On Tuesday, October 23, a new cookbook from Hewn bakery in Evanston, Illinois was released through Chronicle Books. Heritage Baking: Recipes for Rustic Breads and Pastries Baked with Artisanal Flour from Hewn Bakery shares recipes made with heritage wheat and stone-milled flour for the at-home cook to enjoy real bread and delicious pastries.

Author Ellen King wants customers to appreciate the value and traditions of local grains and craft bread, and for these traditions to continue. Further, she wants to help consumers fully comprehend the importance and commitment that a rising number of craft bakers are making to local grains in bread baking.

King is on a mission to revitalize the grain economy in the Midwest and pay homage to sustainable grain farmers and artisan millers her bakery works with on a daily basis.

“This cookbook is really focused on bringing baking back to its roots,” says King. “It all starts with the wheat we use, and our goal is to educate at-home cooks on the importance of these heritage grains. While many look for organic and sustainable fruits, vegetables, meats, and more, shoppers hardly question the flour available on the store shelves. It is important we ask ourselves where the flour came from, how the grain was grown, and how was it milled, in order to create better bread and pastries.”

King will take the cookbook on the road for a national book tour, heading to cities coast-to-coast over the next several months. Heritage Baking will be showcased in Chicago, Boston, Washington, D.C., New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, St. Louis, Las Vegas, San Francisco, and more.

“This very timely bread book stars the wide range of artisanal flours now available to bakers everywhere, but it is so much more,” says Sarah Billingsley, Executive Editor of Chronicle Books. “We love Ellen’s passion, the farm-to-table integrity of her baking, that her breads are delicious, nutritious, and better for the gut because of her starter, the flours she uses, her baking methods – all shared here. We think this will be the bread book of the season, because home bakers will love the new techniques and information that lead to better loaves and more flavor.”