© 2020 Shaye Elliott. All Rights Reserved

In this Issue:
3. Everyday Einkorn Bread
© 2020 Shaye Elliott. All Rights Reserved.
I’ve made inedible bread. In fact, I’ve made a lot inedible bread. If you dabble at
all in yeast, flour, salt, and water, you and I may have shared similar experiences.
And as experience is the best teacher, I’m here to share with you how to bake
better bread at home.
Because if you’ve ever opened that oven door to see a flat, underbaked, burnt, or
sloppy loaf, you know all too well that disappointment.
Ten years ago, I began baking bread with the cheapest flour I could buy, vegetable
oil, vital wheat gluten, white sugar, and commercial yeast. Though far from
nutritional, it was certainly a step in the right direction. I’ll never forget when I
pulled those first, fragrant loaves from the oven. “This is it.”, I thought. “I did it.
I’m a homemaker!”. I took such pride in those loaves.
I’ve never been one to stand still, be it with gardens, work, or dreams. My bread
making didn’t stand a chance. Twasn’t (yes, I said twasn’t) long before I began
experimenting with sprouted flours, whole grain flours, organic flours, honey,
syrup, sea salt, steam, and sourdough.
They were edible. But not much more.
My best results often came from high amounts of commercial yeast and high
gluten bread flour. But that wasn’t quite what I wanted.
As my homemaking spirit developed, my baking skills improved, and my desire
to tap into something more historic and old world grew, I began tapping into
heirloom grains. Partly for their flavor, partly for their nutritional profile. Still, it
took skill to learn to bake bread well. Skill that was only solidified when someone
took the time to finally sit down and show me how the heck to do it right.
Allow me now to share with you. Save yourself years of bad loaves. My many
baking flops are your gain. Here’s how to bake better bread at home.
- Shaye
How To Bake Better Bread At Home
1. Use sourdough.
I know. Don’t hate me. But learning to bake with the wild yeasts contained in a sourdough starter
will make you a strong baker in the long run. Couple that with the fact that sourdough starter is
alive, extremely beneficial for your body, and is easier to digest than commercial yeast bread…
and well, you can see why I’m arguing in its favor. Even if you don’t care about the health aspects
of your bread at all, a good, strong sourdough starter will ultimately give you something that
commercial yeast can’t ever match – a depth of flavor. We often think of sourdough as the weird,
sour baguette loaves our parents brought home from the grocery store, but a good sourdough
doesn’t have a tartness at all. Instead, it boasts a layer of flavor that adds a different shade of
enjoyment to your loaf. Don’t tell me you don’t like sourdough. Learn to bake properly with it
and I’m confident you will. The best bread comes from sourdough. Fact.
2. Keep a “dry” sourdough starter.
Carla, the founder of Jovial Foods, was the woman who taught me to keep a “dry” sourdough
starter and for that I am, truly, forever grateful. She has revolutionized the chore involved with
keeping a healthy sourdough starter. For years I maintained a wet, stinky, moldy sourdough
starter that seemed to do well at certain times of the year and totally flop other times. The
result was loaves that didn’t rise consistently (or at all). Can you relate? Surely I’m not that only
one who’s baked bricks here? A dry sourdough starter uses a small amount of flour and a small
amount of water to maintain a starter that’s as solid as a regular bread dough. When it’s time to
bake the bread, a small piece of the starter is removed and added to a bowl with warm water and
flour. In a few hours, that mixture (called a levain) is bubbling and ready to be mixed in with the
final bread. You can watch Carla’s detailed video on how to keep a dry sourdough starter here.
If you haven’t had success with sourdough in the past, the number one piece of advice I can give
you is to keep a sourdough starter just like Carla recommends in the video.
3. Bake with organic, heirloom grains.
Einkorn is my favorite. Using organic, heirloom grains sounded fussy and non-practical when
I was a novice. As I’ve continued to bake bread, I’ve settled on one important fact: these grains
taste better. That’s it. They taste better! The bread that is more delicious than less delicious
bread is bread I want to eat. Know what I’m saying? There are certainly other factors such as
gluten content, protein content, and digestibility factors (you can read more about that here), but
at the end of the day, they taste phenomenal. Though I utilize rye on occasion (because I love
the flavor), einkorn flour is my absolute go-to. Every item I bake is baked with einkorn flour. It’s
rich and buttery. Can’t afford it? Price it next to your average loaf of bread or baked goods from
the grocery store. You’ll be surprised. Ounce for ounce, it’s less expensive than you realize. If you
want your bread to taste better (and make you feel better), you simply must switch from modern
wheat to heirloom varieties. Here’s the brand I use.
4. Use a digital scale.
Why, oh why, did we give up weighing ingredients? A cup? What is that even? Oh, how I’ve grown
to despise such inaccuracies. If your bread has been too wet, too dry, or too dense, a digital scale
will be the very best step you can take to changing that. Why? Because it’s impossible to measure
ingredients accurately with crude measuring cups and spoons. In my Cooking Community, I’ve
been presenting every baking recipe using weight measurements because the results are far
more consistent for the bakers. Isn’t that what we hope for? Consistent results? Invest in a fairly
inexpensive digital scale like this one and begin to follow recipes that use weight instead of volume.
European recipes are your friend. Baking with a digital scale has given me such confidence in my
baking because I know if I follow the weights, the bread will turn out just lovely. There’s no cross
my fingers and hoping it brings a smashing result. It always does now. Because it’s consistent.
5. Bake in a HOT oven.
I know, right. Seems basic. But give your oven time to heat up. Like a full hour. Seriously. It needs
that long to get proper hot for bread. Baking in a luke-warm oven will result in a luke-warm-
looking loaf with a luke-warm-crust. Ain’t nobody want that.
6. Bake with sea salt.
Again, seems basic, but for years I baked with table salt and the result was an almost medicinal
tasting bread. Opt instead for a nice sea salt like this one so you can enjoy an earthly, briny, rich
salt flavor.
7. Utilize a dough scraper and marble cutting board.
These two tools completely changed my feelings towards making bread. What used to feel like a
chore now feels like pure pleasure. Yes, I’m being serious. But why? Well, because they make it
less messy… less fussy… easier to clean up… and easier to handle wet doughs. I bought a marble
cutting board like this one and flipped it on it’s back. The back was unfinished and perfect for
soaking up small amounts of moisture from the dough (yes, there’s an actual reason why marble
countertops are a thing). It’s the perfect surface for bread making. My marble slab sits on my
wood countertops 24/7. What makes clean up such a breeze is the super inexpensive dough
scraper. This can be used to turn the dough (so I don’t have to get it on my hands), transfer the
loaves to proofing baskets, and scrape the marble work surface free of any extra flour in just a
few swipes. It’s the best. Literally. The best.
Want to know how to bake better bread at home? Follow #1-7. You’ll do great things.
As a special nod to more delicious bread, I’m going to share my favorite Everyday Einkorn Loaf
with you. To good bread baking!
Everyday Einkorn Bread
• 120 grams warm water
• 400 grams all-purpose einkorn flour
• 200 grams whole-grain einkorn flour (or whole grain flour of choice)
• 2 teaspoons salt
Instructions: 1. For the levain, combine the sourdough starter, 120 grams of water, and 130 grams of all-
purpose einkorn flour together in a large non-metallic bowl. Use a fork to combine until
smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for 3 hours until
small bubbles begin to appear on the surface.
2. After that time, add in 315 grams of warm water to the levain. Stir to combine. Add in the
400 grams of all-purpose einkorn flour, 200 grams of whole-grain einkorn flour, and salt.
Use a wooden spoon or stiff spatula to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap again
and set aside for fifteen minutes.
3. Dump the bowl contents onto a gently floured marble slab. Use a dough scraper to fold
the dough in on itself from each side. Place the bowl upside down over the dough and let
it rest for another fifteen minutes.
4. Repeat the dough scraping and folding once more. Again, place the bowl upside down
over the dough and let it rest another fifteen minutes.
5. Repeat the dough scraping and folding once more. This time, transfer the dough back
into the bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and set aside for four hours to proof.
6. Preheat a Dutch oven and it’s lid in a 475-degree oven for 1 hour.
7. While the oven is preheating, use a bowl scraper (or mason jar lid) to scrape the proofed
dough onto a gently floured cutting board. Gently shape the dough by grabbing the edges
of the dough and pressing them back into the center with your fingertips. Transfer the
loaf to a heavily floured proofing basket. Cover the basket with plastic wrap and let proof
at room temperature for 1 hour.
8. When you’re ready to bake the bread, remove the Dutch oven from the hot oven. Remove
the lid. Carefully flip the proofing basket into the Dutch oven to transfer the bread in.
Cut the top with a razor blade or sharp knife if desired. Replace the lid and bake for 30
minutes. Remove the lid and bake for an additional 15 minutes until the bread is deeply
golden and sounds hollow when tapped.
9. Remove the Dutch oven from the oven and remove the bread to a wire cooling rack. Let
cool for at least an hour before slicing.
Einkorn Focaccia with Rosemary For the pre-ferment:
• 30g active sourdough starter (or small pinch active dry yeast)
• 130g warm water
• 120g all-purpose einkorn flour
For the bread: • Additional small pinch active dry yeast (omit if using a sourdough starter)
• 250g warm water
• 480g all-purpose einkorn flour
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Instructions: 1. Mix together the pre-ferment ingredients in a small bowl and use a fork to combine them
until creamy and smooth. Cover the bowl will plastic wrap and place in a warm location
for a few hours.
2. When the pre-ferment has begun to bubble and show life, combine it in a large bowl
with the additional yeast (if using), water, and olive oil. Use a whisk to combine the
ingredients well.
3. Add in the additional flour and 1 teaspoon of the sea salt and combine with a wooden
spoon until you’re left with a shaggy, wet dough. Cover the bowl and let it sit for 30
minutes.
4. Dust a cutting board (untreated marble works best) with additional flour and turn the
dough out onto the board. Use a dough scraper to fold the dough over itself a few times.
This will strengthen the einkorn’s weak gluten and smooth the dough.
5. Transfer the smooth dough back into the dough bowl and cover tightly with plastic
wrap. Set the bowl aside for 3-5 hours.
6. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
7. While the oven is preheating, oil a 12” cast iron skillet. Using a stiff spatula, transfer
the wet, soft dough from the bowl into the skillet. Gently oil your fingers with olive oil
and begin to press the dough with your fingertips to spread it evenly around the skillet.
Create small holes into the dough with your fingertips, never allowing them to poke all
the way through.
8. Lastly, combine the last teaspoon of sea salt and the rosemary with the water and olive
oil in a small bowl. Stir to dissolve the salt. Pour this mixture over the top of your bread
and allow it to flow into the small holes.
9. Cover the bread and allow it to rise for one hour while your oven preheats and gets nice
and hot.
10. Bake for 30 minutes, until the crust is golden. Allow to cool to room temperature before
devouring (if you can stand it!).
Tip: I usually mix the pre-ferment after washing dinner dishes. Then, right before bed, I mix together
the bread, allowing it to rise overnight while I sleep. I place it in a cool location so that it doesn’t rise
too quickly. In the morning, I wake up, preheat the oven, and shape the bread. This allows us to eat
the bread fresh for breakfast and nibble on any leftovers throughout the day.
Sourdough Seeded Rye Loaf
Much as a love a French boule, this loaf takes a close second in my book. I’m simply wild about
the nutty flavor of the rye flour and the toasted seeds. It is a bread that has depth. If you’re new
to bread, this is a great loaf to start with, as the bread pan does most of the shaping for you.
For the preferment • 30 grams sourdough starter
For the bread • 180 grams milk, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1 cup mixed seeds (pumpkin, sesame, sunflower, etc.)
Instructions: 1. Combine the preferment ingredients in a large glass bowl. Use a wooden spoon to
completely combine, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature for 2-3
hours.
2. To the preferment, add in the milk, molasses, and rye flour. Stir to completely combine.
Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.
3. Add in the einkorn flour and sea salt. Stir to completely combine. Cover with plastic
wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.
4. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and use a dough scraper to gently fold
the edges of the dough back in on itself for just a few minutes until the dough begins to
smooth out and combine.
5. Add the dough back into the bowl, cover once again, and set it aside to rise for 2-3 hours
at room temperature.
6. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
7. Butter a cast iron bread pan.
8. Get a tea towel damp. Sprinkle the seeds over the middle of the tea towel.
9. Turn the risen dough out once again onto a floured work surface and shape it in a 7” long
cylinder. Add this cylinder right onto the seeds on the tea towel. Lift the towel up by the
edges and shimmy and shake the loaf around in the seeds. The weight of the bread will
squish the seeds into the dough and the dampness of the towel will ensure they stick.
10. Transfer the seeded roll into the bread pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let the bread
rest at room temperature for 45 minutes while the oven continues to preheat.
11. Bake the bread for 30-40 minutes, until deeply golden and hollow sounding when tapped.
12. Let cool completely before slicing.
Happy baking!

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© 2020 Shaye Elliott. All Rights Reserved