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 different gluten structure than modern wheat. When paired with a slow, cold fermentation, the gluten matrix is greatly broken down. This loaf is proofed in a pan to support its structure during fermentation and not shaped into a traditional boule like other sourdough recipes. When using whole grains, always source a high quality glyphosate free grain. It’s also imperative to soak and sprout and the whole grain before milling so that we can actually digest the grain and assimilate its nutrients.
Whole Grain Einkorn Sourdough 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 from sprouted and dehydrated einkorn berries
- 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 or overnight.
- Remove the loaf from the fridge and let it sit for 30 minutes – 1 hour. 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.
- Transfer the dough to a buttered loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to proof for an additional 24-48 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 60–70 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