Coconut Mango Breakfast Farro Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Does farro need to be soaked before cooking? ›

Soak Farro

As we've already discussed, soaking whole farro or semi-pearled farro will speed up the cooking time significantly - although it's not necessary. If you have the forethought, add the farro to a bowl of water and soak it overnight in the refrigerator.

We especially love farro in risotto recipes to make farrotto — it lends the risotto a chewy texture and rich, nutty flavor. It's also great served cold, tossed into a salad, or as the base of a grain bowl.

Farro is a grain, and most people use it as a carbohydrate source in meals. But when compared to popular refined carbohydrates, farro's health benefits make it a superior choice for healthy living. Here are just a few of the impressive health benefits of eating farro. Farro is an excellent source of fiber.

One cup of uncooked farro makes about 2.5 cups of cooked farro. As stated before, cooking farro is like pasta. When it is finished cooking, the extra water is drained away so there is not an exact ratio of water to farro used. However, I like to add at least 3 cups of water for 1 cup of farro.

Simmer the farro.

Add the farro, salt (plus any optional aromatics) to a large pot of boiling water and stir to combine. Simmer until the farro is tender and chewy — approximately 15-20 minutes for pearled farro, 25-30 minutes for semi-pearled farro, or 35-40 minutes for whole farro.

The farro will absorb a lot of the water, but the excess should be drained off. You can either use a colander or just carefully tilt the pot while using the lid to hold the grains in place. Drain off as much water as possible to prevent it from turning mushy.

In Italy, the word farro refers in particular to emmer, also called “true” farro. The grain is sold dried, and cooked in water or broth until it is soft yet crunchy. It can be eaten plain but is more often added to salads, soups, or other dishes.

Soaking is not necessary but it does appear to make it easier to digest and breaks down the phytic acid that blocks absorption of some nutrients. See this article from Food and Nutrition Magazine for more information.