Looking for Sourdough? 
Learn how to make einkorn sourdough bread with this simple, no-knead recipe.
Only four ingredients - all-purpose einkorn flour, salt, water and a sourdough starter are all you need for healthy, naturally-leavened bread.
With this recipe you can mix the dough and bake the bread on the same day!
If you've never baked with einkorn flour, you are in for a real treat. This fail-proof recipe for einkorn sourdough bread will have you jumping for joy in your kitchen!
Follow the steps in this recipe and you'll get a light loaf with plenty of oven-spring.
It produces a nice, even crumb that is perfect for making sandwiches, french toast or dipping in your favorite soup!
Einkorn wheat has become our favorite way to enjoy sourdough!
Jump to:
What is einkorn?
Einkorn is the oldest form of wheat and is often referred to as an ancient grain. It is the only wheat that has never been hybridized.
Einkorn is organically grown and free from glyphosate and bleach.
Because it lacks the y-gliadins gluten protein group, which are present in all other types of wheat, einkorn flour is easier to digest then modern wheat varieties.
Einkorn also beats out modern wheat by containing more nutrients such as carotenoids, B vitamins, and essential and trace minerals.
The result is a bread that is rich in flavor, color and nutrition.
What you'll need
Just like our other sourdough bread recipes, the ingredients are simple.
- sourdough starter
- all-purpose einkorn flour (affiliate link)
- salt
- water
Equipment needed
(Amazon affiliate links) - Check out my favorite kitchen essentials.
Step by step instructions
When einkorn flour is mixed with water it is much more sticky than modern wheat. Don't be afraid to add flour as needed when folding and shaping the dough.
A bench scraper will be your most useful tool while making this bread. Be sure to have one handy!
Step one: feed the sourdough starter
The night before you wish to mix your dough, prepare your sourdough starter. Because we want a slow, overnight rise on the starter, we use a ratio of 1 part starter to 4 parts flour and water.
To a clean jar add 25g sourdough starter, 100g water and 100g all-purpose einkorn flour. Stir, lightly cover and let rise at room temperature overnight.
NOTE: If you already have a sourdough starter made with a different variety of wheat, it can be used to make this recipe.
Step two: mix the dough
To a large mixing bowl add 200g of the active sourdough starter, 300g of water, 10g of sea salt and 540g of all-purpose einkorn flour.
Use a stiff spatula or a dough whisk to mix the ingredients together.
The dough will appear dry and "shaggy".
Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 1 hour on the counter.
Step three: fold the dough
Use a bowl scraper to turn the dough out onto a floured work surface.
Flour the top of the dough and use your fingers to gently press it out into a rectangular shape.
Starting with one side of the dough, lift it up and fold it toward the center of the dough.
If the dough is sticking to the work surface, use the bench scraper to help it release.
Repeat this on all four sides of the dough and place the dough back into the bowl.
Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
Repeat the folding process one more time.
Step four: bulk rise
Cover the dough and let it rest at room temperature for 3-4 hours, or until it has risen by about 20-30%.
Step five: shape the dough
Generously flour a banneton or line it with a clean tea towel.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, but this time do not flour the top of the dough.
Pull the sides of the dough into the center.
Use the bench scraper to lift and flip the dough so that the seam-side is facing down.
Use your hands to cup the dough while gently turning it in a circular motion on the work surface.
If your hands start to stick to the dough you may lightly flour them but try not to use too much.
Use the bench scraper to pick up the dough and turn it over, into the banneton, with the seam-side facing up.
Cover the bowl and set a timer for 30 minutes. (This is when you'll preheat your oven.)
Allow the dough to rest at room temperature during the second rise.
Step six: second rise and preheat oven
The second rise will take about 90 minutes from start to finish, with the oven preheating in the final hour.
After the dough has rested for 30 minutes in the banneton, place your dutch oven into the oven on the second to lowest rack.
Allow the oven to preheat at 500°F(260°C) for 1 hour.
NOTE: The dough will have risen about 1 to 2 inches in the banneton when it is ready to bake.
Step seven: bake
Turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper and use a lame or sharp razor to score the top of the dough.
TIP: Because of the weak gluten structure of einkorn, it's important to make a shallow cut to the top of the dough, never on the sides. Do not score deeper than ¼" into the dough.
Use the parchment paper as a sling to pick the dough up and transfer it to the dutch oven. Place the lid on the pot.
Turn the oven temperature down to 450°F (232°C).
Bake the bread for 40 minutes.
After the 40 minutes is up, remove the lid and check to see if the crust is dark enough for your preference.
The bread can be baked uncovered for 5-10 more minutes in order to achieve a darker crust.
Step eight: cool
Transfer the loaf to a cooling rack and allow it to rest for 2 hours before slicing.
If you slice the bread while it is still hot, the texture of the crumb will be "gummy or sticky" from the heat and moisture.
Sample baking schedule
The night before
7 PM Feed your sourdough starter so that it is bubbly and active in the morning.
The next morning
7 AM Mix the dough ingredients and let rest for one hour.
8 AM Fold the dough, cover and let rest 15 minutes.
8:15 AM Fold the dough, cover and let rest 3 hours.
11:30 AM Shape the dough and place in a floured banneton. Set a timer for 30 minutes to preheat the oven.
12 PM Place dutch oven into the oven and preheat it to 500°F (260°C) for 1 hour.
1 PM Turn the dough onto a piece of parchment paper and score the top. Transfer to the dutch oven, cover and bake for 40 minutes. Let cool for 2 hours.
NOTE: This is the schedule I use to bake einkorn sourdough bread. The temperature of my kitchen is 68°F (20°C). Warmer kitchens will require less time and cooler kitchens will require more time. Adjust your schedule accordingly.
How to store it
Store the bread at room temperature for up to 2 days either wrapped in a beeswax wrap, in a bread box, a bread bag or cut-side down on a cutting board covered with a cake-stand cover.
For long-term storage, cut the bread into slices and keep them frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 1 month.
We love to use stasher-bags (affiliate link) for freezing sourdough bread slices.
Common questions
Einkorn is a wheat flour making it good for sourdough bread baking. A sourdough starter can be created and maintained using einkorn flour.
There are two ways to make a sourdough starter with einkorn. You can start from scratch with our sourdough starter recipe using einkorn flour OR you can convert the sourdough starter that you already have.
To convert your existing sourdough starter into an einkorn sourdough starter, take 25g of your existing starter and transfer it to a clean jar. Add 100g of einkorn flour and 100g of water, stir and let rise at room temperature. After about 4 feedings, your starter should be completely converted to einkorn.
Einkorn wheat contains the protein gluten and is NOT safe for anyone with celiac disease to eat. Einkorn sourdough is not gluten free.
More easy sourdough recipes
Do you like this recipe? Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter and we'll send you the latest and greatest!
Einkorn Sourdough Bread
INGREDIENTS
INGREDIENTS TO MAKE 1 CUP (200 G) OF ACTIVE SOURDOUGH STARTER
- 1 ½ tablespoons (25 g) sourdough starter
- ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon (100 g) all-purpose einkorn flour
- 7 tablespoons (100 g) water
Dough Ingredients
- 1 cup (200 g) active sourdough starter
- 1 ¼ cup (300 g) water
- 4 ⅕ cups (540 g) all-purpose einkorn flour
- 2 teaspoons (10 g) sea salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Feed your sourdough starter
- 12 hours before you plan to mix the dough, add the ingredients to make 1 cup (200 g) of active sourdough starter to a clean jar: 25g sourdough starter, 100g einkorn all-purpose flour and 100g water. Stir until combined, loosely cover the jar and let the starter rise at room temperature. (The ingredients will create a total of 225 g active starter but, because some of it will stick to the sides of the jar during the transfer, we are making a little more than needed.) The sourdough starter is ready to use when it has doubled in size and there are plenty of bubbles on the surface and sides of the jar.
Make the dough
- Mix the dough ingredients. Add the 200g active sourdough starter, 540g all-purpose einkorn flour, 300g water and 10g salt to a large mixing bowl. Use a dough whisk or an off-set spatula to mix the ingredients together until there are no dry bits left in the bowl. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 1 hour.
- Fold the dough. Use a bowl scraper to turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Flour the top of the dough and use your fingers to gently press it out into a rectangular shape.Starting with one side of the dough, lift it up and fold it toward the center of the dough. If the dough is sticking to the work surface, use the bench scraper to help it release. Repeat this on all four sides of the dough and place the dough back into the bowl. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 15 minutes. Repeat the folding process one more time.
- First rise. Place the dough back into the bowl and cover. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 3-4 hours or until it has risen by 20-30%.
- Shape the dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Pull the sides of the dough into the middle, working all the way around the outside and then flip the dough over. Use your hands to cup the dough around the bottom near the work surface and turn it so that the dough forms a taut ball.
- Second rise. Place the dough, seam-side up in to a floured banneton or one lined with a clean tea towel. Cover the dough and allow to rise at room temperature. Set a timer for 30 minutes.When the timer goes off, turn on the oven to preheat to 500°F (260 °C) with the dutch oven inside. Set a timer for 1 hour and allow the oven to preheat for the final hour of the second rise. (The dough will rise for a total of 1 hour and 30 minutes.)
- Score the dough. Remove the dutch oven and set on top of your stove. Turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper. Score the top of the dough with a razor or sharp knife no deeper than ¼". Use the parchment paper like a sling to transfer the dough to the dutch oven. Cover with the lid and place it back into the oven. Turn the oven down to 450°F (232 °C)
- Bake for 40 minutes with the lid on. Remove the lid and check to see if the crust is dark enough to your liking. If it is, remove it and let cool. If not, bake for an additional 5-10 minutes uncovered.
- Cool. Allow the bread to cool for 2 hours before slicing.
PREVIOUS
Rosa says
Excellent recipe!! did not have a Banton, but made it exactly the way the recipe called for otherwise.
Doris says
Love the ease of your recipe. Thank you. Have you added sunflower/pumpkin seeds or walnuts? Any thoughts?
Amy says
You can add your choice of seeds or nuts to the loaf during the stretch and folds. Start with about 3/4 cup to 1 cup.
Jkim says
Your bread looks wonderful? How would the recipe change if I used whole grain Einkorn, that is the only Einkorn flour I have.
Thanks,
Amy says
You will need to add more water more than likely.
Monica says
Hi Amy,
This recipe is great!
My bread has been coming out a little flat. I let it rise for 3 hours during the first rise. I'm in south Texas so my kitchen is in the low 70s. I can't tell if the dough needs more rise, or if I'm handling it too much? My starter is also nice and bubbly.
Any suggestions? I'll keep experimenting
Amy says
It could be a sign of over-fermenting if it turns out flat. I would let the dough rise for 2.5 hours and see if that gives you a better result. If it's warm, you could also reduce the starter by 50 grams and see if that helps.
stacy says
hi amy - i'm so brand new at this i have to ask very specific questions. diana asked about not cooking it the same day. if you put it in the fridge after shaping it (is this when you first put in in the banneton), what's the process once you remove it from the fridge? do you wait another 90 minutes to let it rise? or do you put it in the fridge after the 90 minutes and cook it right after you remove it?
Amy says
Hi Stacy! Yes, if I want to bake the bread the following day, I put it in the fridge after shaping it when I put in the banneton. The dough will continue to rise slightly in the fridge, so if it has reached the top of the banneton I will bake it cold straight from the fridge. If it needs to rise more, I simply take it out and let it rise at room temperature until it has risen.
Devon Moore says
When you know the calories is that per slice? How much does each slice weigh in grams?
Amy says
Each slice should weigh approximately 87 grams.
Diane says
What would happen if I didn't cook on the same day, but put it in the fridge overnight. Are there any benefits?
Amy says
Hi Diane, if you put the dough in the fridge after it is shaped, it will continue to ferment. The benefit is that more of the phytic acid is neutralized making the bread easier to digest and also allowing you to absorb more minerals during the meal you eat it with. 🙂
Brenda says
Where do you buy the all-purpose einkorn flour. I have never heard of this flour. Is there any substitutes you can use?
Amy says
I get it on Amazon from Jovial foods. Because of how different Einkorn wheat is from other kinds of wheat, it's hard to substitute with other flours in this recipe. You can try other ancient grains such as spelt or kamut.
south says
if I have an einkorn sourdough starter can I use that? Or do I make the one in the recipe still?
Amy says
You can use your einkorn sourdough starter!
Tracy Martinez says
Hi Amy, I love your process and recipe. I have wanted to make sourdough bread using einkorn flour for several years but have been so overwhelmed by the process. Watching your video on this made all the difference! Thank you for helping me get through this. The bread has come out great! I have a question about cutting the dough in half before the last proof in order to make small loaves. Do you think I need to change the temperature and/or the bake time? I would appreciate any insight you might have on doing this.
Thank you again? Tracy
Amy says
Hi Tracy! I haven't baked smaller loaves but if I did, I would bake them for about 30 minutes in my dutch oven and see if they need any longer!