Learn how to make an einkorn sourdough starter at home with just two ingredients and a little bit of time.
Raise your hand if you love all things sourdough and have a hard time eating unfermented grains because they taste so mediocre! It’s not just me, right?
Sourdough is healthier for you, because it is breaking down all the anti-nutrients and allowing your body to absorb those nutrients found in grains more easily. But let’s face it, it is also way more delicious.
And for those who have a hard time digesting grains, sourdough can be your golden ticket to eating grains again. But what is better than regular sourdough for this? Einkorn sourdough.
Einkorn flour is more easily tolerated by those who have gluten sensitivities. It is one that doesn’t need to be fermented for better digestion, though einkorn is even easier to digest and the antioxidants present in the flour are even more bio-available.
Plus, einkorn is just a delicious flour to use. It has more of a nutty and buttery taste. Yum!
Tips:
- The absolute easiest way to create an einkorn sourdough starter is to start feeding your regular wheat sourdough starter einkorn flour. Eventually, after the fifth feeding of einkorn flour with discarding (or using), your starter will be 96% einkorn.
- 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.
- For making an einkorn sourdough starter, I prefer to use all-purpose einkorn flour over whole wheat. If you choose to use whole wheat einkorn, you will need a little less flour.
- Your sourdough starter should be ready to use within a week, but it may not be mature enough to bake bread for about 4 weeks.
- Don’t toss out your sourdough discard. Rather, use it to make discard recipes.
Your sourdough starter should be ready to use within a week, but it may not be mature enough to bake bread for about 4 weeks.
Why einkorn?
It is an ancient wheat that is much easier to digest and doesn’t require fermenting to break down phytic acid. It is also one of the only wheats not hybridized by modern farmers.
Most wheat today has been hybridized for better baking (aka higher protein) and better yields.
It has a higher protein content and has less starch compared to modern wheat. It also doesn’t have the same inflammatory response that refined flour can have.
Ingredients:
Einkorn flour – I prefer all-purpose einkorn flour for creating a starter. You can do whole grain einkorn for this process, but I like the results better with all-purpose flour. If you use whole grain you will need less flour starting out.
Water – Filtered, unchlorinater water. I filter my water with a Berkey water filter.
That’s it! Just two ingredients.
Tools:
Jar or bowl: This needs to be large enough for the starter to be able to double in size without spilling over. I like to use large canisters, but when you are just starting out, wide mouth mason jars work well.
Measuring cup: I use a dry measuring cup to measure out the amount of flour and use it for water, as well. Rebellious, I know.
Non-metal spoon: Some people swear that sourdough reacts to metal and doesn’t do as well. While I’ve never had an issue, I usually use a wooden spoon or a silicon spatula to stir.
FAQ:
Can I use einkorn flour in my sourdough starter?
Yes. There is a little tweaking that needs to be done since einkorn doesn’t absorb as much liquid as regular flour. So I will feed my einkorn starter a ratio of 1 to 1/2 flour to water.
Is einkorn good for sourdough?
Yes. Sourdough bread made with einkorn is absolutely delicious. The process is similar, but einkorn’s gluten structure is different, so you do not need to do the stretch and folds like regular sourdough bread. Rather, you flatten and fold.
Does einkorn flour cause inflammation?
No. Refined flour is most likely going to cause inflammation. According to this study, einkorn bread actually had an anti-inflammatory effect. (source)
How do you maintain an einkorn starter?
If you leave it out on the counter, you will want to feed it every 12 hours with a flour to water ratio of 1 to 1/2. If you are not going to be baking with it everyday, you can put it in the fridge with a lid and feed it once a week.
What is the healthiest sourdough starter?
There seems to be much debate on this. Some say whole wheat is healthiest, while others say rye, but in reality, I think it comes down to whatever flour you can afford or prefer. Sourdough products are healthier than their unfermented cousins, so choose the best quality for the flour you want to use. Whether it be einkorn, whole wheat, rye, or all-purpose, all are delicious and nutritious.
What is that gray liquid on the top of my starter?
That is known as a hooch and is an indication that you need to feed your starter more. It is harmless and can be poured out, and then you will feed your starter again.
What should a sourdough starter smell like?
A mature starter will smell yeasty and fermented. The more mature, the stronger the smell will be. If it starts to smell like vinegar, then that is an indication that it is not being fed enough.
How To Make An Einkorn Sourdough Starter
Day 1:
Mix 1/2 cup of flour and 1/4 cup filtered water.
Stir vigorously, making sure to incorporate everything well. Scrape down the sides.
Place a clean tea towel over the bowl and set aside. Allow it to sit for 24 hours.
Day 2:
Discard half of the mixture and repeat the process. Add 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup water, stir well, and cover.
Discarding half of the mixture is important in the early days of your starter. By day four, you would have so much sourdough starter that it would be a overflowing mess. But also, removing half ensures that you are feeding your growing colony of beneficial yeast the correct amount of flour and water. If you skipped this step, there would be too much starter and not enough food, creating a weak colony.
If you cannot fathom tossing your einkorn starter (I’m with you, especially since einkorn isn’t the cheapest flour), then use it in a discard recipe like pancakes.
Day 3-5
Repeat the day two instructions for days three through five. Discarding half, then feed.
Day 6 & 7
Every 12 hours, discard half the mixture and feed 1/2 cup flour with 1/4 cup water and mix well.
By day seven, there should be enough beneficial bacteria and yeast present to bake fermented sourdough goodies. Einkorn sourdough bread may not be able to bake for a few weeks as your starter matures.
You will know it is ready if by 4-12 hours after you feed it, it bubbles and doubles in size.
Sourdough Starter Maintenance
Sourdough starters can last multiple lifetimes and have been known to be passed down through generations. You simply need to take proper care of them, which is pretty easy to do.
If you plan to bake often, you can leave it on the counter and feed it twice a day. Otherwise it can be placed in the refrigerator.
Most people probably won’t use the starter every single day, so unless you own and operate a bakery, I would recommend storing it in the refrigerator between uses.
In the refrigerator for occasional use
By storing it in the fridge, you can feed the starter once a week and then just pull it out and feed before you plan to bake with it. Storing it in the refrigerator slows down the fermentation process, reducing the amount of feeding required.
I use my starter a couple times per week and plan bulk sourdough baking (like my bulk sourdough bread making… it’s life changing). If I plan to make something on Sunday morning, for example, I will pull my starter out of the fridge Saturday morning and feed it. By Saturday evening it is bubbly and ready to go for starting a batch of bread. Then I will feed the starter and place it back into the fridge until I need it again.
Find My Other Favorite Einkorn Recipes:
- Einkorn Cinnamon Rolls
- Einkorn Sourdough Bread
- The Best Einkorn Pie Crust
- Einkorn Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Gingerbread Cake With Einkorn Flour
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you gave it 5 stars! Thank you! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Einkorn Sourdough Starter
Ingredients
- Einkorn flour
- Water
Instructions
Day 1:
- Mix 1/2 cup of flour and 1/4 cup filtered water.
- Stir vigorously, making sure to incorporate everything well. Scrape down the sides.
- Place a clean tea towel over the bowl and set aside. Allow it to sit for 24 hours.
Day 2:
- Discard half of the mixture and repeat the process.
- Add 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup water, stir well, and cover.
Day 3-5
- Repeat the day two instructions for days three through five. Discarding half, then feed.
Day 6 & 7
- Every 12 hours, discard half the mixture and feed 1/2 cup flour with 1/4 cup water and mix well.
- By day seven, there should be enough beneficial bacteria and yeast present to bake fermented sourdough goodies.
- You will know it is ready if by 4-12 hours after you feed it, it bubbles and doubles in size.
Notes
- The absolute easiest way to create an einkorn sourdough starter is to start feeding your regular wheat sourdough starter einkorn flour. Eventually, after the fifth feeding of einkorn flour with discarding (or using), your starter will be 96% einkorn.
- 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.
- For making an einkorn sourdough starter, I prefer to use all-purpose einkorn flour over whole wheat. If you choose to use whole wheat einkorn, you will need a little less flour.
- Your sourdough starter should be ready to use within a week, but it may not be mature enough to bake bread for about 4 weeks.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’m on day 8 and starter has only a couple of bubbles. Should I continue to feed it every 12 hours until lit becomes very bubbly? After how many days would it be best to just start over?
Yes. Unless you see like actual mold I wouldn’t start over. Just keep feeding it will get bubbly. It can take longer in the winter.
Oh I really hope you can help me. So I have a wonderful starter that I use rather infrequently. I used instructions from Jovial (Carla). There are times it has sat in the fridge for weeks and does fine with just refreshing it every few weeks or so. Anyway, with fall coming I’d like to bake more. Part of why I didn’t was I am a scared newbie and two I just prefer sourdough einkorn but I’d really like to do more with it than just by boulle… I did do a sweeter bread with it at Easter time that was delightful. But I would LOVE to do some muffins or cakes with it but I can’t find many recipes for Einkorn sourdough for those things. I’ve had a lot of digestive issues and I just want to experiement with only sourdough einkorn before trying to much just einkorn. Anyway. First question is do you have actual recipes for muffins, biscuits or cake using einkorn sourdough? (the need to substitute scares me to death- lol) and two– my starter is much thicker than yours in the video I saw. Of course I guess yours is out on the counter more because you bake so much? Mine is the refrigerator because I bake maybe twice a week. Is that why? Does this affect when I do try to substitute because I’ve tried muffins a couple times and I try to do the liquid thing and scuh to concert a all purpose flour to my all purpose einkorn and they end up kind of glue like consistenccy rather than soft and fluffy. When recipes call for a cup of starter, should I do something to my starter to make it work better?
Can you provide a recipe for the discarded starter for pancakes?
Yep. You can use this recipe: https://www.farmhouseonboone.com/our-favorite-sourdough-pancakes-recipe . It should also work with an einkorn starter.
Where do you get your eichotn flour
I usually get it from Jovial. Have also ordered it from amazon and azure standard before.
Can this starter be used in all recipes where you use normal sourdough starter? Mostly wondering if your easy pizza crust recipe will still work if using einkorn starter, but also interested in trying to bake some cakes while using einkorn starter and flour to make things gluten free. Thanks!
Yes! Einkorn starter will work for normal sourdough starter (whatever flour is called for should be used since you can’t convert recipes to einkorn one to one) and it definitely can be used for the easy sourdough pizza crust. Hope that helps. Although, if you are using einkorn starter, the recipe wouldn’t be gluten free (if you need to be strict like with celiac).
If my starter rose and got bubbly within 2 hours will it be ok to sit out until evening to begin mixing up dough to sit in fridge overnight for a morning baking?
Yes, that should be totally fine and still work. Hope you enjoy!
Where do you get your einkorn flour?
I purchase it from a variety of places: Jovial, Mockmill, or Azure Standard typically. You can even get it on Amazon.
Please go into more detail how to refresh the starter when it comes out of the fridge. I have made so many starters and even bought a few mature ones off people. If they are on the counter, I can keep them living, but they need to be fed sometimes 3 times a day, so anytime I put them in the fridge and try revive them, I’d always loose them. Do you refresh as soon as it comes out of the fridge or wait til it warms on the counter then let it double before adding? I am determined to get this right. I was also given the tip to put I bit in my freezer so I always have a backup, but I could get that going for anything. Thank you!
How to increase the amount of my starter? I followed all the above steps. And then Day 8 I promptly forgot to do anything to it because I didn’t have an alarm set in phone like I did the other days (new habits take time!). Today is day 9 and I discarded half and then fed as I have been. If I were going to make pancakes in the morning, your recipe calls for 2 cups of starter. I don’t have anywhere close to that. How can I move the starter into a larger canister and increase the amount? Do I wait 12 hours and feed it double, 1 cup of einkorn flour and 1/2 cup Berkey water? I have saved some discard during the week of starting this starter so I could use that for pancakes, but I still need to increase the amount of starter I keep in order to have 1 cup scoops available for recipes. Thanks Lisa!
Hello!
So because we are using einkorn, the hydration percentage is 96%? Kind of like the 100 percentage that most people aim for when using white flour. This is something I have been struggling with for awhile when trying to adjust this for recipes that call for 100% hydration sourdough that do not use einkorn.
“The absolute easiest way to create an einkorn sourdough starter is to start feeding your regular wheat sourdough starter einkorn flour. Eventually, after the fifth feeding of einkorn flour with discarding (or using), your starter will be 96% einkorn”
Lisa was talking about converting your starter from regular wheat to einkorn wheat. If you’re converting, a small portion of your starter will be regular. With continued feeding and discarding, that amount of regular flour will continue to
decrease proportionally to einkorn flour.
Definitely the easiest way to do it!