After a few weeks of smashing vitamin C tablets, I bought this stuff:
I’ve been eyeballing “a pinch” and mixing it into the water for my loaves along with the starter. Works great, simple workflow.
Paul, you are a man with a long-term commitment to baking! That tub should last you a lifetime!
I followed recipe exactly and made sure my sourdough starter was strong and active – even bought the exact bulk fermentation container to track when it hit 75%. I sifted my freshly ground einkorn to remove some off the larger bran in hopes that would help loft. Tiny pinch ascorbic acid. I didn’t see much activity after the two hour room temp bulk or the next morning after removing from fridge. I did start to see rise after removing from fridge as it only took about 3 hours room temp to hit 75%. Here is where I think things went wrong. When I went to shape the boule I noticed that it was highly resistant to stretching. So after I shaped it, it looked really small. I figured maybe that was normal and it would spread / expand during the cooking but it kept the same shape during cooking and I ended up with a mini boule (see picture). When I cut it open it looked really dense which has been my experience every time I try einkorn. They always end up being bricks. Any idea what went wrong?
It looks like you got a nice score bloom and I think the crumb is only a little tighter than mine. Based on the stiffness you describe in the dough when shaping, I’m guessing a little more water would be the way to go – or a longer final proof. The loaf may be a little flatter but the crumb will open up a bit.
Melissa,
Brilliant article. I’ve made einkorn sourdough bread weekly for about two years, but much less successfully than your results. The reason it has taken me so long to reply is I have incrementally made changes.
My initial hydration was 55%. I made half adjustments to reach 70%, but the dough was too sticky for me to manage, so I ended up at 66%. The einkorn is stone-ground in a 50 year-old Mill-Rite and briefly mixed in an Ank until just hydrated. It’s still too sticky for me, so it goes directly into the bulk raising container with no stretching or manipulation.
I was over proofing, so now I use a 2 L measuring cup to be able to gauge the 70% rise. I failed at Aliquot Jar measurement.
My Miele convection oven highest temperature is 480°, and I have tired various combinations of time, temperature changes, covered and uncovered, and ended up preheating to 480°, immediately dropping the temperature to 450° and cooking 1 hour in a covered Challenger bread pan to 205° internal temperature.
I should also mention that I make an extra 350 g of dough, refrigerate it immediately for a day or two for pizza crust. I also lightly oil the measuring bowl and the pizza crust bowl with olive oil to minimize sticking.
Otherwise, I follow your directions. Thanks again. Your recipe has greatly improved my bread making.
Thank you for sharing your progess with einkorn baking. Congratulations on finding methods that work well for you! I’m glad this article helped your process.
I agree that einkorn is a special kind of sticky! That really stood out for me when I was slurry testing einkorn alongside kernza. It wasn’t just about absorbency; einkorn felt more adhesive to my fingers.
There are some pics in this article:
I am VERY happy with the results of this bake! I followed the recipe/method exactly except that I scaled it up to 600g flour. I did the bulk fermentation for a few hours at room temp and then refrigerated overnight. In the morning, the rise was nowhere near 75% so I left it out (fairly cool kitchen) and watched it carefully having a fear of over fermenting. Then I realized the dome was rising but the sides took much longer to start rising. It was very hard to judge the 75% but I finally just went for it. No final proof. Shaping was very easy due to the low hydration, even with the stickiness. As soon as I scored it, I had a good feeling about the oven spring. It was a little gummy when I first cut it but that didn’t last. Thanks so much for this recipe/method. It will now be a regular in my bread rotation!
