Convert Modern Wheat Recipes to Einkorn with Ease! (2024)

FAQs

Why does einkorn not work for baking as well as modern wheat? ›

Einkorn is unique and has gluten that is quite different than modern wheat. The same properties that make it easier to digest can make it a bit more difficult to bake with than wheat with stretchier gluten.

Einkorn Flour absorbs less water and at a much slower pace than all purpose flour. Because of this, a great conversion rate in recipes is to use an extra 1/4 cup of einkorn for every 1 cup of all purpose.

Einkorn absorbs less liquid than wheat flour, so you will want to feed the starter a ratio of 1 to 1/2 flour to water. Since einkorn is a little more expensive than wheat flour or all-purpose, I feed my starter with 1/2 cup flour and 1/4 cup water.

That's partly due to its much lower gluten content. It's not gluten-free, but it is lower in gluten and possibly easier on the digestive system than traditional wheat flour. If you don't have celiac disease, einkorn flour is a great choice and definitely preferable to whole wheat.

While einkorn is high in protein, its gluten properties aren't the same as modern wheat. This results in a dough that can be overly sticky and wet by the end of bulk fermentation.

One cup of whole grain wheat flour has about 87 carbohydrates. One cup of whole grain einkorn flour has about 51 carbs. So, there is quite a difference. It has the most protein of any grain, and einkorn does not spike the blood sugar as quickly as modern wheat.

Einkorn is one of a few wheats that are “hulled.” In hulled wheats, the grain is tightly enclosed by a kind of husk as it grows. This hull has to be removed before the grains can be eaten. This is no small feat and is part of the reason einkorn is more expensive.

Because einkorn contains less starch than regular wheat, cakes can bake a bit denser so we like to add an extra egg or egg white to the batter. Beat less and at lower speed or by hand for lighter textures in cakes and muffin recipes.

Si t your packaged einkorn lour through a fine sieve or lour si ter before measuring. Just like with all flours, sifting packaged einkorn flour will give you a much more accurate measurment.

Humankind's first wheat, einkorn, contains much lower levels of these glutens making it far less inflammatory, in fact, making it more beneficial than its modern genetically complex relative.

Why is my Einkorn sourdough dense? ›

Einkorn bread, even when made with an active starter, is denser than bread made with modern wheat because it's weak gluten does not have the strength to hold large bubbles. When you start to bake with a new starter, your bread is bound to bake up dense because it takes a number of loaves of bread to get good results.

Many farmers apply hazardous substances like glyphosate to their wheat during and after harvest. Einkorn flour isn't bleached, bromated or drenched in weed killer. In fact, it's USDA Organic certified and certified as free of glyphosate by The Detox Project.

There is a lot of crossover between the two–not surprising considering they are varieties of the same grain. However, einkorn is a more pure variety, so it's easier on our digestive systems, and it contains more dense nutrition than spelt.

The first bread was made with einkorn, and it was Ötzi the Iceman's last meal. Einkorn was the first seed planted by the first farmers 12,000 years ago during the Neolithic Revolution. Einkorn moved toward extinction during the Bronze Age. Left untouched, it's the oldest and purest food in existence today.

Einkorn Wheat is the most ancient wheat and it should be avoided if you have celiac disease. However, it can be a healthful grain for those with sensitivity to gluten.

If your bread dough mixes up at a normal texture because you add more flour to lessen its sticky texture, your dough will end up drying up and baking dense later because einkorn absorbs liquids much slower than regular wheat.

Khorasan, sometimes called kamut or even kamut khorasan, is an ancient grain that comes from Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt. Its firm texture paired with its earthy, nutty taste, makes it a great grain for baking.

Einkorn is the most primitive form of wheat on Earth. It contains only 14 chromosomes, whereas modern wheat contains 42. Einkorn does not have the D chromosome, which seems to be connected with wheat intolerance in many humans. Einkorn is easier to digest and contains more protein and anti-oxidants than modern wheat.

The whole grain is just the berries ground into flour with nothing removed. The all-purpose flour has had the bran and the germ removed. So it's a white flour and is much less nutrient dense and flavorful than the whole grain flour.