Whole Wheat Einkorn Bread

The gentle, sweet wheat flavor and slight nutty undertone of whole grain einkorn bread make it stand out from any other bread. Along with its unique taste, this delicious bread is also packed full of nutrients.

We have two variations of this bread. You can make 100% einkorn bread which is denser than traditional bread but has an amazing flavor. Or, you can blend in some bread flour which will give the bread a light, soft texture while retaining a great deal of the einkorn flavor. We love both versions.

This recipe uses a smaller amount of yeast than traditional bread recipes in order to slow down the proof time and allow more flavor to develop. If you want to speed up the proof time, see the notes.

5 from 13 votes

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Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 40

Additional Time: 4

Total Time: 4 55

Servings: loaf

Calories: 130kcal

Author: Dahn Boquist

Ingredients

100% Whole Wheat Einkorn Bread

5 cups whole grain einkorn flour 480 grams
1-¾ teaspoons salt 11 grams
¾ teaspoon instant dry yeast 3 grams, see notes
1-½ cups water 354 grams
3 tablespoons honey 60 grams
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 37 grams

75% Whole Wheat Einkorn Bread

3-¾ cups whole grain einkorn flour 360 grams
1 cup white bread flour or all purpose einkorn flour 120 grams, see notes
1-¾ teaspoons salt 11 grams
¾ teaspoon instant dry yeast 3 grams, see notes
1-½ cups water 354 grams
3 tablespoons honey 60 grams
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 37 grams

Instructions

For No Knead Whole Wheat Einkorn Bread

Whisk the einkorn flour, salt, and yeast in a large mixing bowl.
Add the water, honey, and olive oil. Stir until the dry ingredients are incorporated and a thick dough forms. The dough will be thick and sticky (almost like brownie batter).
Spray the top of the dough with olive oil to prevent a skin from forming. Cover the bowl with plastic and let it rise at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours (if you place it in the fridge, you can let it proof for 6 to 8 hours to develop more flavor).
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9 x 5-inch bread pan or an 8 x 4-inch bread pan with parchment paper.
Scoop the dough into the pan and smooth it out with wet hands. The dough will be sticky and wet but if you keep your hands wet, they will not stick to the dough.
Let the bread rise for 30 to 60 minutes or until it is 30% to 40% taller. Do not let the dough double in height or it will collapse when it bakes. If you are using a 9 x 5 pan, let the dough rise approximately 1 inch (it can rise a bit taller if you have an 8 x 4-inch pan).
Bake 38 to 48 minutes. If you have an instant read thermometer the internal temperature should be 205°F.
Remove the bread from the loaf pan and place it on a wire rack to cool. Let the bread cool for 2 to 3 hours before slicing.

For 75% Einkorn Bread

Whisk the einkorn flour, bread flour, salt, and yeast in a large mixing bowl.
Add the water, honey, and olive oil. Stir until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Let the bread rest for 10 minutes to hydrate the flour.
Get your hands wet and grab an edge of the dough and stretch it up then fold it over itself. Give the bowl a quarter turn and repeat the stretch and fold. Continue the process two more times until you do four stretch and folds.
Let the dough rest for 15 minutes, then repeat the stretch and fold process and let it rest for another 15 minutes. Do one to two more sets of stretch and folds with a 15 minute rest between sets. Doing three to four sets of stretch and folds will strengthen the gluten in the bread flour without weakening the gluten in the einkorn flour.
After you do 3 to 4 sets of stretch and folds, oil the top of the dough and cover the bowl with plastic. Let it rise for 3 to 4 hours or place it in the fridge to proof for 6 to 12 hours.
Preheat the oven and line a 9 x 5 inch bread pan with parchment paper.
Transfer the dough to a wet counter and use damp hands to shape the dough into a loaf. If you keep the counter and your hands wet, the dough will not stick. Optionally, you can dust the counter with flour and keep your hands lightly floured to shape the dough. Use the technique that is easiest for you.
Let the bread rise for 60 to 90 minutes or until it is about 60% to 75% taller than its original height (don't let it double, but you can let it get a nice mounded top).
Bake 38 to 48 minutes. If you have an instant read thermometer the internal temperature should be 205°F.
Let the bread cool for 2 to 3 hours before slicing.

Notes

We used a smaller proportion of yeast in order to give the bread a longer proof time and develop more flavor. For a quicker proof, increase the yeast to 2-¼ teaspoons (1 packet). Let the bread rise for 45 to 60 minutes, then scoop it into the pan and let it rise a second time for 30 to 45 minutes.
If you have an instant-read thermometer, the internal temperature of the bread should be 205°F when it is finished baking.
The 75% whole wheat einkorn bread makes a light, fluffy, soft bread and still retains a lot of the flavor from the einkorn flour. However, it won’t have the same nutritional profile as 100% einkorn bread. You can replace the bread flour with all-purpose einkorn flour which will help lighten the loaf but not as much as if you use bread flour.
If you line the bread pan with parchment paper, the bread will come out of the pan very easily. If you don’t have parchment paper and struggle to release the bread from the pan, let it sit in the pan for 10 minutes. If it sweats in the pan for a while, it will release easier.
If you want to make a round boule with 100% einkorn flour, you will want to add an additional 25 to 30 grams of einkorn flour to the dough. The additional flour will allow the bread to keep a free-form shape. However, the bread will be heavier and denser.
The gluten in einkorn flour is easier to digest than the gluten in modern flour, but it is not recommended for people with celiac disease.
The nutritional information below is based on 100% whole wheat einkorn bread and getting 20 slices from the bread.

Nutrition