Easy Einkorn No-knead Sourdough Bread
This recipe is especially great for people who work full time -- it takes 10 minutes in the morning to throw this together and then it's ready to bake 8 or more hours later. I use Ikea's 3 quart covered casserole for baking. Here's more information about sourdough starter.Servings: 1 3-1/2 lb loaf
Ingredients
- 1 cup proofed/bubbling sourdough starter
- 6 cups Einkorn flour
- 2-3 cups room temp filtered water
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp citric acid totally optional!
Instructions
- In a large bowl (preferably with a lid), add the flour, sourdough starter, water and salt and mix until blended. It should be a gluey thick batter, a little thicker than brownie batter.
- Cover and let it rise in a warm spot for about eight hours, or until bubbly and doubled in size. In the winter, I prefer to turn my oven light on and keep the bowl in there.
- Once the dough has risen sufficiently (8+ hours, depending on ambient temps), remove it from the oven. Place your empty covered casserole in the oven and set the oven temp 450° F.
- Once temp is achieved, remove your casserole from the oven. CAUTION: HOT HOT HOT! Remove the lid and gently pour the dough into the casserole, being careful to not disturb too many bubbles. Cover and bake for 60 minutes. PLEASE NOTE: You may have to experiment with bake time due to altitude differences.
- Remove the bread from the oven and remove lid. After 10-15 minutes: dump the bread out of the casserole, place on a cooling rack and allow it to cool completely before slicing and serving. I usually leave it on the counter over night (in a plastic bag, to soften the crust) and cut it in the morning with a meat slicer.
Notes
This recipes makes a 3.5# artisan loaf that will knock your socks off! This bread is beautiful, crusty, fragrant and due to using einkorn flour, has a rich nutty flavor. Don’t forget the Kerrygold!
Hi, I’m new to your blog but found your bread recipe in Mother Earth magazine. I’m also new to sourdough starter and this whole process but I have been successful with both starter and making my first loaf of bread but…..my bread stuck to the bottom of my pot, so I’m wondering what I did wrong.
I plan to try again and hopefully I’ll have better success.
Thank you, Kate
Hi Kate, I’m really sorry to hear about the sticking, what a bummer. I’ve been using the casserole I bought from IKEA, it has a glazed interior and I just put a little olive oil on it once in a while before I put it away (I store it in the oven). The bread just pops right out. I don’t even have to wash it. 🙂 If whatever you’re baking in is NOT non-stick, try buttering or oiling it before you heat it in the oven for baking. Or if it’s cast iron, it may need to be seasoned.
Can you bake this in a loaf pan or a glass round dish? I don’t have a Dutch oven casserole dish was wondering if it matters what you bake in?
Hi Tiffany. I suppose you could use a glass round casserole dish if it has a lid. Having the lid on is important as steam seems to be part of the process. Also the cast iron holds the heat evenly, the bread may burn in glass or metal because of the high temperature. I’d try glass over aluminum, make sure there’s a lid and you’d have to grease the glass (my cast iron casserole has a glaze inside so I don’t need to grease it). If you decide to try it, please let me know how it turns out and I’ll update my post with your results.
I tried making the sourdough bread last weekend. I followed the recipe exactly, using only 2 cups of water. When I was ready to bake the bread, the dough was so runny that I added another 3/4 cup of flour. However, it did not rise again. After baking it 1 hour, the bread was flat and gummy in the middle. Any suggestions?
Wow, sorry about that, you must be really disappointed. Were you using the Einkorn flour? It’s coarser and heavier, seems almost dryer than regular flour. Once the dough rises, you can’t stir the batter since it breaks up the bubbles that aerate the dough. It would have to had risen for another 8 hours to get it back where it should be for baking (yet I’m not not sure 3/4 c of flour would have been enough to feed it at that point). When you first mix it, it should be like a thick brownie batter, so that would be the time to add more flour if the dough is runny. Also try adding the water in increments, i.e. add the first cup and add 1/2 cup at a time until it’s the right consistency.
Yes, I am using the Einkorn all purpose flour. I’ll try again and add the water in increments. I am using the ‘failed’ loaf of bread for croutons, so all is not lost!
The croutons are great! And you can freeze them.
After I answered your question another thought occurred to me: I live at high altitude and everything is extremely dry here, especially flour. If you live at sea level, your flour may not be as dry. Also, I know regular manufactured yeast rises too quickly here, I’m not sure if altitude also effects how natural yeast (sourdough) rises. It make take a little longer for you. As long as it has doubled in size and is loaded with fine bubbles, it is ready for the oven.
I live at 5.000 feet, so your recipe should work just fine for me. I’ll try making the bread again.
Thanks so much for your replies! Knowing you are available to answer questions encourages me to keep trying the bread.
You’re welcome! Please let me know how you do.
I tried making the bread this weekend. This time the bread was baked all the way to the center, and it tastes great! However, the bottom crust is really hard, making it difficult to cut the bread. Is there a solution to this? Also, is it necessary to let the dough rise for 8 hours if it has doubled in size in 5 hours? Once again, thanks for your reply!
The hard crust on the bottom: seems to me like maybe your oven is hotter than usual, or your casserole may be thinner. You can try playing with lowering the temperature or baking for a shorter period of time. I put my bread in a plastic bag once it’s cooled down and let it sit over night. The moisture in the bread will soften the crust, which makes it easier for me to slice using my electric meat slicer.
As far as rising, the only objective is to get it doubled in size with fine bubbles. If it only takes 5 hours (sounds like a warm kitchen!) then it’s ready to bake. I’ve had it take 10 or more hours some days depending on the weather or whether I’m using the Jovial einkorn or whole grain einkorn sent to me by a friend in Austria.
From her, regarding making a softer crust: I heat up the pot – like you – on about 450 °F – then put the dough in – and bake it for about 15 min – or until the breadcrust turned light/medium brown – then I reduce the heat to 375° F and leave the bread till done (over an hour). The crust won´t get darker and harder in this time. I tried it this way now for three times and it works well.
Hi Deb! I’m excited to try this recipe. Thank you for posting it. In your reply to Jan am I understanding correctly that you can substitute whole grain Einkorn flour in this same recipe?
Ginger
Oops! I meant to also add that I live at sea level.
Ginger
Hi Ginger, yes people have used the whole grain Einkorn flour. The bread comes out even denser because the flour is heavier and coarser, so keep that in mind. It’s still delicious of course. Try following the method my friend in Austria uses (in my previous comment). My elevation is around 6200 feet, things seem to rise more quickly here so you may have to let the bread rise 2 or more hours longer. I keep the dough in a covered bowl in the oven with the lightbulb on (for gentle warmth) for 8 hours.
Hi Farmer Deb,
Interested in trying Einkorn flour for your sourdough bread. You mentioned baking at 80 min for 6,000 ft in the air. Should I use less time or more time if I am closer to sea level? BTW I also saw this recipe in MEN. Thanks for posting and sharing it!
You’re welcome! I’ve not tried baking this bread at sea level, my guess is that you may get away with a shorter bake time. Try the hour and if the bread comes out too dry or the crust too hard, drop it down to 50 minutes. I bake mine for an hour here and it comes out really moist inside. My crust is pretty hard fresh out of the oven, but I store my bread in a plastic bag once it has cooled and the moisture from the inside softens the crust (it makes it easier to cut that way).
I’ve been baking Einkorn sourdough bread for almost a year. My altitude was 50 ft above sea level. I baked it at 450 degrees for 40 minutes and turned out perfect every time. I’m presently at 3000 – 4000 ft and it’s my first time baking at that altitude. Normally the bread would rise in about 4-5 hrs, I’ll be interested in finding out how long the rising and then the baking.
Good luck! I’m at 6,000+ feet and 1 hour to 1 hour 10 is right for here, although I’m not sure this bread can be over baked since it’s so moist. Rise time for me mostly depends on room temperature. I prefer a longer rise, the bubbles tend to be smaller and uniform so the bread has a consistent texture.
If you get a chance, please let me know about your rise & bake times and how the bread turned out.