Easy Einkorn Sandwich Bread {with freshly milled flour}

It’s no surprise that the first post after a stretch of blogging hibernation is going to be titled ‘easy’. My life has been anything but, so wherever I can simplify my routine without completely succumbing to store bought food, I consider it a win. This easy einkorn sandwich bread has been my staple as of late – it takes minutes to whip up, doesn’t require kneading, contains whole grains and my kids never get tired of it!

Even though my preferred way of leavening bread is natural fermentation, I find that einkorn wheat is finicky to ferment because it sours so much quicker than any other grains. Since it is so easy to digest, I am perfectly fine with using regular bakers’ yeast to make this sandwich bread.

Einkorn is my favorite grain that can be adopted to many recipes

• Einkorn is the oldest cultivated variety of wheat that did not undergo genetic hybridization.
• Einkorn has significantly more vital nutrients like Zinc, Copper, Iron, Magnesium and Selenium than modern wheat (1)(2).
• Einkorn is a lot lower in gluten proteins that cause negative reaction not just in people with celiac disease but even in those with sensitivity, or plain regular folks! (3). Since einkorn does contain gluten, it is not acceptable for those with Celiac disease.
• It’s better for your good old arteries, keeping down inflammation (4).

KoMo Mio Grain Mill

My newest toy that replaced my old Victorio mill is this KoMo Mio Grain Mill from Pleasant Hill Grain. It has become my favorite gadget in the kitchen. It’s a beauty to look at, and now has a permanent spot on my counter. But more importantly, it makes milling whole grains a breeze, instead of an undertaking – working so effortlessly and quietly, and I can mill what I need right before I need it. Since my old mill had to be fastened to the counter and was very loud, I had to set aside a day when I didn’t have anyone around to prepare a supply of flour to last me several weeks. Now the process is so simple that I only use the flour I mill right before I make the dough!

KoMo Mio Grain Mill features

If you are familiar with milling grains at home, you know that getting fine grind in flour is not always achievable. It also takes a really long time. This mill grinds even the hardest grains like Kamut wheat with ease, and doesn’t heat up. I actually stopped buying Kamut berries, which I love, because of the issue of heating. After I tried milling Kamut with KoMo Mill, I immediately bought a few pounds of berries to add to my breads. Rye, my second favorite grain, is also so easy to mill now, which is great because I use it all the time to feed my starter, and make this old country staple, Russian sourdough Borodinsky.

I wrote this recipe using all-purpose einkorn flour but what I often do is sift the freshly milled flour 3-4 times to remove the bran using a sieve like this, and the flour comes very close to all-purpose einkorn. If you want to get really fancy, and not ever have to buy all-purpose flour, you could invest in this sifter that attaches to any KoMo mill.

HOW TO MAKE EASY EINKORN SANDWICH BREAD WITH FRESHLY MILLED FLOUR

Ingredients
Sponge:
1 cup water
1 scant teaspoon instant yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup all-purpose einkorn flour (I use Jovial)

Dough:
All sponge
1 cup water
3 cups flour (1 cup all-purpose einkorn and 2 cups freshly milled einkorn flour, I use this KoMo Mio Grain Mill and mill whole einkorn berries (Jovial or Pleasant Hill Grain)
1 teaspoon salt

Instructions
To make sponge: whisk 1 cup water with 1 teaspoon yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar until dissolved.
Add 1 cup all-purpose einkorn flour through a medium sieve.

Mix to combine, the sponge will look like liquid pancake batter. Leave to rise for 1-2 hours, until it looks airy and lifted. Look for the signs more than the time, the time will vary widely.

To make dough: add 1 cup water to the sponge, whisk to combine.
Add 3 cups flour (1 cup all-purpose einkorn and 2 cups freshly milled einkorn flour).
Add 1 teaspoon salt.

Mix dough with a stiff spatula for a couple of minutes. Cover and leave for 1-2 hours. Again look for signs of rise more than time – the dough should become airy and puffed up, but not get to the point of deflation after peak rise.

Prepare bread pan (I use pullman loaf pan like this because it has straight up sides), and line it with parchment paper.
Transfer the dough into the loaf pan with a spatula trying to not deflate it.

Leave the dough in the loaf pan for 45 minutes to an hour or until it rises an inch or two.

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Bake for 20 minutes, reduce heat to 350ºF and bake for 20-25 more minutes, until the top browns.
Cool on wire rack before cutting.

NOTES: 
If the bread is overproofed, meaning it reaches peak rise and starts to collapse, it will take much longer for it to rise again after your transfer it to a loaf pan. But it will eventually rise and taste just as good.
I add different proportions of all-purpose vs whole grain flour. More whole grain flour will create shorter and darker loaves. I stick with 50:50 ratio because my kids like it. In my old house, I would use half a cup of almond flour to replace some of the einkorn flour and it worked really well, same consistency and crumb. My new house oven performs differently and makes breads that are too moist if I add almond flour. Go figure..

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Easy Einkorn Sandwich Bread {with freshly milled flour}

No knead easy einkorn sandwich bread with freshly milled flour has open crumb and is kids' favorite.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Ingredients

SPONGE

• 1 cup water
• 1 scant teaspoon instant yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose einkorn flour I use Jovial

DOUGH

• All sponge
• 1 cup water
• 3 cups flour 1 cup all-purpose einkorn and 2 cups freshly milled einkorn flour, I use this KoMo Mio Grain Mill and mill whole einkorn berries (Jovial or Pleasant Hill Grain)
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

TO MAKE SPONGE:

• Whisk 1 cup water with 1 teaspoon yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar until dissolved.
• Add 1 cup all-purpose einkorn flour through a medium sieve.
• Mix to combine, the sponge will look like liquid pancake batter. Leave to rise for 1-2 hours, until it looks airy and lifted. Look for the signs more than the time, the time will vary widely.

TO MAKE DOUGH:

• Add 1 cup water to the sponge, whisk to combine.
• Add 3 cups flour (1 cup all-purpose einkorn and 2 cups freshly milled einkorn flour).
• Add 1 teaspoon salt.
• Mix dough with a stiff spatula for a couple of minutes. Cover and leave for 1-2 hours. Again look for signs of rise more than time - the dough should become airy and puffed up, but not get to the point of deflation after peak rise.
• Prepare bread pan (I use pullman loaf pan because it has straight up sides), and line it with parchment paper.
• Transfer the dough into the loaf pan with a spatula trying to not deflate it.
• Leave the dough in the loaf pan for 45 minutes to an hour or until it rises an inch or two.
• Preheat oven to 400ºF. Bake for 20 minutes, reduce heat to 350ºF and bake for 20-25 more minutes, until the top browns.
• Cool on wire rack before cutting.