Einkorn Dutch Oven Bread Video
What is einkorn flour?
Watch our video and find out.
You finally have a reason to utilize the Dutch oven 24/7—our easy and delicious Dutch oven bread recipe is made with the ‘good gluten,’ einkorn. Einkorn flour is for better digestion than hybridized, all-purpose flour and tastes nutty, wholesome and grand! No einkorn wheat? No worries! You can make multigrain bread using traditional all-purpose flour.
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You really do need a cast iron Dutch oven to make this particular recipe, so no substitutions. You can find them online for $30 or less and you’ll use it for so many other things. The cast iron helps to capture the moisture evaporated during the cooking process to produce the crispy, artisan crust. Sold!
The instructions couldn’t be easier, and thus, this recipe is a game-changer. You’ll want to have fresh bread in the house all the time. It’s easiest when you make the starter the day before and let it sit overnight. But if you start in the early morning, you can have this bread fresh and ready for dinner that night! If you want bread you can make in a jiffy, try our einkorn bruschetta bread. You won’t be disappointed.
Einkorn is helpful for those with gluten sensitivities or intolerances and not intended for those with celiac disease.
Einkorn Dutch Oven Bread Recipe
Ingredients
sponge
- 1 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 cups water, 75–80 degrees (room temperature)
- 1 cup all-purpose einkorn flour, 4.5 oz
bread
- 1 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 4 cups all-purpose einkorn flour, 18 oz
- 2 tsp salt
- cornmeal, for dusting
Instructions
sponge
- The sponge is simply a bit of the dough ingredients that are allowed to ferment for a period of time before the final dough is made. Why bother? The extra fermentation time adds a more complex flavor and we are all about flavor! Secondly, the fermentation allows the structure of the dough to relax and grow bigger. The result is lighter and tastier bread.
- In a small bowl, combine yeast and water then whisk to thoroughly dissolve the yeast. Add flour then stir to form a thin batter. NOTE: We strongly recommend you weigh your einkorn flour, if possible, for better accuracy. If you don’t have a scale, fluff the flour with a fork before you measure it in a cup.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap then let sit for 1 hour at room temperature.
- Place in refrigerator for at least 8–12 hours but no longer than 24 hours before making the bread.
bread
- Remove sponge then let it warm to room temperature. Add remaining yeast and sugar then let it sit for 5–7 minutes until the sponge starts to bubble.
- In a large bowl, add salt to the flour and whisk to fully combine. Add sponge to the flour mixture. Adding salt directly to the sponge will kill the yeast. Stir until the dough begins to come together—and be patient! It may take longer than you expect to absorb the liquid. The dough should always feel a little tacky. Resist the urge to over-flour.
- Flour your hands then knead the dough for about 2 minutes until you have a smooth texture. Einkorn doesn’t have the same gluten ratio as modern wheat and tends not to fight back, so very little kneading is necessary.
- Let dough rest for 10 minutes.
- Form dough into the desired shape (ball or oval) then transfer to a cookie sheet coated with cornmeal. Cover with a large glass bowl then a towel to keep the light out and allow dough to rise for approximately 40 minutes. Check early to make sure it is not over-proofing. The warmer your kitchen, the more quickly it will proof. You’ll know the dough is ready when a few holes start to form on the top. Better to under-proof than over-proof.
- While the dough proofs, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place a large Dutch oven and its lid in the oven to preheat.
- Using a very sharp knife or razor blade, make three slashes in the bread to allow for expansion during baking.
- Remove Dutch oven from the oven then slide the bread into it. Return Dutch oven to the hot oven (lid on) and bake for 20 minutes then remove the lid and bake 13–15 minutes more. The bread will sound hollow when tapped and be at an internal temperature of 200 degrees.
- Invert the bread onto a rack to cool.
Notes
DO NOT ever run cold water over hot-from-the-oven cast iron. That can cause it to crack.
Can I make the bread right away, without having the sponge in the fridge for 8-24 hours?
Wouldn’t change a thing!! This is THE best recipe I have found yet for Einkorn flour, it tastes good and bakes up beautifully. Agreed that sliding your great in off the cornmeal surface is a little tricky, but can be done. I loosened it a little with a spatula.
Do you leave the plastic wrap on the sponge when you put it in the refrigerator?
What would be the resulting difference if I use 1% milk instead of water in this recipe? Thank you for your advice.
what if you don’t have a Dutch oven?
Maybe I should mention that I tried to put another loaf tin on the one that the dough is in – clipped together with large binder clips – to make a poor man’s Dutch Oven –
it was a mess….
Parchment paper lining is a big help. I have learned this from previous attempts. Also, I omitted the sugar. Comes out great every time.
Hi, May I suggest lining the Dutch oven with parchment paper? Place dough on it for final rise and then slide into Dutch oven once it is ready..
Also my bread stuck to the Dutch oven so badly that I had to break it apart to get it out.
Tasted great though!
My dough was too soft and sticky after proofing for 40 min. It also stuck to the cookie sheet and coving bowl.
I was unable to form it into a nice dome shape and was a soft blob when I put it in the Dutch oven.
Can you tell what I did wrong?
Is sugar optional?
Hello,
can I use whole grain flour with this recipe?
Thank you,
Kat
Hi DeeAnn, not to the liquid. Here’s our recipe for a whole wheat version if you’re interested: https://everydaydishes.com/simple-food-recipes/einkorn-whole-wheat-dutch-oven-bread-video/
Would there be any changes to the liquid content if using whole grain Einkorn flour?