Einkorn bread trial

[Mike Nolan]

A few months ago I signed up to test a pre-packaged bread flour mix from Unified Mills, one featuring einkorn wheat.

The bread is interesting, not noticeably sour (I used yoghurt and IDY rather than a levain, because I don't have a starter going these days), but had some issues.

The recipe might have been better with about 10% less water in it, the dough was very slack. The shaping instructions called for proofing it in a bowl and baking it as a boule.

Boules are not my favorite shape for bread, I prefer a batard-like shape, because it produces more slices of similar size, which is good for carb counting as well as for sandwiches.

The dough might have been overproofed, when I decanted it from the bowl it spread out on the baking sheet. I tried to reshape it but I wound up with a loaf that was about 8" in diameter and 2 1/2 inches high, looking a lot like an oversized burger bun:

Aside from the shape, a slice has good internal crumb:

The taste is interesting, an earthy taste that I'm attributing to the einkorn. There's no noticeable sourness to it (but I used yogurt for the preferment rather than a levain) and it has interesting flavor notes, complementing the margarine I spread on it. I think it is better untoasted.

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[aaronatthedoublef]

Mike,

I noticed it being slack as well. I used a levain.

My boule stuck to the towel it was so wet and I didn't flour it enough.

I should have reshaped it but just dumped it onto the stone.

Taste became a little sour after a couple days. Boules may be easier to shape than batards and boules are what you have with Dutch ovens. So that may be why they did that.

[Mike Nolan]

Mine stuck to the towel a little at the top (after inverting) but the towel pulled off easily without any noticeable amount of dough sticking to it. But I was forewarned somewhat from your tests, so I floured the towel liberally.

I should have held back about 10% of the water or added some flour towards the end of mixing, it never cleaned the bowl and that's my usual goal.

My wife liked the taste, we'll see if it develops a more sour profile over the next day or two, I suspect not.

[BakerAunt]

Thanks for the reports, Aaron and Mike. I think that Einkorn would be an interesting flour to try, but I will have to wait until it is more readily available and, if possible, less expensive.

[Mike Nolan]

I think the einkorn makes up 28% of the flour weight, so a pound of it would make several batches of bread, but it is kind of pricey.

[Joan Simpson]

Your bread looks nice to me Mike.

[Mike Nolan]

Aside from the height/width ratio, it is a good loaf. Good taste, good interior crumb. Just not a good shape for sandwiches.

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