By switching to einkorn sourdough bread, our bread went from being something that caused allergy symptoms in our family, and made me physically sick, to one of the most gut healing foods I now eat. Learn more here about why we make sourdough bread and the benefits of einkorn flour. The recipe I have below makes 4 loaves of bread. I use about a cup of levain to make a recipe that contains about 4 to 6 cups of flour. I will often make 2 loaves of bread (requires 2 cups of levain), cereal, and something else like cinnamon rolls or tortillas in one day.
The process of making sourdough bread starts by making the starter. I learned to make that here, and it takes about 10 days. After the starter is done, you can leave it on your counter and feed it every day, stick it in the refrigerator for up to a couple days, or put it in the freezer for months. Each time I make bread I take some of the starter and add more flour and water to keep this going. I then take the rest of the starter, and add more water and flour to make a levain. This helps the yeast to grow throughout a smaller amount of dough before adding it to a recipe. Basically, it speeds up the process.
Ingredients
Method
- Sour Dough Einkorn Bread Recipe (makes 4 loaves)1. To feed my starter I remove 20 grams of the old starter and add 60 grams of water, along with 96 grams of freshly milled einkorn wheat, to make a new one. 2.The starter needs to be covered and sit out at room temperature for at least 2 hours before returning to the refrigerator.3. I add the rest of the starter (about 150 grams) to a bigger bowl and add 524 grams of water and 384 grams of wheat. This sits on my counter for at least 1 1/2 hours. 4. After the 1 1/2 hours, I add 8 cups of fermented buttermilk, (or yogurt) and 2 Tbsp. of salt. I mix this until it's combined. Then I add 16 cups of freshly ground einkorn flour and mix this by hand or with my Bosch mixer (I almost always do this by hand). I mix this ONLY until the dough is well combined. Einkorn does not like to be kneaded a lot. 5. This sits on my counter for at least 2 1/2 hours. The longer it sits the more digestible it will be, but it will also be more sour. When this time is done, I grease 4 bread pans and evenly distribute the dough. I take a wet spoon and smooth the top of the bread. 6. I bake this at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. My oven temperature is never consistent so I can't give an exact time. Note: There are so many different ways to make sourdough bread. I'm not claiming that this the best, but it's fast, easy, holds together nicely, and works well for my family. I can get this whole process done in a day. Our house is never a consistent temperature, and I often have other fermentations going on in my kitchen while making sourdough bread. I have never had any trouble, but some people have stated that they have had trouble trying to do more than one ferment at at time.