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.
I plan to try this tomorrow, but I have a couple of questions. A previous einkorn bread recipe I tried, warmed the water before adding the yeast — wondering what difference the temp makes; it also mixed the ingredients in the KitchenAid mixer for 10 minutes — can this recipe be put together in the mixer?
Hey Ken, The water temp isn’t a big issue, but I don’t recommend warm/hot because many people can overheat the water and then it kills the yeast. So room temp/warm is best. For mixing, einkorn doesn’t like to be kneaded a lot, it breaks down the gluten/protein structure in the bread, resulting in a super sticky dough.
Could you turn this into dinner rolls? I cannot find one single jovial dinner roll recipe that is easy. Thanks so much!
Hey Allyson, I haven’t tried, but that’s a great idea! I need to work on a roll recipe it sounds like.
Haven’t tried it yet but plan on i
Awesome, Elizabeth. Let me know if you have any questions. Happy baking!
This looks great and I want to try it but the einkorn flour is so expensive! 🙁
Hey Theresa, Shop around, it’s cheaper/more expensive depending on where you buy it.
Wonderfully Delicious and so easy to make! I love simple recipes that dont require 50 steps because truly, who has time for that?! This bread is insanely Scrumptious! Thank you so much for this recipe! It has now become my ‘go to’ recipe for bread! I even made buns from this recipe! Yum!😋
Yay, so happy to hear that, Kitti!
Can I use active sourdough starter in this recipe instead of packaged yeast?
Hey Christine, You could; however, not sure the exact measurements needed.
This is a very dense bread. Also, after 35 min the top was very golden brown so I removed from oven. Once I cut a piece it looked like it wasn’t completely cooked, so I put it in the toaster. Although it seemed better I wasn’t loving the taste. I may try to replace the water with milk and add butter. I’m not giving up yet.
Let me know how it goes! Einkorn bread will be a bit different in texture then a white bread. Has a gummier texture than a typical white or wheat bread.
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I followed your steps exactly and baked my first-ever loaf of homemade bread of any kind. I came out perfectly and delicious. I’m a grumpy old, 71 year old bachelor.
Haha, love it, Daniel. So happy to hear that.
I have a question. I made this for the first time today. It tasted good, just the bread seems to be more dense than light and fluffy. What do you think I did wrong?
Hey Karen, Hmmm, I’m not sure. It’s hard to answer without being there and seeing the process. Sorry, wish I could help more specifically.
2 questions:
1. I assume the Active Dry Yeast can be replaced with Instant yeast in a 1:1 ratio?
2. Since Einkorn is low on Glutenin, doesn’t it affect fermentation and successful proofing ( I’ve experimented with pure Einkorn, not AP, and it never had significant oven spring) ?
Hey Alex, I wouldn’t sub instant yeast, as it does perform differently.
Hi Kristin,
Perhaps this is my mistake…I tried the recipe and like my former attempts with Einkorn (albeit with Whole Einkorn), the bread did not get a decent oven spring and remained somewhat flat. Maybe it is due to the instant yeast (Albeit I was using SAF premium instant yeast), instead of Active dry yeast.
It is just that I find the ADY capricious, and with most flours, instant yeast provides a guaranteed result.
Hey Alex, Instant yeast and einkorn can be very tricky. If possible, I’d try sticking with active dry yeast.
Hello! I love that people have been engaged in the comments on here for almost 10 years!
Just wondering if the process can be split so I could prepare the dough and let it rest one day and pop it in the oven the next? Baking breads tends to take up a whole day for me so it’s only once in a blue moon I have the time to do it but I would love to incorporate more healthy grains like these into my family’s diet.
Many thanks!
Hey Emily, Aww so happy to hear that! I love it, too. Sorry for the slow response, had surgery last week and just now answering comments. Yes, you can do that. I don’t think that will be an issue.
Hi Kristin, When I measured out the water 1 cup, 230 grams mine is different. It only comes out to be 202 grams of water. I’ve used different measuring cups and two different scales and all the same… what am I doing wrong?!? Thank you
Hey Claudia, I recommend sticking to the grams provided vs. using a measuring cup. Hope that helps.
Fantastic easy recipe! After looking at the comments, I reduced the flour to 400g and let the first rise go for over 3 hours. Otherwise same recipe and the loaf turned out beautifully. Excited to play with it!
Awesome, so glad you’re enjoying the bread.
A five star rating for the lovely loaf with the distinctive flavour.
Thank you, Judy!
A lovely loaf with a distinctive wholesome flavour. Enjoyed it as is as well as slathered with homemade jelly or homemade nut butter or both! A nice size loaf to gift someone.
Love it, Judy! So glad you’re enjoying the bread.
it’s delicious!! i have never made a decent loaf of bread until now. i even kind of messed it up bc i let it rise too long and it bubbled over the bread pan. it’s a little crumbly but i know i can do better next time. the kids love it too.
That’s so great to hear, Shannon! I’m glad you all are enjoying the bread.
First time using einkorn flour. This recipe was easy and yielded a beautiful and delicious loaf of bread! Thanks!
Yay, so glad you’re enjoying the bread, Dawn! Congrats on your first einkorn bake.
How does this taste compared to normal white sandwich bread?
Hey Jillian, Einkorn has a lovely flavor, it’s slightly sweet and nutty naturally. I think it’s much more flavorful than white bread.
Hi, can i add wheat germ to this recipe? Ive made this recipe once, but it seems to just sit in my system and ” not move” i need too add something to help get it moving. I see the einkorn flour onlu has a tiny bit of wheat germ in it. Will adding 2 tbsp to the recipe effect the rise? Or density?
Hey Pat, I haven’t tried adding wheat germ to this recipe, but I think it’s possible to do. Let me know if you try it!
Can the honey in this recipe be replaced with maple syrup?
Hey Christina, Yes, it can be replaced with maple syrup.