Einkorn, Red Fife Sourdough No. 1
We are all seeing how flour is harder to come by lately with the pandemic and everyone baking. So, when I went to one of my go to places for organic flours here in Toronto I picked up more than I usually do including some Einkorn which I’ve never tasted or baked with on a whim. I then found an instagram post of Kirsten’s Full Proof Baking that had some einkorn in it and decided to give it a go.
100% hydration levain - 1:1:1 6 hours @ 78ºF
Levain need 97 g 100% hydration
40 g starter
40 g water
40 g whole wheat flour
Autolyze 3 hours
Total water in dough before adding levain 405 g (85% hydration) - Use 324 g for autolyze
Holding back 20% of water
Whole Einkorn flour 53 g 10%
Whole White Spring Wheat 53 g 10%
Strong White Flour 378 g 71%
Diastatic Malt 2.66 g 0.5%
Then add Levain 97 g
30 mins later added 10.5 g salt 2% using 41 g water for mixing
Can add more if needed
6.5 hours Bulk Fermentation at 72-73ºF with 1 light fold, 1 lamination and 3 coil folds separated by 45-60 mins each.
Final hydration 82% including water added during bulk fermentation.
Final shaping then straight to fridge 38ºF
Cold retardation 12 hours
Bake straight from fridge.
I didn’t get the oven spring I wanted, the dough may have been a bit over proofed and/or the hydration a bit too high for my skill set. I did have a bit of an issue getting good tension while shaping. Maybe I should have considered doing a pre-shaping to see if that might have helped with the tension.
I also probably didn’t bake it long enough given how pale the sides of this are. I usually bake 800 gm loaves and I only baked it a few minutes longer. It did reach an internal temperature of 210ºF but the crust is too pale in places.
Comments
As long as you keep the percentage of Einkorn low, it behaves itself. At a higher percentage, it does have its quirks like looking too dry initially but then looking very wet later. And it can’t be overworked.
Very nice loaves you got there!
Thank you Danni, I think the crust around the sides were a bit under baked so I threw it back in the oven at 350ºF for a while to get more colour. We will have some tonight with dinner and post the crumb.
Benny
The crumb is quite nice, I’m quite pleased overall. The flavour from the einkorn is sort of grassy and I think I like it. I’ll have to eat more of it to know for sure.
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I think that crumb is just stunning. That's just perfect in my book and the grilled cheese looks awesome too! I really want to make some grilled cheese using my approachable loaf bread (the only bread I have) this week, but I'd prefer yours!
Thank you Ilene, I really should try an approachable loaf but I’m still working on my hearth breads. I guess I’ll get around to it eventually.
Benny
I have been baking with Einkorn for years and its a challenge! Its runny at higher hydration, it does not rise very much (even if I bake pure Einkorn at 85% hydration) and its nearly impossible to shape, plus it never really gets a lot of color (other tan the crumb having an interesting light orange tint to it from the high beta-carotene levels) so I think that you did a great job! If I got it to 210º F without burning the bottom I would call it a day, let it rest and enjoy eating it LOL
Thank you Bob, my partner mentioned that this was the most sour of all the sourdoughs that I have baked. I do agree with him, it isn’t aggressively sour, but does have a pleasant tang. It went well with our dinner of a Greek chickpea salad.
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whose attention is drawn to the Greek salad? It's got cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers -- all of my favorite salad vegges. I like the fact that you dressed the salad really well, just how all salads should be served. You got herbs and feta in every bite too. And I think I spotted a lonely olive on the left plate? Bet there were more hidden under other goodies? :)
Like you began learning to like cheese, I'm starting to enjoy legumes. My impression for beans was ruined by poor quality canned beans. They were mushy, under-seasoned and submerged in an unappealing, viscous solution... Nowadays I stock up on dried beans. They're a breeze to cook in the pressure cooker and soaking them the night before only shortens the time further. Sometimes I crisp up soaked, uncooked beans in the oven for an additive snack.
The bread is awesome too, of course! Nice crumb and crust. Btw, I'm shocked to learn that you are in your 50s. I wouldn't have guessed it by your portrait. What a great shape you're in!
We try to eat lacto ovo vegetarian or vegan a few times per week so legumes are on the menu quite often. Actually with what is happening in the world with the pandemic it has been harder to find meat at the supermarket lately as well so getting one’s protein from non meat sources is becoming more important.
Elsie thanks for he complement on my age but the photo is very small and you cannot see the details, but nice of you to say nonetheless.
Benny
I would love to try Einkorn but haven’t found any here.
well done
Leslie
I’ve only found Einkorn at one speciality food store in downtown Toronto where I live Leslie. The crumb was nice and even just as I like it as it will take spreads very well.
Benny
Funny thing has happened to my palate over the years, I’ve discovered that I actually like cheese. For decades I always said I hated cheese. Then about 10 years ago I discovered that I liked goats cheese, something about that tang that it has that I like. Then noticed feta cheese is delicious especially if made from a blend of goat’s and sheep’s milk. More recently over the past year I discovered that I liked Pecorino Romano, then Grana Padano and Parmigiano Regiano.
So today I made and ate my first grilled cheese sandwich! Funny that in my 50’s doing this for the first time, but it just happened. I used my einkorn red fife sourdough bread and smoked Gouda and I have to admit it was delicious. I can see now why people like these sandwiches.
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Go for Roquefort! It’s a blue with super strong tang. Absolutely my favourite cheese!
I’m not quite ready for the stinky cheeses, I still cannot bear to taste them. I cannot get over the smell, that will take time.
Benito, next time you get to the US side of the border, visit a Trader Joe grocery store and get some Manchego cheese from Spain. It's made of sheep's milk. Flavorful, but mild.
There's another Spanish kind, made of three milks - cow, goat, and sheep - called Iberico, that will be right next to the Manchego at T.J. Manchego is P.D.O., and maybe Iberico too.
Whenever I'm at TJ, I treat myself to a small package of each. I forget which one, but one of those makes my favorite "raclette" style toasted cheese sandwich. Using Spanish cheese for raclette in Canada may be against the law, so don't tell anyone except us here on TFL.
I toast some 90% WW sourdough bread, then use the broiler element of toaster oven to melt a slice of the spanish cheese on top of it. not "true" raclette, but close enough. the combo just hits the right spot for me. I feel all warm, whole-grainy, international and savoir-faire.
Aldi, whose parent also owns Trader Joe now, sometimes carries a 3 cheese sampler of Spanish cheese, manchego, iberico, and cabra al vino. They also regularly carry 4 oz packages of specialty cheeses including north american goat cheese, at reasonable price.
Dave, TJ is one thing I always look forward to when we go down to Fort Lauderdale where we have an apartment. I guess we may not be able to go down there again for quite sometime so I will really miss TJs. I like Aldi but I love TJ. I haven’t ventured into many other cheeses at Trader Joe’s but their UNed-ectoderm Cheddar was surprisingly good, other than applewood smoked cheddar it was the first cheddar that I have liked.
Benny