My inbox has been full of one request for months: Can you please develop a recipe using einkorn? Right behind it is another: I tried baking with einkorn, and my loaf came out completely flat and dense. Help.

Health-conscious bakers want to use ancient grains — einkorn in particular — and they keep ending up with a dense, flat result.

Einkorn is tricky. It has significantly less gluten than modern bread flour, which means it can’t hold as much gas during fermentation. Push too far — too much einkorn, too much fermentation, too much hydration — and the whole loaf can deflate.

I found the sweet spot in a half einkorn and half bread flour loaf — and 190 home bakers helped confirm it. You get all that ancient grain character and nutrition without sacrificing the soft, squishy interior that makes a loaf worth eating.

“Delicious bread with a soft interior, a tender crust, and a flavour that took me back to childhood, to a bread my grandmother used to make.” –Recipe tester from Ourique, Southern Portugal

Disclaimer: Some of the products I recommend in this post are affiliate links – if you choose to purchase after clicking one of my links, I may earn a small commission, which helps fund this website, recipe development, and monthly giveaways. I sincerely appreciate your support.

Why You’ll Love This Einkorn Sourdough Bread

• It finally makes einkorn approachable: With the right ratio, hydration, and technique, einkorn is absolutely workable. Dozens of testers who had struggled with it before or felt too intimidated to try ended up with a beautiful loaf on the first attempt.

“I had been afraid to try einkorn in my sourdough baking, but it turned out delicious and fluffy! My husband kept raving about it, too!” –Recipe tester from Columbia, SC

• Fast bulk fermentation: one of the most consistent pieces of tester feedback was how much faster this dough moves than a standard artisan loaf. At 71–73°F (22–23°C), most testers finished bulk fermentation in 5.5–6.5 hours, which means this can comfortably be made in a single day.

“Fast bread from start to finish with minimal effort.” –Recipe tester from Arizona

• A soft, pillowy crumb: einkorn produces a noticeably tender interior. Several testers described it as almost sandwich-bread soft, but with the crust and character of an artisan loaf. Perfect sliced thick with salted butter or used for sandwiches.

“Richer flavor and softer crust than normal sourdough loaf.” –Recipe tester from Delaware

• A flavor all its own: einkorn brings a distinctive nuttiness and natural sweetness that modern wheat just doesn’t have. It also tends to amplify the tang of sourdough, so if you love a pronounced sour note, this loaf delivers.

“It is deliciously rich and nutty. My favorite recipe so far…” –Recipe tester from Annapolis, MD

“Einkorn flour adds an incredible depth of flavor to traditional sourdough without taking away from the texture.” –Recipe tester from Conneaut, OH

• Dead simple ingredients: No oil. No sugar. No add-ins. Just flour, water, salt, and your starter.
• Tested by 190 home bakers: from Connecticut to California, Canada to Puerto Rico. Among testers using whole wheat einkorn rather than AP einkorn, the average rating was 4.62 out of 5. More on the full breakdown below.

The Recipe Testing Journey

This recipe came together fast! My first test was at 40% einkorn. The loaf was lofty and tall with great oven spring — classic artisan structure. But I wanted to see if I could push it a little further.

For my second test, I went up to 50%. The loaf wasn’t quite as tall — the extra einkorn means less gluten structure and a slightly lower rise — but the flavor was nuttier and richer, and the added nutrition is a big bonus.

All-Purpose vs Whole Wheat Einkorn Flour

When I developed this recipe, I used whole wheat einkorn flour from Central Milling.

I then started getting messages from recipe testers: Wait, should I buy the bag that says whole wheat einkorn or AP einkorn? I was curious to see how both flour types would perform, and that turned out to be the most revealing part of the whole testing process.

Whole wheat einkorn absorbs significantly more water than AP einkorn. At 350g of water — the amount in this recipe — AP einkorn produces a very slack dough that’s difficult to shape.

Most AP einkorn testers who reduced their water by 25–50g ended up with a much more workable dough. The ones who didn’t know to reduce it — understandably — had a harder time.

This is now addressed clearly in the Substitutions section. If you’re using AP einkorn, please read that before you mix your dough.

God bless the recipe testers!!

Meet the Recipe Testers

190 home bakers tested this recipe, and I asked for feedback from testers using different types of einkorn flour — whole wheat, AP, and freshly milled — so I could see how each type performs.

Here’s how the ratings broke down by flour type:

• Overall average (all 190 testers): 4.55 out of 5
• Whole wheat einkorn users: 4.62 out of 5
• AP einkorn users: 4.24 out of 5
• Freshly milled einkorn users: 4.84 out of 5

The gap between whole wheat and AP testers isn’t a mystery — it’s almost entirely explained by the hydration difference covered in the Substitutions section. AP einkorn simply can’t absorb as much water, and testers who didn’t know to reduce the water struggled with a slack, sticky dough.

The freshly milled crowd, meanwhile, was the happiest group of all — likely because bakers who mill their own grain tend to have more experience working with whole-grain, higher-hydration doughs.

“If you want a rustic sourdough bread that is super soft and nutty, this recipe is for you — 10/10!” –Recipe tester from Lansing, MI

Here’s a compilation of photo submissions from a few of the recipe testers:

“I love einkorn and never thought to do 50% because 100% is just too dense for me. This was the best of both worlds — light and fluffy with the taste and benefits of einkorn.” –Recipe tester from Susanville, CA

Baker’s Timeline

These times are based on a dough temperature of around 73°F (23°C). Warmer kitchens will move faster; cooler kitchens will move slower.

Rely on visual cues more than the clock — this dough ferments quite a bit faster than a standard bread flour loaf.

Day 1
Evening	Feed your starter. Cover and leave on the counter overnight (10–12 hours).
Day 2
8 AM	Mix the dough. Rest 30–40 minutes.
8:40 AM	Coil fold #1
9:10 AM	Coil fold #2
9:40 AM	Coil fold #3
10:10 AM	Coil fold #4
10:10 AM – around 2 PM	Finish bulk fermentation (~5.5 hours total from initial mix at 73°F/23°C).
Around 2 PM	Pre-shape, rest 10 minutes, final shape, into the banneton, refrigerate.
Day 3
Morning	Score and bake.

Here is an alternative timeline if you want to feed your starter in the morning – you’ll want to adjust the feeding ratio to 1:1:1 (instead of 1:5:5), so it peaks faster!

Day 1
8 AM	Feed your starter, but use 57g starter, 57g water, and 57g bread flour. Cover and leave on the counter until peaked – about 4–6 hours.
1 PM	Mix the dough. Rest 30–40 minutes.
1:40 PM	Coil fold #1
2:10 PM	Coil fold #2
2:40 PM	Coil fold #3
3:10 PM	Coil fold #4
3:10 PM – around 6:30 PM	Finish bulk fermentation (~5.5 hours total from initial mix at 73°F/23°C).
Around 6:30 PM	Pre-shape, rest 10 minutes, final shape, into the banneton, refrigerate.
Day 2
Morning	Score and bake.

Equipment You’ll Need

• Kitchen scale: Essential for sourdough baking — gram measurements give you consistent results every time.
• 3/4 L Weck jar: My favorite vessel for feeding my starter. The straight sides make it easy to see how much it has risen.
• The Tovolo spatula is my go-to for feeding my starter. I have three of them, and the large size is the best.
• Large mixing bowl: I love a large glass or ceramic bowl — the wide opening makes coil folds easy and if it’s glass, you can see the dough activity through the sides.
• Danish dough whisk: Makes the initial mix much easier than a spoon or spatula. The Brod & Taylor one is my favorite — it’s dishwasher safe with a grippy handle.
• Bowl scraper: Great for scraping down the sides of the bowl after mixing.
• Bowl cover: I’m a huge fan of the bowl covers from Doe a Deer — they keep the dough from drying out and wash up beautifully. Use code THATSOURDOUGHGAL for 15% off.
• Bench scraper: Used for pre-shaping and final shaping. A good bench scraper makes a real difference with a sticky dough like this one.
• Banneton: I’m partial to wood pulp or sugarcane & bamboo bannetons because they wick away just enough moisture to create a crisp crust. The medium round from Flourside works great for this recipe, and code TSG5 gets you 5% off. I also adore the bannetons from Brod & Taylor.
• Bread lame: For scoring the loaf before it goes into the oven.
• Parchment paper: Makes transferring the dough into a hot Dutch oven much less stressful.
• Dutch oven: My preferred setup for consistent oven spring and a great crust. Krustic’s Dutch ovens are fantastic — code REBEKAH15 saves you $15.
• Thermometer: Pull the loaf from the oven when the internal temperature hits 205–210°F (96–99°C). Don’t skip this one — it takes the guesswork out of knowing when it’s done.
• Bread knife: A sharp serrated knife is essential for clean slices. The Mercer budget knife is still my top pick.

50% Einkorn Sourdough Ingredients

For the sourdough starter:

• Sourdough starter (15g): It should be healthy and fed within the last 24 hours. A weak or acidic starter from the back of the fridge will slow things down significantly.
• Water (75g): Room temperature is fine.
• Bread flour (75g): Whatever you typically use for your starter.

“It’s got such a unique flavor, it’s worth trying it out in my opinion!” –Recipe tester from Casper, WY

For the main dough:

• Water (350g): Room temperature. This amount is calibrated for whole wheat einkorn flour. If you’re using AP einkorn, reduce this amount — see the Substitutions section.
• Starter (160g): Yes, this is more than most recipes call for. The FAQs have the story behind it, but the short version: I loved what the extra starter did for this loaf and never looked back.
• Bread flour (250g): The structural backbone. I used Central Milling High Mountain flour in testing, but any quality bread flour works — King Arthur is widely available and reliable.
• Einkorn flour (250g): The star of the show. I tested this recipe with whole grain einkorn flour from Central Milling, but most testers used Jovial brand whole wheat einkorn. See the Substitutions section for more info and the all-important AP vs. whole wheat guidance.
• Salt (10g): I use Redmond’s Real Salt (15% off with code TSG15), but any salt will work.

Ingredient Substitutions

This dough is just water, flour, and salt, so the substitutions are really all about the flour.

I developed this recipe with whole wheat einkorn flour.

Whole wheat einkorn absorbs significantly more water than AP einkorn. At 350g water, AP einkorn produces a very slack, difficult-to-shape dough. If you’re using AP einkorn, reduce the water to about 300–325g and adjust from there.

How do I know how much water to add? I provide photos of the dough at every stage so you can compare your dough’s texture to mine. After the initial dough mix, if yours clearly looks wetter and slack, add more flour, about 1 tablespoon at a time. If it looks like a stiff ball compared to mine, add more water. Don’t be afraid to make these adjustments on the fly!

“The flavor of the whole wheat einkorn is much better than the AP einkorn.” -Recipe tester from Columbus, OH, who tested both versions and submitted two separate responses

• Einkorn flour brands: Jovial Foods was far and away the most-used brand among testers (129 out of 190) and produced great results in the whole wheat version. Central Milling, Azure Standard, Barton Springs Mill, and Bluebird Grain Farms were also used successfully.
• Freshly milled einkorn: 25 testers used freshly milled einkorn with great results — they were actually the highest-rating group of all at 4.84 out of 5. If you’re milling your own, consider a 45–60 minute autolyse before adding your starter and salt. Freshly milled flour benefits from extra hydration time.
  
  It also ferments faster, so watch bulk fermentation closely, and err on the side of shaping slightly early. It can continue fermenting in the fridge more than you’d expect.
• Bread flour options: Central Milling High Mountain is what I tested with, but King Arthur Bread Flour and Kirkland (Costco) bread flour both work well.

How to Make 50% Einkorn Sourdough Bread (Step-by-Step)

Step 1: Feed Your Starter

Before bed, in a 3/4 L Weck jar, mix together 15g sourdough starter and 75g water. Add 75g bread flour and stir until smooth.

Loosely cover and let ferment on the counter overnight (10–12 hours at 68–75°F / 20–24°C).

By morning it should look noticeably puffed (ideally about tripled in size), be full of bubbles, and smell yeasty and active.

Step 2: Mix the Dough

The next morning, in a large mixing bowl, combine 350g water and 160g of your peaked sourdough starter.

Add 250g bread flour, 250g einkorn flour, and 10g salt. Using a Danish dough whisk or your hands, mix until no dry flour remains.

Bulk fermentation has begun. Cover and rest for 30–40 minutes.

The dough will look rough and feel tacky — that’s right where it should be.

Don’t be thrown off by the color, either. Einkorn flour has a naturally warmer, slightly golden hue compared to white bread flour. Several testers mentioned being caught off guard by it. Completely normal.

Step 3: Coil Folds (4 Rounds, 30 Minutes Apart)

Beginning 30–40 minutes after your initial mix, do 4 rounds of coil folds spaced 30 minutes apart.

Why coil folds and not stretch and folds? Einkorn dough is more delicate than a typical bread flour dough. Its weaker gluten structure — and the bran in whole wheat einkorn — means it benefits from gentler handling, so coil folds are a better fit here. Save those slap and folds for your 100% bread flour loaves!

To coil fold, wet your hands and slide them under the center of the dough. Lift it up and let the ends fold underneath themselves. Rotate the bowl 90° and repeat, keeping your hands wet, until the dough tightens and resists stretching.

Cover and let the dough rest.

The dough transforms noticeably with each round — from rough and shaggy to smooth and strong. Testers consistently loved this part of the process.

“I loved the texture of the dough during the coil folds. [It] was a dream.” –Recipe tester from Lansing, MI

Be gentle during the last round or two. By the fourth coil fold, the dough may be close to ready for pre-shaping. Avoid degassing it.

Step 4: Finish Bulk Fermentation

After your coil folds, let the dough continue to ferment undisturbed. You’re looking for:

• Visible increase in volume (the percentage rise can vary, so look for all of these features, not just a certain amount of rise)
• Bubbles throughout and on the surface
• Minor webbing when you gently pull on the dough — this one is key
• A light, aerated feel when you tap the surface

“I LOVED that you wrote ‘ready to shape when it has increased in volume, is filled with bubbles, and has minor webbing when you pull on the dough.’ The minor webbing was key for me.” –Recipe tester from Lewiston, MI

At a temp of 73°F (23°C), expect about 5.5 hours total from the initial mix. Warmer kitchens will finish faster; cooler kitchens will take longer.

Stay close. This dough ferments noticeably faster than a standard bread flour loaf. The whole wheat einkorn and higher starter amount both keep things moving.

Step 5: Pre-Shape

Lightly dust your work surface with flour (I used einkorn to stay on theme) and turn the dough out. Use your bench scraper to flip it so the smooth side faces up.

Using your bench scraper or hands, do a push-and-pull motion to coax the dough into a taut round. Let it rest uncovered for about 10 minutes.

Step 6: Final Shape and Cold Proof

Use the caddy clasp technique (shown below) to shape your dough.

For a batard, fold the dough like a book and place it seam-side up in your floured banneton. For a boule, do a double clasp, turning the dough 90º and folding again, then flip into the banneton.

Pinch the seam closed, dust lightly with rice flour, cover, and refrigerate overnight. Ideal cold retard: 12–36 hours. (I like 12–18 hours best.) Do not exceed 96 hours.

Shaping note: This dough can feel sticky at the shaping stage — especially if you used AP einkorn at full hydration. A light dusting of flour on your surface helps, and your bench scraper is your best friend.

Step 7: Score and Bake

When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C) convection — or 475°F (250°C) conventional — with your Dutch oven inside. After it preheats, give it 10 more minutes to make sure your Dutch oven is truly hot.

Turn the dough out of your banneton onto parchment paper or a bread sling. Score — a single slash for a batard or a large X for a boule — and lower it into the hot Dutch oven. For a blistered crust, add 1–2 ice cubes to the bottom before putting the lid on.

Bake covered for 25 minutes. Remove the lid and bake 10–15 more minutes, until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 205–210°F (96–99°C).

Cool on a wire rack for at least 90 minutes before slicing. I know. It’s hard. I won’t tell anyone if you cut into it early. 😂

Be forewarned, though — your loaf can turn gummy if you cut into it before it has cooled off!

Storage & Reheating

Room temperature: Store in a bread bag (these are my favorite – use code THATSOURDOUGHGAL for 15% off) or on a glass cake stand for 2–3 days.

Freezer: Slice the loaf and freeze in a sealed bag for up to 3 months. Toast slices straight from frozen.

Revive a dry loaf: Mist lightly with water and warm at 325°F (165°C) for about 8–10 minutes.

Troubleshooting Tips

FAQs

Conclusion

If you want to know what all the Einkorn fuss is about, give this recipe a try!

The dough is approachable, the process is pretty fast, and the result tastes like nothing you’d get from straight bread flour. That nutty, ancient-grain depth is really lovely!!!

“Everyone raved about it. They said it was the best loaf I’ve made, and my husband made me put it in regular rotation.” –Recipe tester from Baltimore, Maryland

If you make it, I’d love to see it — drop a photo in the comments or tag me on Instagram @thatsourdoughgal!

Similar recipes:

• Super Soft Honey Whole Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread
• 20% Whole Wheat Artisan Sourdough Bread Recipe
• The Best Foolproof White Sourdough Bread Recipe