Whole Emmer Sourdough Bread Recipes

Steps:

• If making a 100% whole grain sourdough bread is your goal, prepare your sourdough starter by feeding it with whole grain einkorn or yecora rojo flours. I fed my starter einkorn flour for the first two recipes, and for the third recipe, I used a mix of all my ripe starters (60g rye starter, 40g all purpose starter).
• Combine all the ingredients in a medium size bowl and mix until well incorporated.
• Cover the bowl or transfer the dough to a straight-walled bucket and let the dough rest for about 30 minutes. Then do 2-3 rounds of gluten development with half-hour rests in between.
• Let the dough continue to rise until it's 40-50% larger than its original size. All of the recipes reached this point in about 4 hours in a warm summer kitchen. Depending on the room temperature and your starter strength, your dough may need longer for this bulk fermentation.
• Scrape your dough out onto a floured countertop and shape it into a boule, batard, or oblong loaf, depending on your proofing basket and baking vessel shape. I did a pre-shape and bench-rest on the 70:30 dough only because I had struggled to get it out of the dough rising bucket, and I wanted it to be a uniform oval when I shaped it into a batard.
• Transfer the dough to a well-floured proofing basket and cover it.
• Let the dough proof 30-60 minutes at room temperature, possibly longer in a cold kitchen, and then refrigerate it for several hours to overnight. Or do the entire final proof in the refrigerator or at room temperature for 1-2 hours, again depending on your kitchen temperature and the dough's appearance. See the photo galleries below for target dough expansion in the basket.
• Preheat your oven and baking vessel for 30 minutes at 500°F.
• Flip your dough out of the proofing basket onto parchment paper and score it.
• Transfer the dough to your baking vessel, cover, and bake for:
• 20 minutes at 500F with the lid on
• 15-20 minutes at 450F with the lid off
• When the bread is done, the internal temperature should be over 205°F and the bread should sound hollow when you knock on the bottom of the loaf with your fist.
• Let the bread cool at least 2 hours before slicing.

Steps:

• Mixing and Bulk Fermentation
• Mix the dough ingredients together in a large bowl and cover.
• After a 20-30 minute rest, stretch and fold the dough with damp fingertips. You can transfer the dough to a straight-walled container at this point if you want. Cover, let the dough rest another 20-30 minutes.
• Do two more rounds of stretching and folding with a 20-30 minute rest in between.
• Let the dough bulk ferment until it has almost doubled in size. At warm temps (low 80s) my dough needed about 5 hours to double. In colder temperatures or with weaker starter, the dough will need more time.
• Shaping and Final Proof
• If desired, flake emmer berries for the bread's crust.
• Flour your work surface and scrape your dough out of your bowl or bucket.
• Shape the dough into a boule, batard, or oblong loaf to suit your proofing basket and baking vessel.
• Evenly spread the optional emmer flakes on your work surface in the shape of the dough (round, oval, oblong). Brush or spray water on the top of your dough and flip it onto the flakes to coat the dough surface.
• Place the dough flake-side down in your proofing basket. Scoop up some of the extra flakes and "drizzle" them down the edges of the dough to further coat it and prevent sticking.
• Cover and let the dough rise again for about 30 minutes at room temperature and then refrigerate it overnight (8-16 hours). You can also leave the dough at room temperature for longer (1-2 hours) and bake it without the refrigeration stage. My dough bulk-fermented past doubling, so I refrigerated it immediately after shaping and baked about 8 hours later to compensate.
• Baking
• Preheat your oven and baking vessel to 500F for at least 30 minutes.
• Flip the dough out of the proofing basket and onto a sheet of parchment paper or onto the base of your hot baking vessel. Score or scissor cut the dough, then cover and return the vessel to the oven.
• If your baking vessel is a ceramic cloche, bake at:
• 500°F for 20 minutes, lid on
• 450°F for 5 minutes, lid on
• 450°F for 10 minutes, lid off
• If your baking vessel is cast iron, bake at:
• 500°F for 15 minutes, lid on. At the 15-minute mark, place a baking sheet directly under the cast iron on the same shelf. This will prevent the base of the bread from burning.
• 450°F for 10 minutes, lid on
• 450°F for 10 minutes, lid off
• When baking is complete, the bread should have an internal temperature of at least 205F and it should sound hollow when you knock on the bottom of the loaf.
• Let the bread cool for a couple of hours before you slice it.

Steps:

• To make a sourdough starter: whisk 50g of the strong white flour and 50g of the strong wholemeal flour with 100ml slightly warm water until smooth. Transfer to a large jar or plastic container. Leave the lid ajar for 1 hr or so in a warm place, then seal and set aside for 24 hours. For the next six days, you will need to 'feed' it. Each day, tip away half the original starter, add an extra 25g of each flour and 50ml slightly warm water, and stir well. After a few days you should start to see bubbles on the surface, and it will smell yeasty. On day seven, the starter should be bubbly and smell much sweeter. It is now ready to be used.
• To make the sourdough bread: tip both the flours, 325ml warm water, the salt and the starter into a bowl, or a mixer fitted with a dough hook. Stir with a wooden spoon, or on a slow setting in the mixer until combined - add extra flour if it's too sticky or a little warm water if it's dry. Tip onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 mins until soft and elastic - you should be able to stretch it without it tearing. If you're using a mixer, turn up the speed a little and mix for 5 mins.
• Place the dough in a floured bowl and cover with cling film. Leave in a warm place to rise for 3 hrs. You may not see much movement, as sourdough takes much longer to rise.
• Line a medium bowl with a clean tea towel and flour it really well or flour a proving basket. Tip the dough back onto your work surface and knead briefly to knock out any air bubbles. Shape the dough into a smooth ball and dust it with flour.
• Place the dough, seam-side up, in the bowl or proving basket, and leave at room temperature for 3 hrs, or in the fridge overnight, until risen by about a quarter.
• Place a large baking tray in the oven and heat to 230C/210C fan/gas 8. Fill a small roasting tin with water and place in the bottom of the oven to create steam. Remove the tray from the oven, sprinkle with flour, then tip the dough onto it.
• Slash the top a few times with a sharp knife to make a pattern, then bake for 35-40 mins until golden brown. It should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Leave to cool on a wire rack before slicing.