Einkorn Sourdough Bread

This delicious, rustic einkorn sourdough bread is simple to make. The crust is rugged, the crumb is soft, and the flavor is delightfully tangy. It’s a no-knead, no-fuss recipe.

Baking einkorn sourdough bread is fun, and it doesn’t have to be complicated. It doesn’t even have to involve any stretching and folding — I do enough of that with cloth diapers. There’s no need to knead or wait for the dough to rest for several 20 minute intervals. (Personally, I’d rather spend more time enjoying restful moments!)

Thankfully, artisan bread made with einkorn, an heirloom ancient grain, seems to do best when you just let it be. I like to combine the ingredients the night before, shape and bake it in the morning, and then it’s ready for lunch. Easy peasy.

Helpful Tools to Make This Everyday Bread

During this season of life, I have no interest in using a digital scale to weigh ingredients. (After all, Ma Ingalls didn’t use one.) I am a fan of using a manual grain mill to grind einkorn wheat berries. Plus, it’s fun for Little Bear, who helps by turning the crank.

A Danish dough whisk can be helpful for mixing the ingredients. I do not recommend using a stand mixer; however, I do encourage you to use your hands. A bench scraper, also called a dough scraper, makes the dough easier to handle. The same goes for a marble surface.

I’ve made this easy artisan sourdough bread recipe using both a boule and a batard. A large bowl or a colander lined with a towel would work, too. I always use my cast iron dutch oven. I’m curious how it would rise in one of my pure clay pots, though. (I’ll keep you posted if I try this.)

I think it’s fun to create a pretty design on the dough and see how it blooms. A bread lame (pronounced “lahm” and means “blade” in French) is useful for this. Even if the baked einkorn sourdough loaf looks different than I imagined, it’s still tasty, and I’m grateful to be able to serve my family healthy, homemade bread.

How to Make Einkorn Sourdough Bread

Before you get started, make sure your sourdough starter is active; it should be nice and bubbly. I use an einkorn starter, but you can use a regular wheat one. It’s those wild yeasts that are important.

Ideally, you will have fed your sourdough starter a few hours before. With that being said, there have been countless times when I’ve used mine right out of the fridge.

Grind einkorn wheat berries with a grain mill, if you’re not using pre-ground flour. You can sift some of this freshly milled flour to make a homemade all-purpose flour.

This recipe can be made with just whole wheat einkorn flour, only all-purpose einkorn flour, or a combination of both. (The 100% whole grain einkorn version is denser.) My favorite loaf uses equal parts of each.

I like to do this next part right before bed, so the dough can ferment overnight.

In a large bowl, mix together the water and sourdough starter. If you decide to use only all-purpose flour, I recommend using slightly less water.

Add the flour and salt and mix until the dough comes together.

Cover (I prefer to use beeswax wrap or a damp tea towel instead of plastic) and let it rest and rise until doubled in size, about 8-15 hours, depending on the temperature of your home/the time of year.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and shape with your hands. (I wet my hands a little before doing this, so the dough doesn’t stick to them.)

Place dough in a banneton lined with linen and dusted with einkorn flour. You can use a round boule or an oval proofing basket. Then cover and proof at room temperature for half an hour.

For the linen, I use a piece of scrap fabric that’s big enough to fill the banneton and cover it after the loaf is in it. If your proofing basket came with a liner, you can use that and cover the dough with a towel.

Place a Dutch oven with the lid on in the oven and preheat to 450°F for 30 minutes. During this time, I like to put the dough (banneton basket and all) in the freezer because it helps with scoring.

Flip the loaf out onto parchment paper and score the top.

Carefully place the parchment paper and dough in the hot pot, cover with the lid, and bake for 40 minutes.

Remove the lid and bake uncovered for 5 minutes.

Remove the bread and cool on a wire rack (try to wait at least an hour). Enjoy!

This bread is good for at least three days. (Ours is typically all gone by then.) Recently, we’ve been enjoying slices with vegan cashew cheese, olive oil, and fruit. It also makes a yummy sourdough sandwich bread and is excellent for plant-based French toast.

As the weather warms up, I’m looking forward to enjoying lots of sunshine and picnics with this einkorn sourdough bread. What’s your favorite way to enjoy sourdough bread?

Pin this recipe for later.

When I was a child, my parents taught me to pray before each meal, “God is great. God is good. Let us thank Him for our food. By His hands we are fed. Give us, Lord, our daily bread. Amen.”

This is our daily bread recipe, and it has been a blessing for our family. Hope you and your family love this sourdough einkorn bread recipe, too.

More Einkorn Sourdough Recipes We Enjoy on the Mountain

Einkorn Sourdough Maple Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

Einkorn Sourdough English Muffins

Lemon Poppy Seed Einkorn Sourdough Pancakes

Einkorn Sourdough Banana Oat Muffins