immediately before putting into pot.

About 45 minutes before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 F (230 C). Put a six to eight quart (5 – 7 L) heavy lidded cast iron, enamel or Pyrex pot in oven as it heats.

When dough is ready, remove pot from oven and place dough on parchment paper into pot. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes until loaf is browned. Cool on a rack.

Wheat Thin Crackers

Purchased crackers may be high in sodium and low in fibre. Make this for a special occasion or everyday snack.
1 c. Red Fife flour 250 mL
1 tsp. sugar 5 mL
1/2 tsp. table salt 3 mL
1/4 tsp. paprika, optional 2 mL

3 tbsp. unsalted butter, 45 mL
cut into small bits
4-6 tbsp. cold water 60–70 mL
coarse sea salt
In food processor, combine flour, sugar, salt, paprika and butter, pulsing until butter is evenly dispersed. Drizzle 1/4 cup (60 ml) cold water with the machine running and run until mixture begins to form a ball.
If making by hand, combine flour, sugar, salt, paprika and butter in a medium bowl.
Using a pastry blender or your fingertips, work butter into mixture until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Add 1/4 cup (60 ml) cold water, stir with spoon until combined. Knead once or twice on countertop. Be careful not to add too much water. It is better to be dry than sticky.
Heat your oven to 400 F (200 C). Lightly grease baking sheets or line with parchment paper.
Roll dough, half at a time, to a large, thin rectangle shape between two sheets of parchment paper. Make sure dough isn’t sticking. Cut into desired shapes. Prick crackers with a fork so they don’t bubble during baking.
Transfer crackers to baking sheets, spacing about one inch (2.5 cm) apart. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt if desired.
Bake until crisp and browned, about 10 to 12 minutes, but watch as thinner crackers will bake faster and thicker ones will take longer.
Cool in baking pans on racks. They will keep in an airtight container for a week or more or frozen for two months.