The first of September is just one week away, and my social media feed is already buzzing with talk of pumpkin baked goods and cozy soups. I’ve even read a few status updates that mention cooler weather.
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I haven’t embraced a can of pumpkin just yet, and the temperatures in Florida are still close to 100 degrees. But I’m all for thinking about cooler weather foods, like cozy soups, warm yeast bread, and a chai latte. Then again, I don’t think I ever stopped enjoying cooler weather foods. September just means that it’s safe to talk about them in public, right?!
As the weather begins to cool down (and we Floridians lower the temperature of our air conditioning systems to pretend), there’s no better time to make a loaf of homemade bread.
I must stop here and tell you: I don’t make yeast bread very often. In fact, 99% of the time, I purchase bread from a local market in our area. The market bakes and sells this incredible sourdough bread, which is perfect for toast and sandwiches. Just recently, I attended a sourdough class and “birthed” my first successful sourdough starter (see the photo, here), so hopefully with lots of practice and patience, I’ll be able to make amazing sourdough bread in the future, too. In the meantime, I purchase bread from the market.
In the fall, when soup graces our table far more often than it did during the summer grilling season, and the kids are in school during the day (which means a few quiet hours during the day to work and think), I’ll sometimes whisk together a few simple ingredients to make a loaf of homemade bread to have with dinner.
There’s nothing, in the kitchen, like the smell and gratification that comes from mixing together the ingredients to make a yeast bread, watching the sticky dough magically double in size, and then breathe in the aroma of the bread baking in the oven.
And when I actually take the time to make a homemade loaf of bread, the slices are usually gone within a few hours, leaving just a couple of slices left to enjoy (and fight over ;)) with an evening soup. When I remember to sneak some of the homemade bread out of sight before school pickup, the thick slices are used to make the best French toast on Saturday morning. There’s just something incredible about thick-sliced French toast that’s made from soft homemade bread!
As you’ve probably guessed, today’s recipe is for homemade bread. A couple of years ago, I shared a whole wheat bread recipe and crusty bread recipe, both of which have become reader favorites. Today’s recipe is a whole grain-based bread, but it doesn’t call for whole wheat flour; rather, this recipe is made from einkorn flour.
If you’ve been around Live Simply for a while, you may already know about einkorn flour. If you’re new to Live Simply, or just need a refresher, let’s chat for just a second about this special flour, and why it makes such great homemade bread.
What is Einkorn Flour?
Einkorn is known as the oldest variety of wheat making it an “ancient” grain. The ancient grain is believed to have originated in the Tigris-Euphrates region and is possibly the main grain referenced in the earliest accounts of the Bible. To put it simply, einkorn is the wheat men were eating in the earliest days before modern-day wheat varieties. While modern wheat has undergone hybridization, einkorn still holds true to its original properties. Einkorn is slowly gaining popularity, but is still grown in only a few regions in Europe.
The sweet, ancient grain has a lighter texture and taste than modern-day wheat, and contains a more favorable gluten ratio. People with minor gluten sensitives may be able to consume einkorn without the issues associated with whole wheat due the lack of D-genome, however, einkorn is not gluten-free. Einkorn is packed with nutrition, containing high levels of protein along with the antioxidant beta-carotene lutein and minerals.
Einkorn looks and tastes similar to white flour, so it’s the perfect healthy flour to use when making soft, fluffy bread. Einkorn is sold in some health food stores and online.
Today’s recipe uses just four simple ingredients to make a soft and sweet homemade bread that’s delicious to serve with butter and soup, or turn into French toast. I personally find that this bread is a bit too soft for sandwiches, although I may be biased since I prefer my sandwiches to made with dense sourdough bread. If you’d like to try to make this bread for sandwiches, you may want to reduce the honey to only 2 tablespoons. This may also mean upping the flour amount by just a tablespoon or two.
Happy soon-to-be fall, and happy baking!
How to Make Einkorn Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup water room temperature, 230 g
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup honey 80 g
- 2 TB extra virgin olive oil 20 g
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose einkorn flour See “Ingredient Notes” for using whole wheat einkorn flour or freshly-milled einkorn flour., 440 g, where to buy
Instructions
- In a large bowl, sprinkle the active dry yeast over the water. Let the mixture rest for about 5 minutes. You’ll notice that the yeast begins to foam and sink.
- Whisk in the honey, extra virgin olive oil, and salt. Add the flour, and stir with a wooden spoon just until it becomes too hard to stir the mixture with a spoon. Your hands will get messy for this next part, that’s just part of the bread-making process.
- Use your fingertips to bring the rest of the flour into the dough mixture. This may require gently kneading the dough a couple of times. Einkorn doesn’t like to be messed with, so do not overwork the dough. Stop “kneading” once the flour has been combined with the wet ingredients. The dough will probably feel and look sticky. That’s okay! Einkorn slowly absorbs liquid ingredients, so as it rests, it will absorb more of the liquids.
- Cover the dough with a towel, and let it rest and double in size for about an hour. I’ve let my dough rest for an entire afternoon without issue. The goal here is at least an hour resting time. Keep in mind that if your home is very humid and hot, the dough may get stickier.
- Once the dough has doubled in size (about an hour), coat your hands with a bit of flour (this is optional, but it makes working with the dough easier), and form the dough into a loaf. I simply grab the dough, and shape it into a loaf. Einkorn is a bit sticky to roll out. If your dough is too sticky to handle, add just a couple of tablespoons of flour to the dough (until you reach a workable consistency), but remember not to overwork the dough while adding the flour.
- Place the loaf in a standard-size bread pan that’s been greased or lined with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 375F. Cover the bread with a towel, and allow it to rest for 30 minutes. The bread will again begin to rise and double in size. After 30 minutes, place the bread (with the towel removed) in the oven (preferably in the center of your oven), and bake for about 35 minutes. I’ve had to go as long as 40 minutes in the past, due to opening the oven door a couple of times while baking. The bread should have a golden crust and should have (imperfect) “lifted” sides.
- I know it’s tempting to eat the bread fresh from the oven, but it’s best to allow the bread to cool to room temperature before slicing.
Video
Nutrition
Ingredient Notes
If you’d like a “richer” loaf, try using whole milk and butter instead of the water and oil.
This recipe needs to be made with all-purpose einkorn flour. If you’re using whole wheat einkorn flour (either Jovial brand or freshly milled flour), you’ll need a different flour amount. You could use this recipe as a base (the liquid ingredients), and add whole wheat einkorn flour until you reach the ideal dough consistency.
Hi! Would you use this for cinnamon raising bread? If so, how? I’d love the help.
Hey Tara, You could try. I’m not sure it will work, but worth a try. You could use a similar method to this recipe, just not soaking overnight: https://livesimply.me/soaked-whole-wheat-cinnamon-raisin-bread/
Just finished making my loaf and it was lovely. I used freshly milled flour that was given to me by a friend. The proportions in this recipe worked just fine for the whole grain flour. The loaf was just perfect. The texture is different from traditional bread, more crumbly and almost cake like. But don’t be put off by that. It was absolutely delicious. I confess I could not wait for it to cool completely. Tomorrow I will try it toasted and I expect it will be just as delish.
Easiest bread recipe ever.
Sorry for the above typos. I didn’t mean “puked”. LOL I meant “could”. And that last sentence should have “flour” not “four”. Thanks tina
Hi, I just discovered your site as I was searching for Einkorn bread recipes. I made this today using the all purpose Jovial brand Einkorn flour. It turned out Ok. Actually better than expected given that it was so dense while it was doing its first rise. It did not look like yours. It was dryer and rougher and probably rose about 15% instead of doubled. I even extended the rise time by 30 minutes. The only change I made was using instant yeast instead of active. Puked that hav been the problem? I did convert the measurement or the yeast as per online searching told me to: 3/4 tsp of instant for every 1 tsp or active. So I used 1 1/2 tsp.
Once baked it does taste good but is quite dense. And has a better flavor when toasted. The untoasted bread has the moisture content the same as what a banana bread or zucchini bread does.
I may try cutting back on the four by 1/2 cup and only use 3 next time.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
Hey Tina, I think reducing the flour is a good idea. Volume measurements can vary in between our methods of scooping and even the measuring cups we use. So it’s really easy to have used more flour that I may have, even when we both measure 3 1/2 cups. Einkorn naturally produces more a dense bread, too. But it shouldn’t be super dense.
I made the bread. It is good in taste considering it has 80 g of money, which i will reduse to half. Heard Americans like their bread sweet but still O-o.
It tastes good but was expecting to rise more n the bottom did burn a lil. Will try it a lower oven setting next time n a different container to bake it, as I used a oven safe round pan, to give it a more round shape, but which was pretty big for the mixture, so it came out more flat than high.
Overall, will make it again with a few changes. Would suggest adding the measurements, for ALL ingridients in grams/ml as well, as I hate to fiddle around with a cup measurements and get flour on the table, when i can make more fine measurements with an electrical kitchen scale. And I refuse to add a sticky substance like honey in a cup, when i can mix everything in just a few bowls and reset the measurement settings on a scale. Less clean it up.
Thank you forthe recipe.
Greetings from Romania
Thank you for the feedback, Hilda! Glad you enjoyed it.
LS Team
wow is this amazing!! First time making it and blown away. So delicious. Can’t wait to keep making it.
Yay, Chardea! So glad you’re loving the bread.
Hello. I can’t find a good recipe for Einkorn wheat flour bread, Do you have one you could share? Than you.
Hey Cheryl, Here’s my recommendation: https://jovialfoods.com/recipes/easy-100-whole-wheat-bread/
Personaly I use 40% einkorn in all my breads, This week I tried at 100%. Too bad I didn’t see this first. Mine was too hydrated and over worked. We are sadly eating it but excited to try you recipe next
Thanks so much for replying!
Made my first loaf of Einkorn bread today! Turned out great. My question is do you need to refrigerate the bread after cutting it up? About how long does it last once you make it before it starts to mold? Thanks so much!
Hey Tammy, Yay, that’s awesome. I usually keep fresh bread out (in a storage bag) for about 1-2 days before refrigerating. One thing I do, since we don’t eat a full loaf quickly, is to cut the bread in half and freeze that half and keep the other half out to enjoy in the moment.
Using the exact recipe above my dough is way too dry, could not even absorb all flour – what did I do wrong?
Yes – I did measure correctly.
Hey Petra, Did you weigh the ingredients? That’s the best most accurate way to bake read. If you’re measuring, there’s always a high possibility there’s a different amount of flour or water. In this case, I would try adding 1 TB at a time more water until you reach the consistency needed.
I made this bread a couple days ago and it’s delicious! This is actually my first time making successful yeast bread. My previous attempts didn’t work for various reasons (technically, most of my gluten-free loaves did rise, but they were still too dense for our liking). But now that we’ve discovered einkorn and I have learned some important lessons on the art of bread making, I have finally tasted the sweet joy of success! (And the sweet taste of delicious bread!) My husband is especially happy because he loves bread and was really missing good, soft bread since going gluten-free. Since I could never seem to get a truly soft, fluffy loaf, no matter which GF recipe I tried, einkorn is a Godsend in the truest sense of the word.
I made some small changes. First, I doubled the recipe for two loaves. Second, I used coconut palm sugar because I didn’t have liquid honey and didn’t want to take the time to melt the creamy stuff. Third, I put the sugar right in the water with the yeast while proofing it, because that’s what most recipes call for, even though yours didn’t. Also, I didn’t really “form” the dough into loaves. Instead of taking the time to flour my hands and mess with the dough, I just kind of separated the dough into two lumps and dumped them into each bread pan. Then I just sprinkled a little flour right on top and leveled it off with a spoon. It baked beautifully this way, so I see no reason to go to any great effort to form the dough. The process of separating it into two lumps and smoothing it out in the loaf pans seems to have been sufficient working for the einkorn gluten.
So far, we haven’t had any soft slices. One loaf was larger than the other (and it came out better), so we’re saving that for a little later. We cut the smaller one and made it into zwieback. It’s delicious! If you’ve never heard of/made zwieback, you should do it and share it with your readers. I’m confident your children would love zwieback, too, and it’s one of the easiest foods to digest (especially if made with einkorn). And it has a most satisfying crunch that you have to experience to understand. I may comment again once we’ve started the other loaf to give our thoughts on it. But I believe we will love it that way, too. 😀
Someday, I hope to start a team-run homemaking blog. If this project is successful, I’ll link to this recipe. In the meantime, I’m sharing it with the ladies in my FB group. ^_^
Hey Kristi:
I will be making my first loaf of einkorn four bread via your recipe. I am not sure it is “all purpose” flour. May be simply the regular milled flour. I hope it works.
For your information, most all other wheat flour is toxic to the body. It has been changed and hydolozed a 100 or more times. It is also GMO. Not good!
I am diabetic and not supposed to eat any honey> Any substitutes? an egg? “Swerve”? or Stevia?
Ronald
Hey Ronald, You could try stevia. Not sure how much you’ll need. Happy bread baking!
Hope you don’t mind my interjection here. Just in case you come back before you bake the bread (or someone else has this question), It is worth mentioning that you don’t need to use sugar in bread at all. It simply helps the yeast multiply faster. Since honey doesn’t really add much to the liquid, you may not even have to adjust the amount of flour if you leave the honey out. No-calorie sweeteners (including stevia) can cause unhealthy drops in blood sugar, so it would be better not to add any kind of sweetener to the bread and just let it rest longer, if necessary. That’s my advice, anyway. 🙂
PS: It is possible to manage diabetes in such a way that it won’t be harmful to eat honey occasionally, especially in something like bread, where you’ll be getting very little in each slice. Doctors tend to approach diabetes from the wrong angle, so you might try doing more research into that on your own.
Kristin, I made your recipe and it works great. My loaf looked exactly as your picture. So often I’ve tried people’s bread loaf recipes for an Einkorn white and my bread does not look like the photograph! This is a keeper and I will continue to make it. I do refrigerate my loaf after the first few hours. I find that helps with any issue of crumbling the next day or so. It is winter here in a northern climate of the USA, so I do let my dough rise for sixty minutes before I put it in the oven. That seems to work well.
Hey Kristi, I’m so glad you had success with the bread!! yay!
Can you bake einkorn bread on a baking stone? Like an artesian loaf. If so what temp and do you need to adjust the recipe?
Hey Gayle, You could try. I haven’t tried with this particular recipe.
Hello and thank you for sharing your story, recipes and knowledge of the history of Einkorn flour! How much time does the einkorn need to autolyse? I made the blueberry muffins today and they were wonderful! One thing I noticed was the cupcake likes were extremely oily on the outside. Do you think the butter wouldnt have separated from the mixture if I had left it soaking fir a longer period of time?
Hey Susan, You’re welcome. For einkorn, I usually let a batter rest for about 10 minutes for the flour to absorb the liquid.
I just made this came out of oven looks good cooling now I had to use 1 cup of a sprouted organic spelt flour because I ran out of Ekiorn still looks good I hope heating honey is ok I never use honey but I did here because it was a gift I usually use mayple syrup I saw where a girl said is toxic I wish I would not have read it I have never herd that before
Hey Deborah, Awesome, enjoy!!
I am going to try again this Friday. Instead of letting it rest for half hour, should I let it rest one hour each time? I really want fluffy bread. I am concerned about the stickiness too of the dough. The video you posted had the dough looking normal and no stickiness at all.
Hey Kathleen, Are you using all-purpose einkorn (just want to make sure)? If so, handling the dough less may help with the stickiness. I would try increasing the rise time. I live in a very warm climate, so bread rises quickly. If your home is cold, you could try placing the dough in the oven (under the oven light with the oven turned off).
Hi, the bread tasted fine, but when i let it rest like your instructions said, first time and second time, it did not rise one bit. It was very sticky also. I put it to bake for time specified and it was delicious but very dense and heavy. I was a little disappointed at that. I just dont know what i did wrong?
Hey Kathleen, My guess is that it probably just needed more time to rise–a cold environment can change the rise time. Another guess is the bread may have been kneaded too much. Einkorn is sticky, but the stickiness increases when it’s worked too much. Just a few turns is all that’s needed. Hope that helps!
I tried the recipe exactly as you showed on the video and it never did rise either time. I bought the active yeast from Whole FOods and it was not expired or anything. I followed the directions exactly. My loaf never looked like it rose one bit. I am baking it now. I hope is doesn’t come out like a brick. I do not know what I did wrong. Has this ever happened to anyone?
Hey Kathleen, How did the bread turn out? It could be that it’s cold out and the yeast just needs more time–so a longer rest time.
Made your recipe today and it was delish! I did proof my yeast first , just for my own peace of mind. Thank you for the excellent video showing me how to cook with Einkorn flour!