Oat crusted einkorn master loaf recipe
Ingredients
50 g active starter
300 g water
300 g strong white bread flour
200 g whole grain einkorn flour
7 g salt, or to taste
For the oat crust: 50 g raw oats, for crust (thick-cut oats work perfectly)
Einkorn is the oldest of the ancient grains. It is a fine soft flour, so in this recipe I have reduced the amount of water to allow for its softness. Adding an oat crust to the loaf adds to the flavor, but feel free to make this loaf minus the oat crust, if you wish.
Preparation time: 24 hours, maximum 30 minutes handling time
Baking time: 50-55 minutes
Makes: 1 standard loaf
Flour used: Einkorn
Equipment: 21-22cm diameter and 9cm deep round banneton prepared with rice flour and a large baking pan with a lid, plus parchment paper, I use a 26cm diameter enamel roaster.
Method
Step 1: In the early evening, in a large mixing bowl, roughly mix together all the ingredients, except the oats. Cover the bowl with your choice of cover and leave it on the counter for 1 hour.
Step 2: After about an hour, perform the first set of pulls and folds, then cover the bowl again and leave it on the counter for at least an hour.
Step 3: Perform 3 more sets of pulls and folds over the next few hours. Perform the final set before going to bed. Leave the bowl on the counter overnight, typically 8 to 10 hours, at 64 to 69°F (18 to 20°C).
Step 4: In the morning, you should be greeted by a bowl full of grown dough. Put the oats into another medium to large sized bowl. Perform one last set of pulls and folds to form the dough into a nice firm ball. Place your hand over the whole dough, turn the whole bowl over, and let the dough sit in your hand. Place the dough gently into the bowl of oats and carefully roll it around, covering it all with a layer of oats. Place the oat covered dough into the banneton oat side down. Sprinkle more oats down the sides and across the top. Cover the banneton and place it in the fridge for 3 to 10 hours.
Step 5: When you are ready to bake, decide whether you would like to bake in a preheated oven or from a cold start. If preheating, set the oven to 220°C fan assisted or 240C no fan.
Remove the cover from the banneton, then place the parchment paper over the top of the banneton and the pan upside down over the top of them both. With one hand under the banneton and one on the pan, turn it all over together to turn the dough out of the banneton and into the pan. Score the dome of dough, the oats will have softened and be easy to score through.
If you preheated the oven, put the lid on the pan and bake for 50 minutes. If using a cold start, place the covered pan of dough in the oven, set the temperature as above and set a timer for 55 minutes.
After the baking time, remove the pan from the oven. Open the lid and check the loaf. If you feel that it is looking pale, place the pan with the loaf back in the hot oven, minus the lid, for 5 to 10 minutes to brown the loaf to the colour of your choice.
Step 6: Once baked, carefully remove the loaf from the pan and allow the baked loaf to cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before slicing.
Find the original recipe and more sourdough using khorasan, einkorn, emmer, spelt, rye and wholemeal flours in creative ways in the fabulous book ‘Whole Grain Sourdough at Home’ by Elaine Boddy.
Thank you so much to Elaine for providing this recipe. If you’d like to see more, please visit her Instagram page @elaine_foodbod
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