Life-Changing Bread
This is the last sourdough sandwich bread recipe you will ever need. It has a perfect crumb and a moist, fluffy texture. Most importantly, it is made with freshly ground ancient Einkorn flour naturally leavened with a fresh sourdough starter. Why is this important, you ask? Check out my website's All About Wheat page to know exactly why this einkorn sourdough sandwich bread is truly LIFE-CHANGING BREAD!
In short, there are three main reasons why this is the last sandwich bread you should ever make.
This is made with 50% freshly ground flour—any more, and we lose the consistency of the sandwich bread. Freshly ground flour contains vital nutrients affecting reproductive health, especially in children. NOT A SINGLE BREAD AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE HAS THESE NUTRIENTS!
This is natural sourdough—no steps are skipped here. The grains are prepared according to the way nature intended, but don't worry—I've made it so simple with this step-by-step video.
This is made with einkorn wheat, which is much more easily digested. As you will see in the video, this flour never turns "gluey" from "glue-ten" because it is a natural ancient grain that has not been hybridized for supermarket bread or flour. Why would anyone put something that looks like glue into their body? It beats me, but this bread is the key to promoting better digestion and health.
This recipe is based on a similar post from one of my favorite blogs, beetsandbones.com. This blog is an excellent resource for traditional recipes featuring einkorn and other staple conventional ingredients. I have adapted the recipe to fit perfectly into a large-size Pullman Loaf Pan.
Einkorn Sourdough Sandwich Bread
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Ingredients List:
PRE-FERMENT
65 g active sourdough starter
351 g water
403 g freshly ground einkorn flour (or other ancient grain such as spelt, or kamut)
SLURRY / WATER ROUX
39 g all-purpose einkorn flour
195 g water
39 g butter
52 g cane sugar
7 g fine sea salt
MAIN DOUGH
All pre-ferment dough
All slurry mixture
403 g all-purpose einkorn flour (plus more for dusting)
Instructions
Make pre-ferment dough / a.k.a. "sponge," or "levain"
Set a large mixing bowl (preferably the bowl of a stand mixer) on a kitchen scale and measure out 65 g sourdough starter. Add water and whisk vigorously to combine.
Grind roughly 2 heaping cups of einkorn berries to make einkorn flour. You can use the dry blade canister on a VitaMix blender for this or use a proper grain mill such as the WonderMill. NOTE: If using the VitaMix to grind flour it is important to keep your wheat berries in the freezer to ensure the grinding process does not make the flour too hot.
Combine 403 g freshly ground flour with sourdough/water mixture. Mix thoroughly, then cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for 8-12 hours or overnight.
Make slurry mixture
Set a medium size bowl on a kitchen scale and measure butter, cane sugar, and sea salt.
Add 39 g all-purpose flour to a heavy-bottomed medium skillet, then add 195 g water and turn heat to medium-high. Stir constantly with a fork or whisk until the mixture thickens, then remove from heat and spoon into the bowl with butter, sugar, and salt.
Stir to combine.
Make main dough
Pour the slurry mixture into the pre-ferment dough and stir to combine. Add the all-purpose einkorn flour and stir briefly to combine.
Transfer the dough to your stand mixer with the dough hook attachment and run it on setting 2 for 2 minutes. While the mixer is running, lightly butter the interior of your loaf pan.
Sprinkle 20 - 30 g flour onto the dough ball, and using a spatula, scrape the flour down the sides of the dough to separate it from the mixing bowl. Transfer the dough ball into the loaf pan by gently rolling it into the pan.
With a floured hand, gently press the dough down into the corners of the pan so it is neat and evenly distributed.
Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for about 4-6 hours, depending on how active your sourdough starter was. Keep an eye on the dough as it rises so you can remove the plastic wrap before it overflows.
Once the dough has risen, set your oven to 400°F. Once the oven has preheated, bake for 16 minutes. Then, reduce heat to 350°F and bake for an additional 18 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes. Then, transfer the loaf to a wire rack and let it cool for an additional 1-2 hours.
Slice the loaf in half to make two loaves. Store loaves in plastic bread bags overnight to soften the crust for slicing.
The next day, slice loaves using a bread-slicing guide and transfer loaves back to bags for storage. NOTE: You can freeze the pre-sliced bread to keep it fresh for up to 8-10 weeks or leave it at room temperature - Do Not Refrigerate. Fresh bread will last a week or so on the counter. Additionally, it is very helpful to toast this bread before consuming it, especially if the bread has been frozen. The toasting process restores moisture and softness to the bread.
Enjoy!
Notes:
This bread can be kept fresh on the counter for 7-10 days, but after the first couple of days, it should be toasted first to restore freshness.
You can also freeze this bread before or after slicing to keep it fresh for 8-10 weeks. If you slice it before freezing, you can take out slices as needed and pop them right into the toaster.
DO NOT REFRIGERATE this bread - it will dry out and become super crumbly.