Since I started baking with Einkorn Flour, I’ve learned a thing or two, and I’ve decided to share my tips.  For many of you, this is the post you have been waiting for so I hope you enjoy!

Baking with einkorn flour requires some tweaks but the health benefits of einkorn are worth it, and my persistence is paying off!

I’ll show you how I mill einkorn flour, adapt recipes for einkorn, make white einkorn flour, and add a lovely artisan crust to my einkorn breads.

Before I share my tips, keep in mind that whole wheat flour is simply wheat berries that have been milled into flour.  The white flour thatyou buy at the store is whole wheat flour that has been sifted to remove the bran and germ.  And if the label says “bleached white flour,” that means the white flour also has been chemically bleached (yuck!) to make it whiter and improve the shelf life.  White flour is also sometimes referred to as high extraction flour.

Remember also that any flour made from modern wheat has been hybridized many times to, among other things, increase it’s rise. Unfortunately, this also means it has a different type of gluten than the original wheat and it is more difficult to digest.

Tip #1: How Much Flour Does One Cup of Einkorn Berries Make? 

When I grind Einkorn myself ( I have a kitchen aid attachment) 1 Cup of Whole Einkorn Wheat Berries = about 1 1/2 Cups of Einkorn Flour. 

Tip #2: Adapting Quick Bread Recipes

You can use whole Einkorn flour exactly as a recipe calls for if it is used for a quick batter type bread. Pancakes, waffles, muffins, and banana type breads. Anything you do not have to shape. You DO however need to check your baking powder, because if it’s expired, you won’t get a good rise with einkorn flour.

Tip #3: Adapting Dough Bread Recipes

If you are making a dough type bread – use 1/3 less liquid than it calls for in the recipe. It is more important to use less liquid rather than using MORE flour. You’ll be tempted to add more flour but don’t because when you add more flour you throw off the balance of the flavors…and lose the wonderful taste.

The comparison below shows what happens when I use too much liquid in my einkorn recipe.

You’ll see my picture of dinner rolls baked with modern white flour as well as dinner rolls baked with ancient whole einkorn flour – but with different amounts of water – so you can compare the finished product.

If your recipe calls for and egg, and or butter; don’t count these as liquid. Only use 1/3 less of the actual pourable liquid such as water.

If you are grinding your own Einkorn, do not expect it to rise as high as modern white bread. This is true with all whole flour breads.

Because Einkorn has a completely different type of Gluten than modern wheat, it does NOT need to be kneaded very long at all. I knead mine in the mixer on low for 4 minutes.

Tip #4: Making Your Own “White Einkorn Flour”

As you may know, when you mill einkorn berries into flour at your home, you are making what is known as “whole grain einkorn flour”.  It tends to be a bit dense, which is great for just about everything, but if you want to bake something lighter, you should use what is commonly called “white einkorn flour”.  White flour isn’t the best name for it because true white flour has been bleached.

Our “white flour” has not been bleached or treated in any way so we call it All-Purpose Organic Einkorn flour, and you can buy it from us here, or you can make your own using the instructions below.

To make “White Flour” at home…

 

After you grind your own whole Einkorn flour, you will want to us use a double sifter (which has two sifters at different sizes on top of each other) and the bran will be held back leaving you a white flour that bakes lighter in color and density.  Note: grind your wheat on medium fine to do this.

This is a flour sifter much like the one I use. (affiliate link)

I love this because I don’t have to worry about my white einkorn flour being treated with chemical bleach (yuck!).

White Einkorn flour is great for making cinnamon rolls, dinner rolls, or even for your bread but keep in mind that it is not as healthy as whole Einkorn flour.  SAVE that beautiful bran! It’s healthy for you because it adds nutrients and fiber to your diet. You can even add it to the top of your breads.

The  pictures below demonstrate the difference in dough made from white flour vs whole einkorn flour vs white einkorn flour.

Tip #5: Softening Kneaded Bread

Add the same amount of white vinegar as yeast, plus powdered milk (double the measurement of vinegar), plus approximately 1/4 cup of potato flakes for every 2 1/2 cups of whole Einkorn flour. So, if you use 2 Tbsp yeast, then you’d use 2 Tbsp. vinegar, 4 Tbsp powdered milk, and the appropriate amount of potato flakes.

Tip #6: Adding Artisan Crust To Your Einkorn Bread

If you want a hard Artisan Bread type crust, bake it in a dutch oven. Make sure you cut slits with a very sharp knife or razor, in the top of the bread so it can vent properly. Or it will choose where to vent itself and be lopsided. Preheat your dutch oven in with the oven as it preheats to 500 degrees. Then drop it to 450 when you put your bread in it. Make sure you place the lid back on while it bakes. Let it bake 30 minutes, then remove the lid. Then bake to desired brownness.