Easy no-knead sourdough bread that can be made using einkorn or any flour! The perfect crusty bread to go with soup or just on its own.
This einkorn sourdough bread is easier than you might think. It's almost completely hands-off once you have your sourdough starter, and is easier to digest than regular bread!
UPDATED: This was one of the first sourdough recipes I created about 5 years ago. Having crafted it now for many years, I am sharing the new and improved version with you!
My love of sourdough started with my sourdough crackers, and moved on to sourdough bread... I've even been making sourdough cookies!!
While it can be a little tricky to get the timing right with sourdough bread, once you have it down you'll never want any other kind!
Plus, is there anything more gorgeous than a big beautiful loaf of artisan sourdough bread right out of the oven?
Einkorn Sourdough Bread
This einkorn sourdough bread is easier than you might think. It's almost completely hands-off once you have your sourdough starter, and is easier to digest than regular bread!
Just like with the sourdough crackers, you want to make sure that you have your sourdough starter aged at least 7 days.
Step 1:
Take 2 tablespoons of 100% hydration starter, mix with 1/2 cup of warm water to loosen the paste. Then add in 1 cup of einkorn flour. Mix until well combined and leave out on on the counter over night (at least 12 hours), covered with plastic wrap and then a dish towel.
The towel serves to protect the starter from the light, which can cause it to change colors... which you would then have to scrap off!
Step 2:
Once you have the sponge ready to go, mix the contents of the sponge with 1 and 1/4 cups of warm water until loosened.
Next, add 5 cups of einkorn flour and 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix well either by hand or with an electric mixer. If using a mixer, mix on low for 5-10 minutes.
This extended mixing time helps activate the gluten in the einkorn, which is much lower than other wheat.
Place dough into a buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a towel, let rise for 6-10 hours or until size has doubled.
Step 3:
Remove dough from bowl, form into the shape loaf you want, and place it for second rise in whatever dish you will bake in. I like to bake this on a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Cover with just a towel this time. Let rise for 2 hours.
Step 4:
Pre-heat oven to 425°. Slash top of bread in whatever pattern you choose, 1/4" deep, with a sharp knife. Butter top of dough, if desired.
Bake at 425° for 40 minutes, rotating bread 180 degrees halfway through baking. For a softer loaf, bake for 10 minutes at 425° and 40 minutes at 375°.
Step 5:
Wait about an hour before cutting the loaf. This allows the crumb to set, which is especially important with einkorn flour.
RELATED: Sourdough Pancakes
Einkorn No-Knead Sourdough Bread
Ingredients
Sponge
- 2 tbsp Sourdough Starter, active
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup flour (we use einkorn)
No-Knead Sourdough Bread
- Sponge
- 1 1/4 cup water
- 5 cups flour (we use einkorn)
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
Make Sponge:
- Mix starter and water to loosen. Add flour and mix until well combined. Leave out on on the counter over night (at least 12 hours), covered with plastic wrap and then a dish towel.
Making Bread Dough
- Mix sponge and 1 1/4 cup of water in the bowl of an electric mixer until smooth.
- Next, add 5 cups of flour and 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix well either by hand or with an electric mixer. If using a mixer, mix on low for 5-10 minutes.
- Place dough into a buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a towel, let rise for 6-10 hours or until size has doubled.
- Remove dough from bowl, form into the shape loaf you want, and place it for second rise in whatever dish you will bake in. Cover with just a towel this time. Let rise for 2 hours.
- Pre-heat oven to 425°. Slash top of bread in whatever pattern you choose, 1/4″ deep, with a sharp knife.
- Bake at 425° for 40 minutes, rotating bread 180 degrees halfway through baking. For a softer loaf, bake for 10 minutes at 425° and 40 minutes at 375°.
- Allow to cool for 1 hour before slicing.
Clay Huffman says
Hi! I’ve been trying to make a few sourdough loaves, over the course of a few weeks. I’ve followed this recipe and the one from Jovial, but unfortunately my bread isn’t coming out sour:/ turns out really great looking, just no tang! Do you think this could be a starter issue? Starter tastes pretty sour and gets a decent rise every night..
Victoria says
Hi Clay, it sounds like maybe your starter is still too young for a proper sour. It gets more and more sour over time. I have found that feeding 2x a day for a few weeks will really help get the sour going.
How old is your starter?
Rita Shimniok says
I just took a sourdough making class yesterday at Fermentation Fest in Reedsburg, WI. I am excited to make sourdough bread and Einkorn has been my preferred flour for baked goods. Thank you for this recipe.
I learned if you refrigerate your starter, versus letting it sit room temperature, it will have more tang. For less acidic sourdough use the warmer starter. If you are not making bread for a while refrigerate to slow it down, but several days before you plan to back remove it from the refrigerator and continue to feed it. We were sent home some wet starter from class so I am feeding it 75 grams of einkorn flour and 75 grams of 80 degree wate twice a day. With plans to bake at the end of the week. Are you baking your artisan loaf in a Dutch oven or what are you using?
Victoria says
Hi Rita! Sounds like a great class! I have an einkorn specific sourdough class that I teach too, I’m glad you had a local class to take advantage of!
For this recipe, I just bake it on a baking tray, since most people don’t have a dutch oven.
I do have a recipe for a dutch oven, cold rise loaf that’s included in my class The Art of Sourdough. It’s a gorgeous and truly delicious loaf!
You can use a dutch oven for this recipe at the same temperature and timing :-)
Linda says
I would love to try this bread…I bake exclusively with Einkorn…but I really need baker’s measurements to make a loaf consistent time and time again. Any chance you can convert this recipe to grams in the near future?
Victoria says
Hi Linda! I don’t have current plans to convert, but this recipe is VERY forgiving. I’ve made it for almost 5 years without any issues and only loosely measuring flour each time :-) I hope you get to try it!
Lila says
I shouldn’t be rating the recipe because I am not sure if its the recipe or other conditions yet. We are all enjoying the bread, but it doesn’t have the big stretchy holes inside and the lightness of other sourdoughs. Is this because my house was too cold during rising time? I tried to leave it near a heater because the house was cold, and it was definitely rising, but maybe not doubled. Or is it just the nature of Einkorn flour?
Victoria says
Hi Lila! Yes, all of those things could have resulted in a more dense loaf – however, einkorn is naturally more dense because it’s lower in gluten that other wheat (by a lot).
I’m not sure if what you experienced was because of the conditions or it was a normal dense for the type of wheat, since I don’t know just how dense it was!
However, the no-knead sourdough is naturally a bit more dense that other recipes I have for einkorn artisan sourdough loaves. One in particular that I have creates a beautiful “holey” loaf, but it’s a little time intensive!
You have to stretch and fold the loaf in all four directions once a half-hour, but it’s worth it if you’re wanting a lighter einkorn sourdough loaf!
I copied the recipe below from my full einkorn sourdough course which also includes a full 14 minute video of the recipe process.
Let me know if you have any questions!
Yields: 1-2 artisan loaves (depending on flour type)
Ingredients:
(627g) 5 ½ cups Einkorn Flour (or any wheat flour)
(175g) 1 cup Sourdough Starter, active and stirred before measuring
(495g) 2 ¼ cups Water
1 Tbsp Salt
INSTRUCTIONS:
1.Combine flour, water, and starter by hand into a shaggy dough. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
2.Sprinkle with salt and use a pinching motion to work salt into dough.
3.Using wet hands, grab half the dough and stretch as far as it will go without breaking away from the ball. Fold over ball.
4.Rotate the bowl ¼ turn, stretch and fold. Repeat 2 more times until ball has been stretched and folded 4 times total.
5.Cover and let sit for 30 minutes. Repeat steps 3 and 4. NOTE: At no point should you punch down the dough. You want the air bubbles!
6.Cover and let sit for 30 minutes, repeat steps 3 – 5 until dough has been stretched a total of 4 times.
7.Cover and let ferment for 2 hours at room temperature.
8.Place in the fridge for 12 to 18 hours.
9.Remove from fridge and let the dough come to room temperature for 1 hour. Scrap dough onto NON-FLOURED surface.
10. Use a scraper to form dough edges into a ball. Let sit for 20 minutes.
NOTE: If you are not using einkorn, divide dough into 2 balls.
11. Flour the top of the dough and use scraper and wet hands to flip the dough over.
12. Stretch 1/3 of dough out and fold over. Repeat with other 3rd. Fold ends up and pinch to form a ball.
13. Place dough, seam side up into a cloth lined and floured bowl to proof. Let rise for 2 hours, covered, in the fridge.
14. Place Dutch oven into cold oven and preheat to 450° for last 30 minutes of dough rise time.
15. Remove dough from fridge and flip onto a piece of parchment paper. Gentle remove any parts of the cloth that stuck to dough.
16. Slash top of dough with a sharp knife in desired pattern.
17. Remove lid of Dutch oven and place parchment and bread inside. Replace lid onto the Dutch oven and bake for 30 minutes.
18. Remove lid and bake for another 10 minutes to brown top of bread.
19. Thump top of bread, if it sounds hollow, it’s ready!
20. Allow to cool for at least an hour on a rack or cutting board before cutting.
If baking 2 loaves, place empty Dutch oven back in the hot oven once first loaf it out.
Let it heat up for 15 minutes, then bake the second loaf in the same manner as the first.
If you don’t have a Dutch oven, simply pre-heat an empty oven to 450°, place cold dough (after step 15) onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes, or until loaf sounds hallow when thumped.
Lila says
Thank you! I’ll see if I can work it in my schedule to try out this method.
Victoria says
Sounds great, let me know if you get a chance to try it! It is still more dense than “regular” wheat – but that is the nature of einkorn.
Christine Santoro says
Oh, this is such a gift! Thanks for sharing your talent, skill and expertise so generously.
Becky says
Hi, I have a question regarding your einkorn starter compared to Carla’s. Mine is from her recipe so it is a lower hydration. When you ask for 1 cup of active starter, what quantities would I use for the refresh?
Victoria says
Hi Becky, great question! The starter I use is a 100% hydration starter, which I have found works best with einkorn. So in that case, you would refresh with equal parts water, starter, and flour by weight.
If you’re doing it by volume, you can refresh with 1 part starter, 1 part water (mix gently), then add 2 parts flour and mix until well combined.
I do also have a full einkorn sourdough video course if you’d like to check that out here! Let me know if you have any questions about that or your starter :-)
Becky says
Thank you for the information, I’m going to try this the next time I make a boule. I have also signed up for your course. I took another course last summer from a well-known source and was not happy with it. So far, I like yours much more!
Victoria says
Awww, thank you Becky! I’m so glad you’re enjoying it!
Hylah Egeland says
The recipe says mix the dough either by hand or with an electric mixer. If it’s 5 to 10 minutes on low with a mixer, how long by hand?
Victoria says
Hi Hylah! Generally it’s about double by hand. So, 10-15 minutes is probably going to be good. But, depending on your skill level with kneading dough, it may be less time.