This easy, no-knead sourdough bread recipe makes the perfect sandwich loaf and has a soft crust! Even better than King Arthur, because it’s made with healthy einkorn flour – just like my light and fluffy dinner rolls.
Looking for an easy sourdough sandwich bread recipe? Made with einkorn flour? Perhaps a “no-knead” bread recipe?
I have good news – you can stop looking!!
Ever since I shared my simple sourdough bread recipe with you guys, I’ve had requests for my einkorn sourdough bread recipe.
But sourdough can be tricky, and I wanted to be 100% sure my einkorn sourdough bread recipe was fail-proof. That way, both seasoned bakers and new bakers could enjoy an AMAZING loaf of sourdough bread.
And I also wanted to make sure the recipe could be duplicated in various seasons, so that you could count on the rest time and rise time like clockwork, regardless of how warm or how cold the kitchen is.
And I’m SO happy to share that I’ve mastered the einkorn sourdough sandwich loaf!!
No-knead Einkorn Sourdough Bread
If you’ve never made einkorn sourdough bread before, you are in for a treat!
I’ve tried several different recipes, but after many tweaks and swaps and test loaves, I’ve created a recipe that is:
- Perfectly tangy (not too sour).
- No-knead. Yep, you heard that right. NO KNEADING!
- Easy.
- Straight-forward (no complicated steps here!)
- Consistent. This is the recipe you’ll come back to over and over again.
- Quick. Perfect for busy schedules!!
- Healthy. Bread made with einkorn flour (an ancient grain), has great health benefits.
I know a lot of people are hesitant to make sourdough bread because they think it takes a long time. Well, it’s certainly not as quick as my Man Bread or Rosemary Olive Oil Bread, but it’s not as hard as you think.
Most of the time is rise time, which happens while you sleep! The rest happens when you wake up, and I’ve detailed every step out for you below.
Ingredients for Einkorn Sourdough Bread Recipe
You need just a few ingredients for the perfect loaf of sourdough bread:
- mature sourdough starter (here’s how to make an einkorn sourdough starter)
- milk
- water
- granulated sugar
- all-purpose einkorn flour
- salt
- butter
Notes on Ingredients
- Sourdough Starter. Here’s my tutorial for how to make an einkorn sourdough starter. You can use starter made with all-purpose einkorn, whole wheat einkorn, or a combination of the two.
Note: A sourdough starter isn’t considered mature enough for bread until it’s one month old. If you’re making sourdough bread, there’s no way around this. If you want to make a yeast bread instead, I recommend my no-knead artisan loaf or my white sandwich bread recipe.
- Milk + Water. I used almond milk.
- Sugar. I use Turbinado, but any granulated sugar will work.
- All-purpose Einkorn Flour. This recipe was specifically created to use all-purpose einkorn flour. Whole wheat einkorn flour bakes differently and I do not recommend substituting in this recipe. Don’t worry though, I also have a whole wheat einkorn sourdough bread recipe!
- Salt.
- Melted Butter or Olive Oil. I like butter, but olive oil works too!
In case you skimmed this, I want to reiterate two things:
- First, you need a MATURE sourdough starter in order to make sourdough bread.
- That means you’ve made a starter (using this einkorn sourdough starter tutorial) and you’ve been feeding it daily for at least one month.
- If you don’t have a starter that’s mature, I recommend feeding your starter until it is and in the meantime, use your sourdough discard to make sourdough biscuits or sourdough pancakes.
- Second, this recipe is created specifically for all-purpose einkorn flour, NOT whole wheat einkorn flour.
- These two flours bake differently and require slightly different techniques in order to consistently get the best loaf.
Note: I buy my all-purpose flour in bulk from Jovial Foods. You can save 10% off all items in the store with exclusions on special promotional items such as cookbooks and new harvest oil when you use coupon code DWCRUMBS. Also, there’s free shipping over $99.
How to Make an Einkorn Sourdough Sandwich Loaf (Step-by-Step)
If you’ve ever been tripped up making sourdough in the past, have no fear. Here are the exact steps you need to follow to get a deliciously tangy sourdough bread!
Step 1. Combine the Ingredients
- In a large, non-metal bowl (I have this set of pyrex glass bowls and I use the largest bowl), combine the starter with the milk, water, and sugar. Make sure your water and milk are between 105F and 110F and no warmer!
- Add 2 ¾ cups of all-purpose einkorn flour and the salt. Stir just a couple of times with a very strong spatula.
- Add the melted butter or olive oil. Stir the dough using big, gentle strokes that scrape the outside of the bowl and come inward towards the center of the bowl. DON’T stir vigorously making tiny circles in the center of the bowl.
- Stir until the dough looks mostly wet and slightly shaggy. This will not be super firm and spring back to the touch like a traditional yeast dough.
Step 2. Let the Dough Rise
- Move a rack in your oven to the lowest setting. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and place it on the rack.
- Turn the oven light on and close the oven door. Let the dough rest undisturbed for 8-12 hours.
Notes:
- This initial rise time is very forgiving. I’ve let it go 12 hours (8 pm before bed to about 8:30 am the next morning) and I’ve let it go closer to 15 hours too (8 pm before bed to about 10:30 am after picking up my groceries). I haven’t had any issues either way!
- You do need to make sure your oven is completely cold, as in, you didn’t just bake or roast something in it. If the oven was recently used and it’s still warm, the loaf will over-proof and it will bake slightly during the rise time.
- You also want to make sure you have a working light bulb in the oven. Turning the light “on” and not having a light bulb will not generate any heat.
- Using the light in the oven to warm the environment is key to a consistent rise every time you bake this sourdough bread recipe, so don’t cheat!
Step 3. Shape the Einkorn Sourdough Sandwich Loaf
- This begins the second rise, which is NOT forgiving like the first rise. If you won’t be home to bake bread in the next few hours, let the first rise continue. Otherwise, proceed!
- I use the term “shape the loaf” loosely here because the dough is so wet, it feels like you’re scooping it on top of itself! You will have to work quickly.
Step 4. Prepare your loaf pan by lining it with parchment paper.
I have two sizes of loaf pans – this one-pound loaf pan and this 1 ¼ pound loaf pan. I like to use the one pound for sourdough bread. When your pan is ready, set it aside.
Note: I have found that Pullman loaf pans work better because they’re taller. With einkorn, it helps in the rise and prevents splitting.
Step 5. Generously flour your working surface with ¼ cup of flour.
- I like to use my Silpat mat so I’m not getting the counter sticky and dirty. Again, the dough is very wet and it will want to spread out as you shape it, so be sure to work quickly!
- With extra flour close by, pour the dough directly onto the floured surface, using a spatula to get all the dough out of the bowl. Sprinkle another ¼ cup of flour or so on top of the dough.
Step 6. Fold the dough in thirds.
- Fold the edges of the dough towards the middle into thirds, like you would fold an 8” x 11” piece of paper into a business envelope.
- Rotate the dough (or the Silpat mat) 90 degrees to the left and fold in thirds again, adding flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking to the surface.
- Rotate the dough (or the Silpat mat) 90 degrees to the left one more time and fold in thirds again, adding flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking to the surface.
- You should have completed three sets of folds.
- Pick up the dough and place it in the prepared loaf pan. Cover the loaf pan with a towel and place it back in the oven, with the light on, for one hour.
- Remove the loaf pan from the oven and let it sit at room temperature until the dough has risen close to the top of the pan, approximately 30-60 minutes.
Step 7. Bake the Sourdough Loaf Bread
At this point, the rest becomes pretty straight-forward…
- Preheat the oven
- Bake the loaf
- Let the loaf cool
… I’ve included all the steps in the recipe below!
Let the Sourdough Sandwich Bread Cool, then Enjoy
- It’s always best to let the freshly baked bread cool before you enjoy a sourdough bread sandwich, but it’s easier said than done!
- This einkorn sourdough bread is good for several days, stored in a plastic bag, at room temperature. You can also freeze it for 3-6 months!
- To thaw, let the bread sit overnight on the counter. It will be ready in the morning.
- If you want to be able to pull one or two slices out for toast, be sure to slice the loaf before you put it in the freezer!
More Homemade Bread Recipes
- 90 Minute Man Bread
- Rosemary Olive Oil Bread
- White Sandwich Bread
- Slow Cooker Bread
- No-Knead Artisan Bread
- Rosemary Sea Salt Flatbread
- Whole Wheat Soaked Bread
- Simple Sourdough Bread
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This easy, no-knead sourdough bread recipe makes the perfect sandwich loaf and has a soft crust! Made with healthy multigrain einkorn flour.
- Prep Time: 9 hours 20 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 10 hours
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
- Category: Breads
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 cup mature sourdough starter (here’s how to make an einkorn sourdough starter)
- ½ cup milk warmed to 105F-110F
- ¼ cup water warmed to 105F-110F
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose einkorn flour (for the dough)
- ½ – 1 cup all-purpose einkorn flour (for dusting and folding)
- 1 ¼ tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp butter, melted
Instructions
- In a large, non-metal bowl, combine the starter with the warmed milk, water, and sugar.
- Add 2 ¾ cups of all-purpose einkorn flour and the salt. Stir just a couple of times with a very strong spatula.
- Gently add the melted butter or olive oil. Stir until the dough looks mostly wet.
- Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and place it on the lowest rack in the oven, with the oven light on. Let the dough rest undisturbed for 8-12 hours.
- Line loaf pan with parchment paper (I use this pan).
- Pour the dough directly onto a floured surface. Sprinkle another ¼ cup of flour or so on top of the dough.
- Fold the dough in thirds. Rotate the dough 90 degrees to the left and fold in thirds again, adding flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking to the surface. Rotate the dough (or the Silpat mat) 90 degrees to the left one more time and fold in thirds again, adding flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking to the surface.
- Place dough in the prepared loaf pan. Cover the loaf pan with a towel and place it back in the oven, with the light on, for one hour.
- Remove the loaf pan from the oven and let it sit at room temperature until the dough has risen close to the top of the pan, approximately 30-60 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425F.
- Place the loaf pan in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 375F.
- Bake the bread for 40 minutes. When the bread is ready, let it cool in the loaf pan for 15-20 minutes on a wire rack.
- Turn the loaf out from the loaf pan and let the bread continue to cool completely on the wire rack, about 2 hours.
Notes
This einkorn sourdough bread is good for several days, stored in a plastic bag, at room temperature. You can also freeze it for 3-6 months (here’s my guide for freezing bread).
To thaw, let the bread sit overnight on the counter. It will be ready in the morning.
If you want to be able to pull one or two slices out for toast, be sure to slice the loaf before you put it in the freezer!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 140
The only time I have been able to make an einkorn loaf like the picture above is when I use yeast and not a sourdough starter. I live just outside of Atlanta. With the heat and humidity subsiding a bit this week, I thought I would try this recipe. My einkorn sourdough starter is well over a year old so I went into this with complete confidence and mindfully followed each step of the recipe. Unfortunately, after my first rise, there was NO WAY I was going to be able to shape it. I went to go scrap it out onto the counter and stopped when it started to run. My dough was the consistency of cake batter, so I just poured it into the loaf pan with parchment paper. My end result was another dense sourdough loaf that was not crumb-like as I had hoped. Any chance you have guidance on what may have gone wrong? Could it be the heat?
Hello Candace,
Tiffany says “Dough batter for einkorn in general is definitely not as firm as modern wheat because it takes einkorn longer to absorb liquid. For this recipe in particular, the dough is hard to shape, but not as thin as cake batter. It’s more like a “gotta work quickly if the folds are going to stay” mentality.
The biggest factor for sourdough that’s often overlooked is the environment. Temperature and humidity play big roles! I created this recipe while living outside Atlanta as well, and can attest that both temperature and humidity will affect the dough. How I make sourdough in the winter is vastly different than the summer! I would recommend adding 1/4-1/2 cup of flour to the dough in Step 2 (mixing). You want the dough to look “mostly wet,” which means its okay if there are some dry pieces strewn in there. It will look rugged and shaggy.
Then in Step 6 (folding), still add the 1/4 cup as directed but if the dough is unruly, add up to 1 cup additional flour. I almost always add a couple tablespoons in between each rotation, just to help the dough keep shape. “Shape” is used loosely. You want it to be stiff enough to be able to move it, but still flexible.
Closely monitor the rise time outside the oven. If the humidity is high, this might take longer AND you might have to add more flour during the recipe to compensate for the moisture in the air.
A couple things that help me: My first rise is usually overnight. No doors opening/closing letting in warm air, it’s naturally a bit cooler too. On baking day, I lower the temperature of the house by a few degrees. Cooler air generally means less moisture. I also try to bake early in the day, before the sun has a chance to heat up the house. I also swear by the oven with the light on. It controls the temperature MUCH better than rising anywhere else in the house.” Hope this helps!
Hi Candace,
Is the sugar just for flavor or does it have a baking function?
Why isn’t my starter dough getting lots of bubbles. I have been adding to it for several weeks now but it doesn’t seem to be very active and and is quite stiff. What do I do from here?
Anne, here is our tutorial on Einkorn Sourdough Starter, https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/einkorn-sourdough-starter/.
This is all new to me. I have my starter and it is over one month old. Do I just stir and use it in the recipe; have to feed it; have to wait a period of time after feeding?? The flour is not cheap so I don’t want to mess it up 😬 Thanks In advance for your help!!
As long as the starter is good then you should be able to follow the recipe in this article to make a einkorn sourdough bread.
Hello! Two questions! If we shouldn’t use a metal bowl, should we also not use metal utensils to stir everything? Also, can you use another sweetener besides white sugar? Thank you!!
Oops! I meant to say turbinado, not white sugar. Can you use coconut sugar or honey?
Hi Tiffany
Excellent recipe
I want to know the rest time , is 8-12 minutes or 8-12 hours in oven light on?
Hello Emos,
We’re happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe! Let the dough rest undisturbed for 8-12 hours in the oven with the light on. Thank you for posting. 🙂
Is it necessary to add the sugar? I’d rather not include it. Will it mess up the recipe to not add it? Can I add sub it for more flour?
Hi Laura,
Tiffany says, “Yes, you need the sugar to activate the yeast – it’s what feeds it and turns it “on.” If you skip the sugar, you could end up baking a brick! If you’re worried about sugar content in the bread as a whole, this small amount is negligible.”.
I feel like my oven gets too hot when I put the light on. Do you know what temp it is in the oven when you leave it in with the light on? Would putting it in the oven with the door slightly open work?
Evelyn, I would not worry about the light and if you need to you can use a laser thermometer to see the ovens air tempature.
My oven light baked it😔. It was definitely too hot, any advice for next time? The oven was cold, just the light on.
Hi Kristen, Try using a timer for the light – on for an hour (or however long you think is long enough to warm the space) then off for the rest of the night. You can also try just leaving it on the counter.
if the oven baked the top layer..can I use scrape off that top layer and continue?
HI Lien,
Do you mean the oven baked only the top layer?
please please please can you share the measurements in weight? Thank you so much!! I’m so excited to try this!
I’m so sorry Lizzy! I don’t have the weights, but you’ll be fine if you use a measurements in the recipe!
hi lizzy, i bake by weight also, it *does* make a difference. here are measurements listed in grams on this page: https://jovialfoods.com/recipes/einkorn-sourdough-sandwich-loaf/
Hi! I am fairly new to sourdough and trying to figure things out. I am growing my sourdough starter…..3 weeks in and still alive :)…using the directions from Carla from Jovial. My starter seems much more “doughy” than the starter I see in the blog post above. Reading through the directions, I see that the difference in recipe seems to mostly be the soudough levain. Is the starter recipe from Crumbs basically the levain ready to go? I hope that makes sense. I would like to try some of these recipes, just trying to figure out how to modify what I have going already but not mess it up. If anyone can lend some advice, wisdom, I would appreciate it. Thanks!
I have my first loaf of this recipe rising in the oven right now and I have high hopes! I have a mature starter of 100% hydration einkorn that is just over two months old. I’ve made some fairly successful loaves of crusty bread but I’m craving a softer bread loaf. My question is, will this recipe work if I double it and make 2 loaves at a time?
Hi Deborah! I’m not brave enough to double for two loaves, but I have made two single loaves in different bowls at the same time before (shaping one immediately after the other). I baked at the same time without issue!
I would like to grind my einkhorn berries fresh instead of using the all purpose. Do you have a similar recipe for loaf sandwich bread that uses whole wheat einkhorn?
Hi Sharla! I just finished a recipe using freshly ground einkorn – it will be live soon!!
What is the difference between whole wheat einkorn and all purpose einkorn? I have some einkorn wheat that I’m going to grind and would love to use this recipe. Thanks!
Hi Debbie! AP einkorn has been sifted so the germ and bran has been removed. Freshly ground whole grain einkorn will have both intact. In baking, whole grain is heavier and it requires a bit of tweaking for sourdough!
Love your blog! I’m very inexperienced at bread making but I did receive a healthy and mature starter from a friend several months ago and have fed it regularly but it has been fed using different instructions. I feed it equal parts water and flour using a scale. For instance 4 oz starter, 4 oz water, and 4 oz flour. Will my starter work ok in this bread recipe you think?
Can garlic or cheese be added to the sourdough loaf?
Yes! Add it to the shaping, sprinkled on top before folding into thirds.
I’m also looking for an easy whole grain einkorn sandwich loaf recipe. Every one that I’ve tried so far has disappointed me in some way. I have my own sourdough but at this point I’m happy with a recipe using yeast or starter.
Hi Tiffany,
Thank you for posting this recipe! I am so excited to see what you come up with for your whole grain sourdough einkorn sandwich bread! I have been baking whole grain sourdough bread using Carla’s recipes in her Einkorn cookbook, but I really wish there was a soft crumb fully whole grain sourdough sandwich recipe. I’m trying to learn what I can about baking and be creative too though! Thank you again.
Oh Eileen, I’m getting close!! I haven’t perfected it yet, but if you take her whole grain batard and add 1/4 cup honey and reduce water to 1 cup, you’ll get a softer crumb. Hard as heck to cut through the crust, so that’s next, LOL. But it makes great sandwiches (use a 1 lb loaf pan!).
Could I interchange flours? For example, could I use the einkorn starter to bake something with regular flour, or do I need to use einkorn? And would that work vice versa… like if I had another sourdough starter that wasn’t made with einkorn, could I bake an einkorn loaf?
I am hoping to work sourdoughs into my life one of these days! I never thought of doing it with einkorn. But I really only want to have one starter in my kitchen to care for, and I use both flours when I bake things. Sorry if this is a repeat to a previous comment – just wanted to double check! Thanks for your thoughts!
Hi Hannah! Generally speaking, you can use any sourdough starter, to make any sourdough good. The only exception will be a recipe that calls for einkorn flour (not einkorn starter), like this one. That’s because einkorn flour bakes differently than hard red wheat.
You can definitely make this bread, using einkorn flour and a non-einkorn starter. If you want to ever want to switch your non-einkorn starter over to einkorn, just start feeding it einkorn and in a week or so, you’ll be switched!
Do you think this would work with a wheat sourdough starter? I have some einkorn flour I want to try but my 10 year old starter is wheat and I really don’t want to make a new one. Thanks!
Oh yes, Katy! This will work with an all-purpose einkorn or whole wheat einkorn starter. It’s just the ADDITIONAL flour in the recipe that should be all-purpose. 🙂
Hi there! Thank you for sharing this recipe. Can you tell me if you have made a recipe for einkorn sourdough sandwich bread that comes from the berries? I thought I saw in the comments that you did, but I can’t find it. 🙂
Hi Jami,
I think this is the recipe you are looking for: https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/whole-wheat-einkorn-sourdough-bread/ 🙂 Enjoy!