Sunday, February 5, 2012

Einkornbrot

Einkorn is an ancestor of modern wheat and is one of the earliest cultivated forms of wheat (which is, in turn, one of the oldest domesticated crops). I tend to be fascinated by such things, so when I found recipe for Einkornbrot (Einkorn bread) in one of my newest cookbooks, Brot: Bread Notes from a Floury German Kitchen by Nils Schoener, I had to try it out. The bread is definitely worth trying, and as noted by Mr. Schoener, the crust is something fantastic.

An aside about the book: at $9.95, it was a bit expensive for a Kindle ebook (it is only available as such), but I had a gift certificate, so I bought it anyways. It was worth every penny (however, I think it'd sell a lot better if it only cost $5). I have made several breads from this book, and about 80% of them have turned out fantastic. The other 20% were still good, and I can only assume that the reason they weren't better was due to errors made on my part.

Einkorn soaker:
  • 100g coarse einkorn meal
  • 100g warm water
let stand for 3-16 hours. I noticed that after almost 20 hours in my kitchen, the surface has turned a brownish-green color. I assume this is due to the oxidation of organic compounds in the grain, similar to what happens with ripe avocados when exposed to air.

Einkorn sourdough:
  • 100g whole einkorn flour
  • 100g warm water
  • 1 Tblsp. rye sourdough starter (hydration 100%)
Mix and let stand for 12-16 hours at room temperature (~21C).

Dough:
  • 50g rye flour
  • 100g strong white flour (I used German type 550, which is equivalent to American unbleached all-purpose flour.)
  • 50-100g of water (enough to get a loose dough)
  • 1/4 tsp. dry activated yeast
  • 1 tsp. sea salt
  • Einkorn soaker
  • Einkorn sourdough

Preheat oven to 250C. Mix dough and proof for 45-60 minutes at room temperature. During this period gently fold the dough 3-4 times every 15 minutes. Shape dough and work (whole) rye flour into seam. Let rest in a round Brotform, seam-side down, for 5-10 minutes (I used a small floured plastic mixing bowl, but I can't recommend this since the flour doesn't cling to the sides of the bowl as it should and the dough ends up sticking). Invert onto a floured bread paddle (I just used a wooden cutting board) and bake seam-side up for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 200C at bake for a further 30-40 minutes.

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