Beginner’s Einkorn Sourdough Bread

Einkorn flour is notorious for being difficult to bake with. However, this Beginner’s Einkorn Sourdough Bread recipe and guide walks you through easily incorporating this ancient grain into your sourdough routine with step-by-step instructions.

Einkorn is an ancient grain with numerous nutritional and health benefits, making it an exceptional choice to add to sourdough. But with a lower gluten content than modern wheat, mixing, shaping, and baking can be a challenge to those using einkorn flour for the first time.

This sourdough einkorn bread recipe starts you on your einkorn journey using about 25% einkorn flour in the loaf. That way, the recipe is manageable for beginners with guaranteed success. Plus, you’ll still get the incredible flavor of einkorn that will shine through.

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🌾 What is Einkorn?

Einkorn (EYEN-corn) is a type of wheat that is considered an ancient grain. It is one of the earliest cultivated wheats and translates to “single grain” in German.

Like other ancient grains, such as spelt or rye, einkorn is recognized for its many nutritional and health benefits. These merits include easier digestion, lower gluten content, and higher levels of protein and vitamins/minerals such as Vitamin B6, Vitamin A, and potassium.

Whereas modern wheat is made of 42 chromosomes, einkorn only consists of 14 chromosomes. It’s the only non-hybridized wheat, meaning that its original DNA structure has remained intact for thousands of years since earliest cultivation.

Another visible difference between modern wheat and einkorn is that einkorn is smaller than wheat berries (half the weight) and does not contain a crease in the middle of the grain.

You can find more information about einkorn and the differences between modern wheat here.

What does Einkorn taste like?

Einkorn tastes similar to whole wheat flour, but is milder, slightly nutty, and can impart a hint of sweetness, especially when it’s freshly milled. It’s very much a flavor enhancer in breads and other baked goods.

Whereas some whole wheat flours can have a very hearty and grainy texture, einkorn has a smoother mouthfeel. Einkorn is a celebrated flour substitute for those trying to incorporate more whole grains or whole wheat flours into their diets. It’s also great for children who may not enjoy the flavor of whole wheats.

Visually, einkorn flour adds a lovely golden sunset hue to the bread and you can even cook the berries whole to make an einkorn grain salad.

As you explore baking with different flours and grains, you’ll begin noticing more and more subtle differences between flours. Of course, they taste different, but you’ll even begin to notice textural contrasts and how you must adjust as you bake with it.

Incorporating even small amounts of new whole-grain flours can add great nutritional value and flavor to breads. Einkorn is no exception. And this beginner’s einkorn sourdough bread will start you on your baking journey!

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👉 Tips for Baking with Einkorn Flour

1. Shorten Autolyse
   • Autolyse has many benefits, especially for high-hydration breads. It helps shorten mixing, build-up gluten content, and generally assists in achieving an open crumb.
   • While I typically opt for a one-hour autolyse, you can do a shorter autolyse for this bread. That’s because there’s less benefit of it with einkorn due to its low extensibility. A thirty-minute autolyse is sufficient.
2. Use a Dough Whisk to Mix
   • Einkorn is not very extensible and tears easily in high amounts. While this loaf is only 25% einkorn flour, you may still notice that the dough is extremely sticky at first.
   • I used a Danish dough whisk to help mix the flours and water together and it helps quite a bit to prevent stickiness to your hands.
3. Hold Back Some of the Water
   • Einkorn can be tricky to mix in high amounts. Even though this beginner’s recipe is only 25% einkorn flour, hold back on some of the water during mixing.
   • You can always add more water if needed but you can’t remove it. It’s better to be conservative with the hydration here.
4. Don’t Overproof
   • Overproofing will lead to a degradation of gluten and spreading during baking, resulting in a flat loaf.
   • It’s better to under proof einkorn sourdough bread slightly to ensure that this doesn’t occur. It will also be easier to shape if it’s slightly under proofed.
5. Test different amounts of einkorn flour!
   • This recipe is purposefully built for beginners using einkorn so you have success. At 25%, you still get the exceptional flavor of einkorn and the experience of working with it, but with less risk than starting off with a 100% einkorn loaf.
   • Once you’ve excelled in creating this loaf, gradually increase the amount of einkorn flour and take note of the changes.

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👨‍🏫 Baker’s Percentage Chart

I include a baker’s percentage chart to scale a recipe up or down easily. With baker’s percentages, the total weight of all flour in the recipe is 100%.

I also include the prefermented flour from the levain in this flour weight. Finally, I note the ingredients proportionally to the total weight of flour (in this case, 430g). That’s why the percentages below will add up to over 100%.

If you want to learn more, the King Arthur website has a more detailed reference page on why and how baker’s percentages are calculated.

Ingredients	Weight	Baker’s Percentage
Bread Flour	320 grams	74.4%
Einkorn Flour	110 grams (includes 30g for levain*)	25.6%
Sea Salt	9 grams	2.1%
Water	305 grams (includes 30g for levain)	70.9%
Sourdough starter	30 grams (all for levain)	7%

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🛠 Tools Needed

View my Sourdough Tools and Equipment guide for a complete list of my favorite bread-baking tools.

• Dutch Oven
  • I love baking with my Challenger Bread Pan. It bakes excellent sourdough bread for a home baker and is heavy-duty cast iron.
  • For more dutch oven information, I list my recommendations with pros and cons here.
• Baking Scale
• Bread Lame
  • Or a sharp razor blade or sharp knife.
• Bench Scraper
  • To assist with shaping.
• Banneton Proofing Basket
  • I use this 10″ oval proofing banneton for baking batards (ovals) and a 9″ round banneton for boules (rounds).
  • A proofing basket will help keep your dough shaped while it proofs overnight and removes easily from the basket with a liner. If you don’t have one, line a mixing bowl with a floured tea towel.
• Optional: Brød and Taylor Folding Bread Proofer
  • This folding proofing box by Brød & Taylor is a game changer to keep your sourdough starter and doughs at the perfect temperature while proofing.
  • The proofer folds up easily, includes a humidity tray, is multifunctional, and can even be a slow cooker.
• Optional: Grain Mill
  • I used my NutriMill Harvest Grain Mill to mill whole einkorn berries to a fine texture. If you have a grain mill, I highly recommend milling your own berries for the freshest flavor and for incorporating the whole grain into the loaf. Plus, whole berries store much longer than flour.
• Optional: Danish Dough Whisk
  • Mixing einkorn flour can be very sticky. I really like using a Danish dough whisk to help get the job done faster and with less mess. It’s an optional, but helpful tool that I’ve been using more and more.

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🛒 Ingredients Needed

See below for more information, recommendations, and possible substitutes.

• Bread Flour
  • I used King Arthur Bread Flour at 12.7% protein for recipe testing this bread. A high-gluten content flour pairs best with the einkorn since einkorn has a lower gluten content. This will result in a taller loaf that’s easier to shape, score, and blooms well in the oven.
• Einkorn Flour
  • The most popular brand of einkorn flour is Jovial’s all-purpose einkorn flour (linked above), which you can use for this recipe.
  • I used stone-milled einkorn flour from einkorn berries purchased in the bulk section of a local co-op. Milling your own flour keeps the bran and germ intact as whole-grain and adds even more flavor than bromated flour.
• Sourdough Starter
  • Use active sourdough starter and not sourdough discard for this bread.
  • You do not need an einkorn sourdough starter to make this recipe. However, if you have one, this is a great time to use it! I make an einkorn levain (or separate mini-sourdough starter) made of einkorn flour, water, and my 100% hydration sourdough starter.
  • Don’t have a sourdough starter? Learn How to Make a Sourdough Starter and make a stronger sourdough starter with my top sourdough starter tips.
• Sea Salt
• Water

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⏰ Sample Baking Schedule

This is my typical baking schedule for most sourdough breads. This schedule works well for a weekend bake. However, many steps are flexible, depending on your own day-to-day schedule.

For example,  you can make the levain the night before (use 10g of starter and 40g of flour and 40g of water). You can also proof the dough overnight in the refrigerator for up to a day to bake on your own time.

Steps	Time
1. Make Levain	9:00am
2. Autolyse	2:00-2:30pm
3. Add Levain & Rest	2:30-3:00pm
4. Add Salt & Mix	3:00pm
5. Bulk Fermentation & Folds	3:05-8:00pm (4 to 5 hours)
6. Shape	8:00pm
7. Overnight Proof	8:15pm-9:00am (or up to a day)
8. Score and Bake	Next Day, 9:00am

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👨‍🍳 How to Make Beginner’s Einkorn Sourdough Bread

Follow this visual and detailed guide to help you make this delicious einkorn sourdough bread recipe.

1. Make the Levain

Mix 30 grams of sourdough starter, 30 grams of einkorn flour, and 30 grams of water in an empty jar.

Cover and set it in a warm location (between 75-80ºF) for about five hours until it’s bubbly and ripe. The levain should at least double in size during this time.

2. Autolyse

When the levain is ready, mix 320 grams of bread flour and 80 grams of einkorn flour in a mixing bowl.

Make a well in the center of the bowl and pour 275 grams of warm water into the bowl.

Use your hands or a Danish dough whisk to mix the flours and water well. The dough will be quite sticky.

Cover the bowl and set it aside to autolyse for at least 30 minutes.

3. Add Levain and Rest

When the levain is bubbly and ripe, add the levain.

Use your hands to dimple the levain into the dough. Then, stretch and fold the dough onto itself for a few minutes until you thoroughly incorporate the levain into the dough.

Cover the bowl and rest it in a warm location for 30 minutes.

4. Add Salt & Mix

After 30 minutes, sprinkle 9 grams of sea salt onto the dough. At this point, you could add another 10-20 grams of water if you think the flour can handle it.

Then, dimple in the sea salt and begin mixing. Stretch and fold the dough for about 5 minutes until it’s smoother.

Cover the bowl and rest for 30 minutes.

5. Bulk Fermentation and Folds:

At 78ºF, bulk fermentation (first proof) takes about 4.5 to 5 hours. Einkorn tends to proof a little faster than other flours, so be careful to not push proofing too far.

If your dough and environment are colder, bulk fermentation will take longer. Conversely, in warmer conditions, bulk fermentation will be faster.

Stretch & Folds

Perform 4 or 5 sets of stretch and folds throughout bulk fermentation, spread 30 minutes apart.

To stretch and fold, use a wet hand to lift a portion of the dough, stretch it, and fold it down upon itself. Repeat three more times in the bowl for one set.

While breads with large amounts of einkorn flour will tear easily, this dough should still be pretty strong. The folds will continue to strengthen the dough throughout bulk fermentation and you should notice it becoming smoother and airier throughout.

If the dough is still very slack or weak after the last fold, you may need to add a couple of more folds.

The dough rests for the remainder of time until shaping.

Bulk fermentation is complete when the dough rises about 75%, feels full of air, and there are visible bubbles on top of and around the dough.

6. Shape:

Lightly flour your surface and use a bench scraper to shape the dough into a boule (round) or batard (oval). Lift the dough and place it seam-side up into the banneton.

Since it can be a little slack, I stitch this dough in the banneton to add extra strength.

Cover and rest at room temperature for 15-30 minutes.

7. Overnight Proof:

With the banneton covered, place it in a cold refrigerator overnight and up to 24 hours.

The overnight proof, or retard, will give additional flavor to the dough and slow down fermentation.

You can typically proof bread in the refrigerator for up to a couple of days. However, einkorn has a tendancy to proof a little faster in the refrigerator, especially if you’re using freshly-milled flour.

To avoid over proofing, I recommend not proofing this longer than 24 hours in the refrigerator.

8. Score & Bake:

Place an empty Dutch oven into the oven and preheat it at 500ºF (260ºC) for an hour.

After an hour, remove the cold dough from the refrigerator and turn it out onto a small piece of parchment paper.

Then, score the dough using a sharp bread lame.

I usually score with one long slash for a batard (oval). For a boule (round), score the dough with a cross pattern in the center of the dough or another design. The score should be about ¼”-½” deep. If interested, I often share scoring videos on my Instagram.

Carefully place the scored dough with parchment into the Dutch oven and immediately cover it with the lid. Optionally, you can add a couple of ice cubes to the pan to increase steam. This can help you get a sourdough ear.

Bake at 500ºF (260ºC) for 20 minutes.

Remove the lid, turn the oven down to 450ºF (232ºC), and bake with the lid off for about 15 minutes until the crust is dark brown.

Every oven bakes differently, so be sure to turn on the oven light to peak at the bread during baking so the crust doesn’t burn.

Cool the loaf on a wire rack for at least an hour before slicing.

Finally, enjoy cutting into this delicious and nutritious einkorn sourdough bread!

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How to Store Einkorn Sourdough Bread

I like to store sourdough bread cut-side down once sliced. This helps the loaf retain moisture so it doesn’t dry out and become stale.

Luckily, whole wheat and whole-grain breads tend to retain moisture and stay fresher for longer than other breads. This includes einkorn sourdough bread.

To slice, cut the bread in half, turn it cut-side down, and then slice it with a sharp, serrated bread knife.

Then, wrap the loaf in a tea towel and place it in a bread bag, bread box, or brown paper bag, where it will stay fresh for about three days. After a few days, you may need to reheat or toast slices.

Unsliced, the bread will last another day or two without staling or losing too much moisture.

You can freeze einkorn sourdough bread by placing slices in a freezer-safe bag where it will keep for months. To thaw, reheat the frozen slices in a toaster oven, toaster, or oven.

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❓FAQs:

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