Einkorn Bread Recipe (No Knead)

If you’re looking for an easy way to bake with ancient grains, this einkorn bread recipe delivers a rustic loaf with a crisp crust, tender crumb, and rich nutty flavor using just a few simple ingredients and a hot Dutch oven.

If you’ve been curious about baking with ancient grains, this no-knead einkorn bread recipe is a wonderful place to start. Using all-purpose einkorn flour and slow, cold fermentation to produce a rustic loaf with a crisp crust and deliciously tender crumb. The process is simple, approachable, and perfect whether it’s your first loaf of homemade bread or you’ve been baking for years.

Unlike modern wheat, einkorn wheat has a different gluten structure and naturally lower gluten content. This means the dough behaves a little differently, but the result is a deeply flavorful loaf with a slightly sweet, nutty flavor that many bakers love. When baked in a hot Dutch oven, the bread develops the kind of crust and texture you would expect from artisan bakery bread.

Even better, this simple recipe relies on time instead of kneading. Instead of a traditional knead recipe using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, the dough develops all of its structure through fermentation.

What Is Einkorn Flour?

Before we get into the recipe, it is worth taking a moment to talk about what makes einkorn so special. Einkorn is one of the oldest cultivated grains on earth, often called an ancient grain or ancient wheat, and it has never been hybridized or significantly altered the way modern wheat has been over the past century. That means it retains its original nutritional profile, including a higher concentration of protein, antioxidants, and minerals compared to conventional white flour or whole wheat flour.

Einkorn also contains phytic acid in lower amounts than many other grains, which some people find easier to digest. It is important to note that einkorn is not gluten-free and is not suitable for anyone with celiac disease. However, some people who experience sensitivity to modern wheat report tolerating einkorn better, likely due to its different gluten structure and the way that gluten behaves compared to the high-yielding varieties of modern wheat used in most commercial bread flour today.

For this recipe, einkorn all-purpose flour gives you the lightest, most airy loaf. If you want a heartier, more nutritious result, you can experiment with whole grain einkorn flour or whole wheat einkorn flour, though the loaf will be denser and you may need to adjust the water slightly. If you have access to a grain mill and want to grind your own flour from einkorn wheat berries, that is a wonderful way to get the freshest, most flavorful result possible.

Why This Recipe Works

• Cold fermentation does the work that kneading normally would. Instead of developing the gluten structure by hand or with a dough hook attachment, this recipe uses a slow 10 to 12-hour rest in the refrigerator to let the yeast work gradually and build structure on its own. The result is a flavorful loaf with a beautifully open crumb that you cannot rush.
• Einkorn flour behaves differently from modern wheat, and this recipe accounts for that. Einkorn has a lower gluten content than conventional bread flour or whole wheat flour, which means the dough will feel looser and more like a sticky dough than you might expect. That is completely normal and exactly what you want. Fighting it or adding too much extra flour is the most common mistake first time einkorn bakers make.
• A preheated Dutch oven creates the perfect baking environment. The trapped steam inside the covered pot during the first 30 minutes of baking mimics a professional bread oven and gives the loaf that gorgeous oven spring and crackly crust. Removing the lid for the final 10 to 15 minutes lets the crust deepen to a rich golden brown.
• Honey and olive oil add flavor and help with texture. A small amount of honey feeds the yeast and adds a very subtle sweetness that balances the nutty flavor of the einkorn. The olive oil keeps the crumb tender and adds a little richness to the finished product without weighing the dough down.

Do I Need To Bake In A Dutch Oven?

A Dutch oven is one of the best tools for baking artisan-style bread at home. When the dough bakes inside the covered pot, steam becomes trapped inside. That steam helps the top of the dough expand fully before the crust sets, giving you a beautiful rise and crisp exterior.

While you can bake bread in a loaf pan, bread pan, or even try adapting it to a bread maker or bread machine recipe, the Dutch oven method produces the most authentic bakery-style crust, in my opinion.

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

• Einkorn all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• Fine sea salt (non-iodized)
• Instant yeast

Wet Ingredients

• Water, room temperature
• Honey (or maple syrup as a substitute)
• Olive oil

Optional for Shaping

• Extra einkorn all-purpose flour for dusting before baking
• Parchment paper for transferring the dough

Substitutions

Instant Yeast: Active dry yeast can be used, but needs to be dissolved in the room temperature water for about 5 minutes before combining with the dry ingredients. Use the same amount. This recipe is written for a yeasted loaf rather than an einkorn sourdough bread, but if you have an active sourdough starter or active starter on hand, you can substitute about 50 grams of active starter for the instant yeast and extend the bulk fermentation time accordingly.

Honey: Maple syrup works as a direct 1:1 swap and adds a slightly different but equally delicious, subtle sweetness to the loaf.

Olive Oil: Any neutral oil works here. Avocado oil is a great substitute if you want a more neutral flavor in the finished bread. The oil helps give the bread a nice color.

Preparation

The prep for this einkorn bread recipe is genuinely minimal, which is probably my favorite thing about this recipe. Start by making sure your water is at room temperature, not cold from the tap, and not too warm so the yeast can properly activate. I typically use my hot water kettle and set it to 112 F., and then measure out my water, but you can also use a thermometer to check the temperature.

Measure your einkorn all-purpose flour by spooning it into your measuring cup and leveling it off rather than scooping directly from the bag. Scooping packs the flour can result in using significantly more than the recipe intends, which will make the dough too stiff. For the most accurate result, use a kitchen scale and measure to about 390 g.

Have a large mixing bowl, a wooden spoon or stiff spatula, and plastic wrap or a lid ready before you start. You will also want a piece of parchment paper set aside for shaping and transferring the dough the following day.

Cooking Instructions

Step 1: Mix the einkorn dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the einkorn all-purpose flour, fine sea salt, and instant yeast until evenly combined. Add the room temperature water, honey, and olive oil. Stir with a wooden spoon or stiff spatula until the flour is fully hydrated and a soft, shaggy dough forms.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl as you mix to make sure everything is incorporated. The einkorn dough will feel looser and stickier than dough made with conventional bread flour or whole wheat flour. This is normal. Do not add extra flour to compensate.

Step 2: Cold fermentation: Cover the large mixing bowl tightly with plastic wrap, beeswax wrap, or a fitted lid. Place the bowl directly in the refrigerator and let the dough ferment slowly for 10 to 12 hours. Overnight works perfectly. During this bulk fermentation period, the yeast works gradually in the cold environment, developing flavor and building the gluten structure without any kneading. You will notice the dough has expanded slightly and developed small air bubbles when it is ready.

Step 3: Let the dough rest: Remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let the dough sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes ( do this while I preheat the oven). This rest time takes the chill off and allows the dough to relax before shaping, which makes it much easier to handle.

Step 4: Shape the dough: Lay a piece of parchment paper on your work surface and lightly dust it with some of the einkorn flour. Turn the sticky dough out onto the parchment using a bowl scraper or dough scraper to help get it out of the bowl cleanly.

With lightly floured hands, gently fold the edges of the dough inward once or twice to form a loose round shape. Do not knead. Do not overwork it. Einkorn dough develops its structure through fermentation, and aggressive handling at this stage will deflate all the air bubbles you spent 10 hours building. The dough round does not need to be perfect.

Let the shaped dough rest directly on the parchment paper for 30 to 45 minutes while the oven and Dutch oven preheat. If you have a proofing basket, you can use it here for a more defined shape, though it is not required for a great result.

Step 5: Preheat the Dutch oven: Place the 6- to 8-quart Dutch oven with the lid in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F. Allow the Dutch oven to heat for at least 30 minutes, so it is thoroughly hot throughout. A properly preheated pot creates the dramatic “oven spring” and crackly crust on the finished loaf.

Step 6: Transfer the dough: Carefully remove the hot Dutch oven from the oven. This is the most dangerous step, so use heavy oven mitts and move slowly. Using the parchment paper as a sling, carefully lower the dough into the hot pot. Score the top of the dough with a sharp knife if desired. A single slash across the center or an X pattern both work well and help control how the loaf expands during baking.

Step 7: Bake: Cover the Dutch oven with the lid and place it back in the oven. Bake covered for 30 minutes. The steam trapped inside creates the open crumb and helps the crust develop without hardening too quickly. After 30 minutes, remove the lid and continue baking for another 10 to 15 minutes until the crust is deeply golden brown and crisp. The internal temperature of the finished loaf should read 200 to 205 degrees using a thermometer.

Step 8: Cool completely: Lift the bread out of the Dutch oven using the parchment paper and place it on a wire rack (if you do not, it will steam in the pot and can make the crust less crispy). This is the hardest part: let the loaf cool completely for at least 1 hour before slicing. Cutting into warm einkorn bread causes the crumb to compress and turn gummy as the steam inside has not finished redistributing. The wait is absolutely worth it for the best final result.

Expert Tips

Weigh your flour when possible. Einkorn all-purpose flour is particularly sensitive to measurement inconsistencies. Weighing to 390 g every time gives you the most consistent results across multiple bakes.

Do not add extra flour if the dough feels too sticky. A sticky dough is a sign that things are going correctly with einkorn. Adding more flour to make it feel more manageable will result in a dense, heavy loaf rather than an airy loaf with a light, open crumb.

Use a bowl scraper or dough scraper generously. These tools are your best friends when working with einkorn dough. They let you move the sticky dough around without it sticking to everything and without deflating the structure you have built.

How to Serve Einkorn Bread

Once cooled, this wonderful bread slices beautifully. The slightly sweet flavor and rustic texture make it perfect for:

• Toast it and add on some of my mulled wine jam or this recipe for homemade jalapeno honey butter
• sandwiches
• dipping in olive oil
• turning into French toast

If you’re exploring other ways to bake with einkorn, you might also try an einkorn sandwich bread recipe, sourdough einkorn bread, or even einkorn sourdough bread using an active sourdough starter.

How to Store

Store the finished loaf properly. Once fully cooled, store the bread cut side down on a cutting board or wrapped loosely in a clean kitchen towel at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, slice and freeze in a plastic bag for up to 1 month. Avoid storing in an airtight plastic bag at room temperature, as it softens the crust quickly.

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