BreadTalks: Baking with Ancient Grains with Maria Speck in Conversation with Blair Marvin

Monday, October 19, 2026 | 5:00pm–6:00pm ET | Via Zoom

Ancient grains offer bakers new flavors, textures, and possibilities—but working with unfamiliar grains can also present challenges. How can you incorporate them consistently into your baking? 

In her new book, Baking with Ancient Grains: Mediterranean-Inspired Recipes for Living Well, Maria Speck explores the range of possibilities these grains offer, from sourdough breads and flatbreads to savory pastries, cakes, cookies, and tarts. Her approach is rooted in wholesome flours, heart-healthy olive oil, and little to no added sugar, while celebrating the distinctive flavors, textures, colors, and aromas that whole and ancient grains can bring to the table. Maria’s work is rooted in her German and Greek upbringing, both countries with centuries-old grain traditions. She shares what makes each grain unique and how bakers can harness its characteristics to create flavorful, satisfying baked goods. 

Maria will be joined by Blair Marvin, co-owner of Elmore Mountain Bread in Vermont. Blair has built a bakery around locally sourced, freshly milled grains. Her experience offers a real-world perspective on the challenges—and possibilities—of making these grains work in a professional bakery.

Ready to bring ancient grains into your own baking? Join us for a conversation about choosing and working with different grains and turning their unique qualities into baked goods worth putting on the menu. 

Praise for Baking with Ancient Grains: 

“Maria Speck has done it again in her new book. A new, broad collection of outstanding and delicious recipes using traditional and underutilized grains. From small bites to sweets, cakes, snacks, and wonderful breads—they all await you. Your baking and your health will never be the same after using Maria’s new book.”—Daniel Leader, James Beard Award–winning coauthor of Bread Alone, Local Breads, Living Bread, and A Slow Rise; founder, Bread Alone Bakery 

“Maria Speck continues to raise the bar on baking with whole grains! Baking with Ancient Grains is essential for anyone seeking to innovate in their baking repertoire. The blend of cultural influences and dedication to quality invites the baking community to embark on a journey of discovery, embracing both the past and the possibilities of the future.”—Stephanie Swane, publisher, Modernist Cuisine’s The Cooking Lab 

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS 

Maria Speck

Veteran food writer and cookbook author Maria Speck is the author of the upcoming Baking with Ancient Grains, as well as Simply Ancient Grains and Ancient Grains for Modern Meals. Her work has received multiple awards, including a Julia Child cookbook award by the IACP and an M.F.K. Fisher cookbook award. The New York Times named her first book a notable cookbook, and Cooking Light included it as one of 100 best cookbooks of the past 25 years. 

Raised in Greece and Germany, Maria has a lifelong passion for whole grains. She has contributed to numerous publications in both the US and Germany, including the Washington Post, Gourmet, Eating Well, Saveur, Gastronomica and Modernist Bread. The publisher of Modernist Cuisine, Stephanie Swane, included Maria among 20 Top Women Visionaries in bread and pizza in America. Follow her on Instagram @MariaSpeck and for more visit www.MariaSpeck.com. 

Blair Marvin

Blair Marvin is the co-owner and head baker of Elmore Mountain Bread in Vermont. For more than two decades, she has been baking naturally leavened, wood-fired breads with a deep connection to local grains, farmers, and the agricultural community around her. Along with her husband, Andrew Heyn, Blair also co-founded New American Stone Mills, which grew out of their shared commitment to fresh-milled, locally grown grain and regional food systems. Blair is a passionate baker, teacher, and longtime member of the regional grain community, with a commitment to strengthening the connections between farmers, millers, bakers, and eaters.