You really can create a soft sandwich bread using freshly ground einkorn berries with this simple and delicious recipe. Use your whole einkorn berries to create a light and fluffy einkorn whole wheat bread loaf! This recipe yields a delicious, honey wheat einkorn bread that the whole family will enjoy!
A light and fluffy einkorn bread loaf made from freshly ground einkorn berries has escaped me for almost 7 years. It's something that many people have asked for and I have been working towards it as quickly as I could!
A few days ago, I got my test recipe notebook out and tried another variation of my freshly ground einkorn bread. I pronounced it a failure when I took it out of the oven.
The crust looked terrible, it felt dense as I removed it from the pan... and I was crestfallen.
I get so many requests for this recipe and I just couldn't seem to nail it down! I made a mental note to try again soon, because I thought I was at least getting closer.
Off I went to do another task while the failure of a loaf cooled on the counter. I came back and hour later and decided to slice it on our industrial breadslicer just to at least check out the crumb.
Much to my surprise, it was gorgeous!
I quickly ran back into the kitchen to grab some butter and called the family in to try a slice with me.
The bread smelled heavenly and I couldn't wait to taste it. It. Was. Perfection.
The nutty flavor of the fresh einkorn was front and center, while the sweetness of the maple syrup made a side appearance. The crumb was light and the texture was exactly what it should be for a whole berry einkorn loaf.
I couldn't believe it! The loaf I had almost tossed was a hands-down winner! So, I'm now pleased to share the recipe with you, at last!
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Freshly Ground Einkorn Whole Wheat Bread {VIDEO}
This recipe is just as simple and easy to pull together as my all-purpose no knead einkorn sandwich loaf - so if you've ever tried that one, you'll know exactly what to do here!
Step 1
Grind 3 2/3 cups of einkorn berries on the finest setting. Set the flour aside and gather remaining ingredients.
NOTE: If you don't have a grinder, you can also use 5 1/2 cups of whole wheat einkorn instead.
Step 2
Add to the bowl of an electric mixer 2 teaspoons of instant yeast, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger, and your freshly ground einkorn flour. To the top of that, add 1/3 cup of oil (olive oil or avocado oil is nice. Butter also works.) and 1/3 cup of honey or maple syrup.
NOTE: Sweetener can be adjusted to your taste and to the type of sweetener you prefer.
Step 3
Heat 1 1/2 cups of water to 115°F and start the mixer with the dough hook attachment. Slowly pour the water over the flour mixture and mix for 10 minutes on low. If the mix is very dry as it mixes, add more water about a tablespoon at a time, until the dough is smooth and sticky.
Step 4
Transfer dough into a greased bowl and cover with cling wrap or lid. Rise for 30 minutes.
Step 5
Turn dough into a greased 1lb loaf pan, like this bread pan from USA Pan and leave UNcovered. Rise for 60 minutes.
NOTE: This dough is STICKY. You will likely not be able to shape it, so just scoop the dough into the pan and gently smooth the top.
Step 6
Pre-heat oven to 325°F. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until you get a clean toothpick test from the center of the bread. Immediately remove bread from pan after removing from the oven, and coat the top of the loaf in butter to soften the crust.
Cool for 30-60 minutes before slicing. Store in a bread bag at room temperature for 3-5 days, in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for 3-6 months.
Freshly Ground Einkorn Whole Wheat Bread
Ingredients
- 3 2/3 cup einkorn berries OR 5 1/2 cups whole wheat einkorn flour
- 2 tsp instant yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp powdered ginger
- 1/3 cup oil (we use olive or avocado oil)
- 1/3 cup maple syrup (or honey, or sweetener of choice. Amount can be reduced)
- 1 1/2 cup warm water
Instructions
- Grind 3 2/3 cups of einkorn berries on the finest setting. Set the flour aside and gather remaining ingredients.
- Add to the bowl of an electric mixer instant yeast, salt, powdered ginger, and your freshly ground einkorn flour. To the top of that, add oil, and honey or maple syrup.
- Heat water to 115°F and start the mixer with the dough hook attachment. Slowly pour the water over the flour mixture and mix for 10 minutes on low. If the mix is very dry as it mixes, add more water about a tablespoon at a time, until the dough is smooth and sticky.
- Transfer dough into a greased bowl and cover with cling wrap or lid. Rise for 30 minutes.
- Turn dough into a greased 1lb loaf pan, like this bread pan from USA Pan and leave UNcovered. Rise for 60 minutes. NOTE: This dough is STICKY. You will likely not be able to shape it, so just scoop the dough into the pan and gently smooth the top.
- Pre-heat oven to 325°F. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until you get a clean toothpick test from the center of the bread. Immediately remove bread from pan after removing from the oven, and coat the top of the loaf in butter to soften the crust.
- Cool for 30-60 minutes before slicing.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Common Questions About Whole Wheat Einkorn Bread:
For this recipe, you really need that full bran, freshly ground einkorn flour. However, you can use my no-knead einkorn sandwich bread recipe and use 450g of whole wheat, and 50g all purpose for the perfect, light whole wheat einkorn loaf!
You can store in a bread bag (or plastic bag) at room temperature for 3-5 days, in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for 3-6 months!
This is a great question, and really there are several answers... Einkorn is naturally going to be a lot more dense than store-bought bread, and even more dense than homemade bread made with modern wheat. This is due to the fact that there is no modern gluten in einkorn flour, so the rise and fluffiness is very different.
You may also need to change the rise times for your area and elevation. If you are used to the way einkorn tastes and feels in general, and you feel like it's an issue with your area, increase the rise time for both rises by 50% and try again!
Yes! This is a great way to enjoy homemade bread without having to consume all of it yourself in a short period of time. Just allow the bread to cool fully, slice it, and bag it! Then you can enjoy a slice whenever you want by taking it out of the bag and either toasting it, or letting it come to room temperature over a few hours (at most).
Can you make this using einkhorn white flour ?
Hi Becky! No, it’s for freshly ground einkorn. However, you can use this einkorn white bread recipe and add the 1/3 cup of maple syrup for a sweeter loaf!
Any thoughts on if you could do an overnight fridge proofing for this bread? Thanks!
I have done all-purpose einkorn overnight in the fridge before… but if you don’t leave it out for like 3 hours before baking (I was doing cinnamon rolls), they don’t rise anywhere near the same amount! So, I figure, what’s the point if I still have to wait 3 hours to bake, haha :-)
That’s my thought on it at least!
I love the flavor of this bread so much, I can eat it plain. However, every time I make it, it sinks in the middle and therefore have a strange slice of bread. Is there something I can do to prevent that from happening?
Hi Joy! Thank you! It really is delicious bread <3 It sounds like you might just need either a bit more flour or a bit less water. This happens sometimes depending on your climate and the absorbency of your particular einkorn. I would increase the einkorn by 1/4 cup the next time and see if that fixes it!
Thank you! I’ll give that a try!
I made this bread yesterday and the taste is even better today! Didn’t have einkorn berries so I used einkorn whole wheat flour and found 1 cup + 2 Tablespoon of water sufficient. The dough was not sticky at all.
Next time I’ll use 2 Tablespoons honey instead, just my personal preference.
Also I did not use a machine for kneading. I hand kneaded the dough for around 2 minutes using a folding technique, and the bread, though dense as expected, rose beautifully. The first rising was a little over 1 1/2 hours. I tasted the bread after cooling about 50 minutes and it was so delicious!
I’m 80 and have been baking bread for decades. This was only my second loaf of einkorn bread (the first was made with einkorn all-purpose flour which also turned out beautifully). Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe, Victoria!
Thank you so much Carol! I’m glad that you were able to modify this for pre-ground whole wheat! Love the changes you made, perfect for the differences in the flour type. Thank you for sharing!
Would it be possible to let the dough rise both times in the loaf pan instead of moving the risen dough from the bowl to the pan? I ask because it can be hard moving the sticky dough without leaving behind a bit of dough. I did grease the bowl per your recipe so hopefully I won’t lose too much. I’m so excited to see a no knead, fresh ground eikhorn flour recipe.
You can certainly try it! I just use greased hands to work with the dough and never lose anything. BUT, it’s worth trying!