So, it’s bread day again. That full day of mixing, shaping, and waiting that you squeeze into an already-hectic week. But then you go to your cupboard and discover that you’re out of oil.
Simple 3-Ingredient “Pioneer” Bread. Click the picture to go to the recipe.Before you lean your head against the cupboard in despair and frustration, try this simple recipe for einkorn bread with only 3 ingredients! Or even if you’re not out of anything, you can make a nice bread without honey or oil. As you might imagine, this bread will be a little different, but believe it or not, it is possible!Go to the full 3-Ingredient Bread recipe or keep reading for a few tips.Without honey or oil, this bread will be a little denser than other bread but it will still rise. Here are some things to keep in mind.1. Try to catch your start right when it’s ready. This bread took us a couple attempts. One of the problems the first time was the start had gone a little far. So catch it right at this stage:
2. As with the other bread recipe, this bread works best if you add only half the flour at first and let it sit for a couple of hours. This is especially important for this recipe. There is no sugar in this recipe to feed the natural yeast, so it needs all the help it can get to rise properly.
3. Getting the exact amount of flour can be a little tricky. Forget everything you used to know about bread dough. Einkorn is really sticky especially in a recipe with no oil. So, it tends to clump in the middle and leave some dough sticking to the sides. That’s ok! Also, it will probably stick to your fingers even after you’ve added enough flour. Don’t over knead it. It’s hard enough to work with as it is. So, it’s ok if you want to hit something as you try to get it out of the bowl.4. Let it rise in a bowl for as long as it needs. It should rise but probably not as much as normal bread.With these tips in mind, you are ready to make this 3-ingredient pioneer bread! Enjoy!
Ingredients
SCALE
18cupEinkorn Whole Flour(Plus about 2 cups Natural Leaven Start)
4cupWater
3tablespoonReal Salt
Instructions
1. Mix Sourdough Start, 9 cups of flour, and water in a bowl2. Let rest for a couple hours or until it looks like this:3. Add the salt and remaining flour until it sticks together (It may not pull completely from the side of the bowl, and it may be stickier than normal bread dough because there's no oil). DO NOT over knead it.4. Place dough in a bowl and punch down. Leave to rise in warm place (Several hours).5. Shape into five loaves. Cut three slits in each one. Place in greased loaf pans and leave to rise for a couple more hours in warm place (For instance, an oven with the light on).6. With the loaves still in the oven, turn it to 350º and bake for 38 minutes.7. Remove and brush with butter or coconut oil.For a little extra help, take a look at these additional tips.
RELATED RECIPES
There’s something satisfying about using a single ingredient in so many different ways. Einkorn is incredibly versatile, and the recipes below make it easy to bring this ancient grain into your everyday meals. Here are a few to explore:
Julie Koyle co founded and has been the driving creative force behind Grand Teton Ancient Grains, a regenerative organic family farm and mill nestled at the base of the Grand Teton foothills in eastern Idaho….
Reviews
9 thoughts on “Einkorn Bread with Just 3 Simple Ingredients”
Susan Kipp
Do you have a smaller (2 loaves) recipe using your stone ground whole grain?
Hi Susan, you can use any recipe with the whole grain flour. For example, you can use it in this recipe even though we originally used all-purpose flour. Just watch consistency and be careful not to overflour. The dough will be wetter and stickier than regular wheat bread dough. That recipe makes 2-3 loaves.
Your bread looks lovely. My whole grain einkorn bread is much darker than yours. Where do you buy your whole grains from? Are you using all Whole grain?
Thank you! I’ve tried numerous Einkorn sourdough bread recipes, and this is by far the best! My loaf didn’t rise quite as high as yours – any suggestions on adjustments I can make (rise time, more/less liquid), oven temp, etc.)? I’m also wondering if my starter just need to mature longer… It’s only a couple of weeks old and has only been used to bake 3 loaves so far. Thanks again for the recip (and for any feedback)!
Hello JL, We’re glad you like the recipe. It does come down to the condition of your start usually, and starts do improve as they mature. There are factors such as elevation and humidity that also come into play, but the start is the best indication. I would suggest continuing to nurture your start and playing around with consistency to find out what is best for where you are. We posted this recipe so people could have a bread with very few ingredients. However, our other sourdough einkorn bread recipe rises much more easily if you’re just starting out. I don’t know if you’ve tried it, but you can take a look here: http://www.einkorn.com/recipe/naturally-leavened-sourdough-einkorn-bread/. In both cases the dough should be a little sticky.
I want make the Einkorn bread but I don’t know how much natural eleven start to use?
There isn’t a certain amount listed in the directions, so I was wondering if you could help with it?
Sincerely Marilyn
Marilyn, prior to making the bread, we feed about a tablespoon of start with approximately 2 cups of Einkorn flour and 1 cup of water. Then we use all of it in the bread, leaving what’s sticking to the sides for the new start. It ends up being about 2 cups of start in the bread recipe.
![IMG_1287[1]](https://www.einkorn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/IMG_12871.jpg)
1. Mix Sourdough Start, 9 cups of flour, and water in a bowl
2. Let rest for a couple hours or until it looks like this:
![IMG_1281[1]](https://www.einkorn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/IMG_12811.jpg)
![IMG_1280[1]](https://www.einkorn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/IMG_12801.jpg)
5. Shape into five loaves. Cut three slits in each one. Place in greased loaf pans and leave to rise for a couple more hours in warm place (For instance, an oven with the light on).
6. With the loaves still in the oven, turn it to 350º and bake for 38 minutes.
7. Remove and brush with butter or coconut oil.
For a little extra help, take a look at these additional tips.
9 thoughts on “Einkorn Bread with Just 3 Simple Ingredients”
Do you have a smaller (2 loaves) recipe using your stone ground whole grain?
Hi Susan, you can use any recipe with the whole grain flour. For example, you can use it in this recipe even though we originally used all-purpose flour. Just watch consistency and be careful not to overflour. The dough will be wetter and stickier than regular wheat bread dough. That recipe makes 2-3 loaves.
Your bread looks lovely. My whole grain einkorn bread is much darker than yours. Where do you buy your whole grains from? Are you using all Whole grain?
thanks
Thank you! I’ve tried numerous Einkorn sourdough bread recipes, and this is by far the best! My loaf didn’t rise quite as high as yours – any suggestions on adjustments I can make (rise time, more/less liquid), oven temp, etc.)? I’m also wondering if my starter just need to mature longer… It’s only a couple of weeks old and has only been used to bake 3 loaves so far. Thanks again for the recip (and for any feedback)!
Hello JL, We’re glad you like the recipe. It does come down to the condition of your start usually, and starts do improve as they mature. There are factors such as elevation and humidity that also come into play, but the start is the best indication. I would suggest continuing to nurture your start and playing around with consistency to find out what is best for where you are. We posted this recipe so people could have a bread with very few ingredients. However, our other sourdough einkorn bread recipe rises much more easily if you’re just starting out. I don’t know if you’ve tried it, but you can take a look here: http://www.einkorn.com/recipe/naturally-leavened-sourdough-einkorn-bread/. In both cases the dough should be a little sticky.
Thanks so much – I’ll check them out!
I want make the Einkorn bread but I don’t know how much natural eleven start to use?
There isn’t a certain amount listed in the directions, so I was wondering if you could help with it?
Sincerely Marilyn
Marilyn, prior to making the bread, we feed about a tablespoon of start with approximately 2 cups of Einkorn flour and 1 cup of water. Then we use all of it in the bread, leaving what’s sticking to the sides for the new start. It ends up being about 2 cups of start in the bread recipe.