Einkorn Sourdough Bread | The Grounded Kitchen

Einkorn is one of the oldest cultivated wheats in the world, and baking with it feels like a quiet act of reconnection. Its flavour is richer and more complex than modern wheat — nutty, slightly sweet, with a depth that makes even a simple loaf taste like something special. Combined with the slow fermentation of sourdough, einkorn produces a bread with a tender, moist crumb, a golden crust, and a digestibility that many people find easier on the gut than conventional wheat. This is a patient bread, but not a complicated one. Ingredients 100 g active einkorn sourdough starter (fed and bubbly) 350 g whole einkorn flour (or a mix of whole and sifted) 250 g water, room temperature 8 g fine sea salt Directions Mix the dough. In a large bowl, combine the starter and water, stirring until loosely combined. Add the einkorn flour and salt. Mix with your hands until no dry flour remains. The dough will feel stickier and more delicate than conventional wheat dough — this is normal. Cover and rest for 30 minutes. Stretch and fold. Over the next 90 minutes to 2 hours, perform 2–3 gentle stretch and folds, spaced about 30 minutes apart. Wet your hand, grab one side of the dough, stretch it upward, and fold it over the centre. Rotate the bowl and repeat on all four sides. Einkorn is more fragile than modern wheat, so handle it gently — no aggressive kneading. Bulk fermentation. After the final fold, cover the bowl and allow the dough to ferment at room temperature until it has grown by about 50–75% and looks airy and domed. Depending on your starter and kitchen temperature, this will take 4–8 hours. Einkorn ferments faster than modern wheat, so watch the dough rather than the clock. Shape. Gently turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Using a bench scraper and your hands, shape it into a round (boule) or oval (batard). Einkorn dough is softer and less elastic than conventional sourdough — work quickly and confidently, and don't worry if it's not perfectly tight. Cold proof. Place the shaped loaf seam-side up in a well-floured banneton or a bowl lined with a floured cloth. Cover and refrigerate for 8–16 hours. The cold retard slows fermentation, develops flavour, and makes the loaf easier to score. Bake. Place a Dutch oven in your oven and preheat to 500°F (260°C) for at least 45 minutes. When ready to bake, turn the cold loaf out onto a piece of parchment paper and score the top with a sharp blade or lame. Carefully lower it into the hot Dutch oven, cover, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the lid, reduce heat to 450°F (230°C), and bake for a further 20–25 minutes until deep golden brown. The internal temperature should reach 205–210°F (96–99°C). Cool completely. Transfer to a wire rack and resist cutting for at least 1–2 hours. The crumb continues to set as the loaf cools — cutting too early results in a gummy interior. Tips Use an einkorn starter if you can. A starter fed on einkorn flour will be most active and compatible with this dough. If you only have a regular wheat starter, it will still work — just ensure it's well-fed and active before using. Einkorn behaves differently. It has weaker gluten than modern wheat, which means the dough will be stickier, spread more easily, and won't hold as tight a shape. Don't try to force it to behave like a conventional sourdough — work with its nature, not against it. Hydration is flexible. This recipe uses a moderate hydration. If your dough feels unmanageably wet, reduce the water by 10–20 g next time. If it feels stiff, add a little more. Whole einkorn absorbs water differently than sifted, so adjust accordingly. Watch the fermentation closely. Einkorn over-ferments quickly. If the dough becomes very slack, sticky, and loses structure, it has gone too far. Err on the side of slightly under-proofed rather than over-proofed. Score decisively. Because einkorn dough is softer, score with a confident, swift motion. A dull blade will drag and deflate the loaf. The flavour improves with time. Like all sourdough, this bread tastes better on day two. Store wrapped in a cloth or beeswax wrap at room temperature for up to 3 days, or slice and freeze for longer storage.

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