This is my revised version of how I make Einkorn bread. I’ve given up on crafting a loaf that looks like something I bought at a bakery (see photo below) in favor of a much easier, no knead, no fuss approach that isn’t very pretty but tastes just the same.
The day before baking, I take my starter out of the fridge and let it warm up on the counter for a while to room temperature. Then I stir in a little less than 1/4 cup warm water (95-110 degrees) and as much einkorn flour as I can scoop up with two HEAPING soup spoons (tablespoons). How much flour isn’t that critical. I just add enough until I have something about the consistency of pancake batter. Then I cover my jar loosely with plastic wrap (allowing some air to get in) and drape a towel over it. Yeast likes to be in the dark. Now just let the yeast do it’s thing until the next day.
First thing the next morning, I mix up the dough….
Stir together: 2 cups warm water (about 95-110 degrees)
1/4 cup sourdough starter
1 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
Next I put a sheet of foil on the counter and set my measuring cup on the foil. I spoon flour into the measuring cup and level it off, not having to worry about flour going everywhere. Measure out six cups of flour into a bowl, then fold the foil in half and pour the excess flour back into your flour container. No mess, easy clean-up. We’re going for easy here!
Next stir the wet ingredients into the flour until it’s well mixed. It will be a sticky mess you couldn’t hope to knead.
Then I take out two covered Dutch ovens I have that are the same size. I line one with parchment paper and scoop in the bread dough. Poke the dough around until it’s fairly evenly distributed.
Spray the inside of the lid with cooking spray so the dough can’t stick to it. Put on the lid and let it rise until doubled, which is all the way to the top of the casserole dish in my case. Rising time depends on temperature, but mine usually takes about ten hours. So I’m usually baking bread after dinner because I can’t seem to get started until 9am.
When the bread has risen, heat your oven to 450 degrees with the second Dutch oven inside. Let it heat about an half hour to make sure the dish is well heated. Then turn the oven down to 425 degrees. Take the hot Dutch oven out, pick up the risen dough by the edges of the parchment paper, and quickly transfer it to the hot dish. Put the lid on and bake for 30 minutes. Then take the lid off and bake for 10 minutes more. Internal temperature of the bread should be 200 degrees.
When done, peel off the paper and place on a wire rack to cool. I cover it with a dish towel to keep the outside from getting hard, and just leave it on the counter overnight. In the morning, I slice the bread, put it in ziplock freezer bags with parchment between the two layers, and freeze it. Then we just take out a couple slices for breakfast and toast it. You’ll have to toast it twice of frozen, or defrost and then toast. Tastes a lot like an English muffin only healthier. OR if you just have to have a loaf that looks like the picture below, you can futz around with my other recipe for making this bread. Up to you. I’m not doing it anymore!
