The internet told me that einkorn was a more challenging flour to work with. The internet did not lie! But, it also told me that it was tasty (yes) and less hard on bellies sensitive to “regular” gluten flours (also yes). So, I’m working on getting better at einkorn loaves. This was my first try with this flour that produces a more slack loaf. I adjusted this recipe to work with a 2lb bag of einkorn flour.
Morning – Make levain and store at 77* for 3 hours 39g starter 39g einkorn flour 17g water
Early afternoon – Autolyse for 15 minutes Mix together – Flour – 875g Water 600g
Early afternoon – Mix Combine autolyzed flour and water with levain Fold in bowl for 5 minutes Let rest 10 minutes covered Add 22g salt and mix Add additional up to 60g water if dough looks like it can handle it The dough should be ~ 76*
Afternoon – Bulk ferment 3.5 hours Stretch and fold 5 times (2 at 15min and 30min, then 3 more at 1 hour, 1.5 hours, and 2 hours) Allow to rest 90 minutes or until just starting to bubble
Late afternoon – Divide and Preshape Dump dough onto lightly floured counter Divide into two equal parts and shape each into a tight round Use flour as needed! Allow to rest 15 minutes uncovered
Late afternoon/Early evening – Shape Flour countertop liberally Do an envelope fold Flip over and drag and rotate to create tension Invert into cloth lined proofing basket liberally dusted with flour Do 1-2 additional tucks to help tighten the loaf
Overnight – Proof covered Up to 12-15 hours
Morning – Bake Preheat oven 1 hour at 500* with dutch oven inside Flip bread out of proofing basket/bowl, load into your dutch oven, and score Turn oven to 450* put lid on and bake 20 minutes Remove lid and bake 30-35 minutes
Sourdough is the bomb, but sometimes it’s not what you want for a sandwich or toast. As long as you can find a little packaged yeast, this is an easy sandwich loaf recipe. It’s mostly based on a recipe from Joshua Weissman. I’ll embed his video below!
Ingredients
448g warm water
150g full-fat non-dairy milk (I used soy)
2 packets yeast
880g bread flour
42g sugar
3 teaspoons salt
84g or 6 TBS softened butter
Process
Stir warm water and milk together and heat until 98*F
Add yeast, a sprinkle of sugar, and stir to dissolve. Cover and set aside 10 minutes to bloom.
Combine flour, sugar, and salt in stand mixer bowl.
Using dough hook on low speed, slowly add the bloomed yeast mixture.
Knead for about 2 minutes beyond when the dough is cohesive.
Slowly add butter and mix to incorporate.
Shape into a ball.
Place dough in oiled bowl, cover, and allow to rise for 1-2 hours or until it doubles (mine went a little beyond!).
Punch down dough l and divide into two.
Flatten and roll to form into “logs” and place in greased loaf pans. As you can see below, my dough was rather wet and I didn’t get very tidy rolls, but it did not matter in the end!
Cover lightly and let sit for about an hour to double again.
This adventure started from a recipe on The Perfect Loaf, so you should definitely check that out! I made some small changes based on humidity in NJ and my own preferences and skills (or lack thereof). I have added many pictures here, because I find that helpful to check in as I’m making mine!
Ingredients Levain
30g ripe starter
60g whole wheat flour
60g bread flour
120g cool H2O
IngredientsDough
250g levain
800g bread flour
200g whole wheat flour
20g salt
800g water (around 85*f)
200g shelled and toasted walnuts
100g dried cranberries
Process
Day 1
11:00 p.m. – Prepare the levain and leave on the counter (unless your house is quite chilly). You want to leave it where it will be at its peak of rise about 11 hours later.
Day 2
10:00 a.m. – Mix the levain & 750g water, then add flour, mix in well but not aggressively and set aside to autolyse for about 30 minutes. It’s going to look kind of lumpy and wet and not like dough. It’s ok!
10:10 a.m. – Toast walnuts and then set aside to cool.
10:40 a.m. – Add salt and the additional 50g water, using the water to help melt the salt. It might be a bit hard to get it mixed in. Don’t worry too much about it, as it will happen more during bulk fermentation and you don’t want to over mix.
11:00 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. – Bulk fermentation/proofing.
At 11:30, do a stretch and fold.
At 12:00, do another stretch and fold to mix in the cranberries and walnuts.
At 12:30, and 1:00 you will do the last two stretch and folds. By this time, you’ll see that the dough has been rising and that after you stretch and fold, it will keep some of its shape.
After the last stretch and fold, allow the dough to just continue to rise for another hour or so. By this time, it should have risen 20-30%.
2:20 p.m. – Divide the dough into two even pieces and preshape as a boule or batard. There are many videos online that will tell you about how to do shaping, both initial and final.
2:30 p.m. – Set aside on the counter, either uncovered or covered lightly with a tea towel to rest (even bread dough needs a nap).
2:45 p.m. – Do your final shaping and place in a well floured banneton or floured-towel-lined bowl. There are plenty of opinions about whether to flour the banneton or use a towel. The towel is easier and keeps the banneton looking pretty. But the floured banneton will give the bread that lovely spiral shape in the flour. It is really personal preference. I do suggest that you use rice flour, as it doesn’t leave any real taste on the bread.
3:00 p.m. to 9:30 a.m. (or later) – Place your proofing vessels in the fridge. I proofed in a plastic bag with little air inside. I’ve heard others proof with just a towel over the top. I watched a video today that made a compelling argument for proofing with only the towel. My jury is still out on this!
Day 3
8:30 a.m. (or later) – Preheat oven to 500* for 1 hour with your open dutch oven inside. You can add a baking stone on a shelf under your dutch oven shelf to help retain heat.
9:20 – Remove one loaf from fridge and tip it over onto a peel or a parchment covered flat surface. Score the bread. You may find this a bit harder due to the nuts and cranberries – I did! Then place in your dutch oven or other cooker with the lid on for 20 minutes.
9:45 – Lower temp to 450* and leave lid on 10 more minutes.
9:55 – Take lid off and reduce to 430* and continue to bake for ~35 minutes. Watch for your desired level of doneness. The internal temperature should be around 210*.
10:30 – Remove the first loaf, and put it on a cooling rack. Begin the preheating process for loaf two.
Allow the bread to cool at least 2 hours before cutting.
