- 125 grams active starter about ½ a cup (This does not need to be an einkorn sourdough starter! This recipe will work with an all purpose flour starter too.)
- 10 grams of salt about 1 ½ teaspoons
- 290 grams water about 1 ¼ cups
- 200 grams einkorn whole wheat flour about 1 ⅔ cups
- 280 grams einkorn all purpose flour about 2 cups
In a large bowl combine the all purpose einkorn flour and the whole grain einkorn flour, purified warm water (about 85 degrees), active sourdough starter, and salt. Mix all the ingredients with a danish dough whisk or a wooden spoon. The ingredients do not need to be thoroughly incorporated, just enough to where it is combined pretty well. Cover the bowl, with the dough in it, with a damp kitchen towel. Allow the wet dough to rest at the bottom of the bowl for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, sprinkle a flour on the top of the dough. Add more when absolutely needed. Remember, you can add flour but you cannot subtract it! Using a dough bench scraper, scrape the sides of the bowl and gather the dough together. Sprinkle flour into your bowl so you can move the dough around easier. Mentally divide your bowl into North, South, East, and West sections. Gently start to pull (without tearing) on the "North" side of your dough, stretching it out a bit and folding it over the center. Then grabbing your "South" end of the dough, stretching it out and then folding it over the center. Next, grab the "West" side of the dough. Stretch it out and then fold it over the center. Finally, grab the "East" side of your dough. Stretch it out and fold it over the center. It should be “square-like”. Place a damp cloth or plastic wrap back on the bowl. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
Repeat step 2, two more times. This takes a total of 3 sets of stretch and folds with 30 minute intervals.
Once all 3 sets of the folding process are done, place the dough in the bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap to cover the bowl. Place on the counter at room temperature (or somewhere warm for a faster rise) for the first rise, until the dough has doubled in size.t This can take several hours depending on the temperature of your house (about 4-12 hours, longer if needed)
Once the dough has doubled in size, lightly dust a clean work space with flour and place your dough on it. Dust your hands with flour and shape your dough into a ball. I highly suggest using your bench scraper for this as this dough will get sticky the more you work with it! Place a tea towel in a proofing basket or bowl. Flour the tea towel so that the dough does not stick to it during the second rise. Place the smooth surface of the bread dough face down into the cloth. The gathered surface of the dough will be facing up. Place plastic wrap or a damp cloth over the proofing basket with the dough in it, and then place it in the fridge for the overnight rise, for at least 12 hours.
Scoring your artisan bread
Dusting the dough with flour before scoring will help your design pop! I like to use a super sharp razor blade to do this. A very chilled dough is the trick for perfect artistry! The cold dough will be more stable and the blade will cut a lot smoother! The razor blade is thin enough that it makes creating a design easy and fun! Because the gluten in einkorn is weaker, you want to make sure not to go too deep. ¼ inch would be best, and make sure to get it into the oven immediately after scoring.
When your sourdough bread is ready to bake:
After the second rise, when you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Place your dutch oven in the heated oven and preheat it for 30 minutes. When the preheating time is up, remove the proofing basket with the dough from the fridge and place it on the counter. Place the dough on a lightly dusted piece of parchment paper and sprinkle the top of dough with flour. Gently rub the flour around the dough with your hands. This will help your pattern stand out more.
Use a razor to score the dough. Carefully remove your preheated dutch oven and place the dough with the parchment paper under it, inside of the dish. Cover the dutch oven with the lid. Place the dutch oven back in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Once the 25 minutes is up, remove the lid and bake for another 15 minutes. This will give your loaf of bread a beautiful color! Once fully cooked and golden brown, remove the bread from the dutch oven and place it on a wire rack to cool. Wait and serve until it is completely cool! Try this einkorn sourdough bread with my delicious homemade butter recipe! How To Make Easy Homemade Butter From Raw Milk.