Whole Grain Einkorn Sourdough Loaf
This recipe is from The Sourdough School. I absolutely love Vanessa Kimbell’s book, The Sourdough School, and highly recommend it to anyone wanting to dive deeper into the science of sourdough, improve the digestibility of grains through fermenting and sprouting, and explore some truly amazing recipes!
Since einkorn flour is an ancient grain, it has a more complex gluten structure but significantly less gluten than modern wheat. When paired with a slow, cold fermentation, the gluten matrix is further broken down. That’s why this loaf is proofed in a pan to support its structure during fermentation and not shaped into a traditional boule like other sourdough recipes
Whole Grain Einkorn Sourdough Loaf
Recipe from The Sourdough School Makes 1 Large Loaf
Ingredients
- 112g active sourdough starter (leaven) see note for how to prepare
- 438g filtered water, reserve 50g to add with the salt
- 500g stone ground whole wheat einkorn flour
- 10g salt
Instructions
- Make the Leaven (or feed your sourdough starter) 2-5 hours before you plan to start making your bread. This is the time it takes for a 100% whole grain starter to become active.
- In a large bowl, combine the active, bubbly leaven with 388g of lukewarm water (the remaining 50g of water will be added later with the salt). Use your fingers to mix thoroughly, breaking up any lumps and incorporating air into the mixture.
- Add the flour. Mix well for a couple of minutes, insuring that all the flour is incorporated.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to autolyze for about 12 hours.
- Remove the loaf from the fridge and let it sit for 30 minutes. Sprinkle the salt on top and add the remaining 50g of water. Mix well, first by dimpling your fingers into the dough, then by pushing your hand in and twisting, mimicking the movement of a mixer. Do this for 2-3 minutes until the salt is fully incorporated.
- Let the dough rest on the counter, covered, for one hour. Then perform one set of stretch and folds. To do this, dip one hand in water to prevent sticking and shake off the excess. Grab the underside of the dough, stretch it out, and fold it back over itself. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn, then stretch and fold again. Continue rotating, stretching, and folding the dough until you have performed 5 stretch and folds. It’s especially important to be gentle during the stretch and folds with this whole grain einkorn loaf!
- This loaf only needs one set of stretch and folds. Transfer the dough to a buttered loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to proof for an additional 12-24 hours.
- When you're ready to bake the bread, preheat the oven to 450°F. There's no need to score the loaf—simply place it in the oven straight from the fridge. Once it's in, reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake for 60–65 minutes. After baking, leave the loaf in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer it to a cooling rack or the counter and let it cool for 2 hours before slicing into it.
- Store in a linen or cotton bag for 7-10 days
Notes
You can use any starter you want: rye, whole-wheat, heritage grain such as einkorn, or white. However, Vanessa Kimbell does suggest a whole-wheat or heritage grain starter for this recipe.
To make the whole-wheat leaven:
Mix 25g of rye or other whole-wheat sourdough starter with 100g of whole wheat flour and 100g of water at 86°F. Let it rest at room temperature for 2–4 hours, or until it has doubled in size and is full of bubbles, this means it’s ready to use.