The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Sprouted Einkorn vs. Non-Sprouted Einkorn Bread?

davidhunternyc's picture
davidhunternyc

Sprouted Einkorn vs. Non-Sprouted Einkorn Bread?

For a year now I have been making Einkorn bread using only whole-grain Einkorn flour, water, levain, and salt. The results have been very satisfying. Recently, however, I am experimenting whole-grain "sprouted" einkorn flour. I have had to make adjustments with the amount of water I add to my recipe and the rising time has almost doubled. Odd. I do like the flavor of the sprouted einkorn bread (grassy) but maybe not as much as my regular whole-grain einkorn bread (nutty). 

Here is my question: Is sprouted einkorn bread healthier than non-sprouted einkorn bread? I have read a few scientific papers about the supremacy of sprouted grains. I can even accept that if bread were made from ground wet sprouted grain is healthier, however, once you dry out the sprouted grains and turn it into flour doesn't it defeat the purpose of sprouting the grain to begin with? I have reached out to the folks at Modernist Cuisine for a scientific answer to no avail. I just don't see how dry flour made with sprouted grains is any healthier than regular whole-grain flour. 

 

artistta's picture
artistta

I have wondered this myself. I bake 100% whole grain einkorn bread too. For me, from the information I've read, sprouting and the slow fermentation of sourdough could be redundant. Both are used to break down phytic acid and starches and even gluten. Both make the micronutrients more available. If consuming something in it's live form, like you mentioned with sprouts, that's different because the enzymes are still alive and active and certain nutrients would likely be more available. But, once dried and baked???? Perhaps, using both processes further breaks down gluten, starch, etc., but is that necessary in a grain such as einkorn with it's naturally lower starch, higher protein and weaker gluten? 

Would be very curious to know others thoughts on this subject. 

Also, nice looking einkorn bread. What hydration do you use? 

davidhunternyc's picture
davidhunternyc

Your thoughts are mine exactly. I was really hoping that the brilliant research facility, "Modernist Cuisine", would be willing to help answer this question as they seem to be the only scientific based bread lab I know of. Our question seems basic to me but perhaps it is too esoteric. Einkorn is no longer on the periphery of bread baking but is also not quite mainstream. It's just that einkorn is the most noble of grains that I would think other people would be interested in dissecting its qualities. I guess we'll both have to continue to ask and perhaps some day we will get answers. Thanks for the compliment on my bread. I use 65% hydration. : ) 

zainhakeem's picture
zainhakeem

Hey,

I know this is an old thread, but I could really use advice from someone who has been using einkorn and has tried sprouted einkorn. I'm willing to trade all the information I have from a health perspective :).

Specifically, sprouting seems to have the following effects: 

  1. reducing phytic acid
  2. simplifying complex carbohydrates/starches
  3. producing/releasing vitamins such as vitaminC and carotene into usable forms

My theory is that the above effects are very similar to what is achieved by prolonged fermentation - EXCEPT the last one. 

Thus, using sprouted grains should be fairly equivalent to a prolonged fermentation sourdough, with the exception that the spouted version should have a higher content of vitamins.

That said, the combination of sprouting and fermenting could theoretically potentiate the beneficial effects of both.

Such is my working health theory on this. (I am ABIM certified, if that helps?? It's actually pretty irrelevant in this area, but it might make me sound more authoritative).

 

BUT!

My attempts at actually making a sourdough loaf from sprouted einkorn have not been successful. Lately, I'm thinking that it's the fact I'm aiming for 85% hydration - which seems ok for "sourdough", but not ok for "sprouted einkorn sourdough" - recipes in general seem to aim for 60-68% hydration for sprouted einkorn. 

Is that consistent with your experience? Is lowering my hydration the first step to success? Any other tips or pitfalls comparing sprouted einkorn with other whole wheats (or even with un-sprouted einkorn?). 

Any tips appreciated.

Sunnydt's picture
Sunnydt

Interesting. I was leaning the same direction. I sprout my grains and have noticed an improvement in digesting the sprouted sourdough over the non sprouted sourdough. I also believe sprouted grains nuts and seeds will always be better than non sprouted. I have not had the best of luck using 100% einkorn flour in my sourdough breads. I usually will use about 1/2 bread flour and 1/2 einkorn and have noticed the einkorn bread turns out better when I have fed my starter 1/2 einkorn flour and 1/2 white flour a couple times before making einkorn bread.