Bally PA
6-21-2026 4:05am

Philosophizing About Food With Francine: Baking with Organic Heritage Wheat

by Francine Black

Once again, it’s a great day for baking bread! I have found it somewhat disturbing that this very basic item has gotten an unfortunate reputation for causing digestive maladies but perhaps it’s for good reason.

Having arrived at my eighth decade, I can say that in the first 50 or so years of my life, gluten allergies were virtually unheard of. These days and for many people, consuming modern wheat products creates a certain malaise or worse. Studies show modern highly refined wheat can cause digestive discomfort, bloating, and inflammation while offering a reduced nutritional profile.

I prefer to bake with organic heritage wheats. The term heritage refers to varieties of grains grown through the early to mid 1900’s, before they were hybridized and engineered for maximum yield, stronger gluten, and higher starch content by large commercial farming companies.

In contrast, mechanized farming and ultra-fast processing has made a big change from stone milling, which retained more fiber, nutrients, and structure. Modern flours also often artificially re-add the lost nutrients. (I should mention that those afflicted by celiac disease can’t consume any wheat products).

As for me and my baking, I much prefer to purchase heritage flours for their obvious qualities of flavor, clean nutrition and organic cultivation by family farmers.

Just a side note: I think my starter was overly enthusiastic today!

High in the mountains above Bally, where the dense groves of treetops seem to touch the sky, is Francine Black, Boyertown’s own version of chef Julia Child. Her daily activities reflect the things she most values: family and friends, music, and lovingly prepared food.

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