Whether you’re new to baking with Einkorn flour or experienced, you know converting your recipes can be a little tricky. These tips will shorten your learning curve and help you provide your family with the best nutrition possible while avoiding waste of time and ingredients. As a bonus, you’ll be serving some of the richest-tasting foods they’ve ever enjoyed. Let’s get baking!
With the epidemic levels of gastrointestinal disorders, Einkorn wheat has made a big comeback in the last ten years. Imagine, after years of not being able to enjoy fluffy pancakes, decadent cakes, or buttered biscuits, someone told you about Einkorn wheat flour. Discovering you could enjoy the delights of baked goods again would be thrilling!
Although I didn’t grow up with this ancient wheat in the cupboard, it’s the basis for my recipes today. I love expanding my culinary abilities and when I can use ingredients that add flavor as well as better nutrition, I am ready to roll up my sleeves and get cooking!
If you are interested in learning more about Einkorn, the original wheat, we have an article just for you.
Quick Facts About Einkorn
- It is the only wheat that has never been hybridized.
- It lacks the gluten proteins that trigger symptoms of gluten intolerance in people with gastrointestinal disorders affected by gluten.
- It is higher in protein and lower in carbohydrates than modern day wheat.
- It contains more carotenoids, B vitamins, and crucial trace minerals than modern wheat.
- Its flour has a deep, rich nutty flavor and a silky texture.
- It bakes classic cakes, mouth-watering muffins, colossal cookies, and beautiful breads.
Cooking with Einkorn wheat flour is a healthy, nutritious way to feed those counting on you to provide their meals and their nutrition. However, the same properties that it easier on the body also make it a little trickier to cook with than modern wheat.
There are a few things I’ve learned when about using Einkorn wheat flour in my recipes.
My Tips for Baking With Einkorn Flour
- Most everyone who cooks with it will say to weigh it instead of just measuring it. They say this is because there can be slight discrepancies in the actual measurements of one measuring cup to the next. I personally find that if I stir the flour well before I measure it, the recipe turns out just fine.
- However, I have had some failures that I contribute to the incorrect measurement of flour. I do have an analog kitchen scale I use depending on how important it is to me that the recipe does not have the possibility of failure. You know, if I’m baking for just us I don’t worry so much about it, but if company is coming, I don’t want a failed recipe.
- When substituting whole wheat Einkorn Flour for all-purpose Einkorn flour, use ¾ cup Einkorn whole wheat flour (96 grams if you’re weighing) for every 1 cup of all-purpose flour. For example, your recipe calls for 2 cups of all-purpose flour, to use Einkorn Whole wheat flour as a substitute, you would use 1 ½ cups.
- Also, increase the amount of liquid by 5% because the bran and fiber contained in whole wheat absorb more than all-purpose flour.
- We have a helpful Einkorn Conversion Chart available if you would like to download it.
- Einkorn absorbs liquids slower than modern-day wheat. Resist the urge to add more flour.
- You must allow the dough to rest for 10-15 minutes in between steps. Unlike most doughs made with modern wheat flour, your Einkorn dough will be sticky instead of smooth and elastic.
- Bread doughs made with it are generally no-knead. Because the gluten in Einkorn wheat is totally different from modern wheat, kneading does not help cultivate Einkorn’s gluten.
- It’s best if you do not use a standing mixer when making Einkorn bread dough. I was shocked at how little mixing and kneading there is involved.
- It took some getting used to because I was used to kneading at least 10-15 minutes when I made bread products using modern wheat.
- I have this mixing tool my kids got me for my birthday one year and I have to say I love it! You won’t believe how well it works, even for mixing heavy doughs such as bread dough.
- Einkorn wheat’s gluten is totally different as we have said so it is better to under prove the dough by only allowing it to rise 40-50% instead of doubling in size as with modern wheat dough.
- If you allow Einkorn wheat flour dough to double, it will deflate in the oven. Nobody likes a flat loaf!
- When baking with yeast, keep an eye on your dough so that it is not able to over prove.
- If you’re a sourdough lover as we are, you’ll be happy to know it is a perfect fit for Einkorn recipes.
- Sourdough provides a slower and lower rise than yeast, making it a perfect fit.
- You will know your dough is ready for baking by gently pressing the center of the loaf. If it springs back when pressed, it’s ready to roll!
- It is also lower in starch than modern wheat so adding an extra egg to cake batters made with it will help make a lighter, fluffier cake.
- When making cakes, muffins, and other pastries with Einkorn, use a lower speed on your mixer and decrease the mixing time. I prefer to mix them by hand just to be on the safe side.
- My TOP TIP for any Einkorn Cookie is to add the flour mixture last. This will help avoid overmixing the Einkorn flour.
- I recommend using lard or unsalted butter instead of coconut oil.
- While you’re learning, I recommend using recipes written specifically for Einkorn wheat flour. If you prefer to get going on your own favorite recipes, be sure to grab our Einkorn Conversion Chart to help you avoid wasting time and ingredients.
Why Doesn’t Coconut Oil Work When Baking With Einkorn Flour?
As you know, we use coconut oil for a great many things in the kitchen and around the house. However, I have been unsuccessful in using it in my Einkorn recipes.
I cannot discover the science behind it even after hours of research. All I can tell you is every recipe I have used it in has turned out dry, crumbly, or tough.
So I use lard or grass-fed unsalted butter in all of my Einkorn recipes.
Summary
I hope these tips have given you the confidence to get baking with Einkorn flour. It’s just a little different, but not complicated.
When you’re learning anything new, allow for trial and error. If you’re like me, wasting flour and other ingredients is a hit to your family’s grocery budget. Using the tips I’ve learned and shared with you will help prevent waste. Also, I recommend using recipes written specifically for Einkorn wheat flour. You’ll be surprised to find how many there are available now.
More for you on Einkorn and Recipes
Homemade Einkorn Christmas Cookies
Hi. I just made some plain white soda bread rolls using a mix of organic white AP flour and einkorn AP. When i make biscuits, the results are always wonderful (IMO), even though I know the rise won’t be as high as with straight white AP. The soda bread is a different animal altogether (duh), though. I love the simplicity of soda bread — or at least the idea of it — but can’t seem to get really pleasing results. Today I tried a recipe from “Easy Peasy Foodie” for plain white soda bread rolls which looked like it would work because of her working through the problems making a plain white instead of whole/mixed soda bread can bring. OK. Well, not OK, really. Her recipe for soda bread rolls is written for whole and white AP flours mixed. I used the recipe for her plain white soda bread instead, since the amounts were all the same — just divide the dough for rolls. Great. There were still inconsistencies in liquid to work thru (bread listed 285ml buttermilk instead of 200ml for the rolls, but suggested adding a TB vinegar to 200ml milk if lacking on-hand buttermilk). Settled on that with 220ml liquid. Here’s the kicker: I mixed in a little einkorn AP to the flour for the richer flavor I get in my biscuits. Seemed to work OK, until I got the baked rolls out of the oven: they taste good, but smell of baking soda. Not good. So I’m guessing einkorn flour works differently with baking soda, too? I started making my soda bread with baking powder + a little soda using soured raw milk for buttermilk, but would still like to use straight soda successfully. Or should i just go with my own adaptations and be happy with that? Thanks.
John, In my experience, Einkorn flour does not work differently with baking soda. I haven’t made soda bread in a while, but in my other recipes with baking soda and Einkorn flour I haven’t had any problems. Every kitchen is different, we all have things that work for us that may not work for others, altitude affects recipes, humidity, and other environmental factors. If you have adaptions that make the recipe work for you, go with them! Happy Baking!
Sorry if It was mentioned, do you have a brand you recommend or company you buy Einkorn?
Melissa, We generally buy our Einkorn flour at Breadtopia but it is bolted flour not true all-purpose flour. I purchase Jovial All-Purpose Einkorn Flour from the Jovial site or from Amazon (AffLink), just depending on who is cheapest when I need to order. Most people prefer all-purpose flour so I make my recipes for that instead of the bolted flour because it acts a little differently. I hope this answers your question. Let me know if I can help again.
Unless I’m missing it the conversion chart has just bread but no baking, like cookies? It’s ok if not. I have ADHD n its hard fir me to do something if its not exactly how I should do it to make it right. So no fault of yours.
Hi Patricia, For cookies or other baked goods not made with yeast or sourdough, you would use the section entitled “For Non-Yeast/Non-Sourdough Recipes” I’m sorry it was confusing to you. I hope this clears it up. If not, please don’t hesitate to reach back out.
A VERY BIG added benefit of using Einkorn is that it is grown without any Glyphosate use (Round-Up). Read Toxic Legacy by Stephanie Seneff……details how insidious glyphosate is in our bodies when we eat anything treated with it. ‘Gluten intolerance’, has increased in correlation with Glyphosate use. Glyphosate use may be the bigger culprit, not the gluten in the wheat.
GMO seeds/crops are created to withstand the Glyphosate used on them. It kills the weeds, but not the crop.
Thanks for taking the time to let us hear from you. You’re right and we cover all of this and more in our article “What is Einkorn and What Are Its Health Benefits“
I wish your recipes were lower in carbs
I will however make your bread but might try adjusting to lower carb by adding almond flour and eggs….
Hi Gina,
Since this post is “Tips for Baking with Einkorn Flour” I’m not sure which bread recipe you’re considering making. We restrict carbs except for Einkorn flour as it is part of our healthy diet. If you would like me to help in some way with a particular recipe, please feel free to reach out by email or by commenting on the particular post.
I’m not gluten intolerant so can I add gluten to einkorn bread recipe?
Gina, It is not necessary to add gluten to Einkorn. Einkorn has gluten, it’s a totally different gluten from that of modern wheat varieties. Einkorn requires little to no kneading time to activate its gluten. You can read more about it in our Einkorn Wheat article. If I can help in any way, please let me know.