100% Emmer Sourdough Bread {Ancient Grain Recipe}

Learn how to make 100% Emmer sourdough bread using fresh milled emmer flour, water, salt, and starter. This ancient grain loaf is nutty, nutritious, and naturally fermented.

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What is Emmer Wheat?

Emmer is an ancient grain (one of the oldest) and has a wonderful nutty flavor as well as a myriad of health benefits.

Compared to modern wheat or white flour, you get a bread product that is full flavored and gives an earthy flavor to your baked goods.

Emmer is high in fiber, protein, magnesium, vitamins, and antioxidants.

This emmer loaf is incredibly flavorful and makes the best sandwiches.

Why bake with Emmer?

This ancient grain has a weaker gluten structure that is well tolerated for those who have sensitivity to modern day wheat.

This 100% Emmer bread is made with just a few basic ingredients, but is anything but boring! A rich, nutty flavor balanced by the signature tang of the sourdough starter.

Making sourdough bread with 100% Emmer makes a slightly stickier dough because of the weaker gluten strands.

This different gluten structure makes the bread more easily digested and adding the long fermentation benefits of sourdough only elevate these effects.

If you find it hard to tolerate wheat, do your own personal research on Ancient Grains and see if they could work for you.

Looking for an sourdough bread made with Einkorn flour? Click here!

Learn how to make a sourdough starter here! It’s actually very easy to make a starter of wild yeast for all of your baking!

Try my whole wheat sourdough bread recipe, HERE!

Wondering where to get Emmer Berries? Click here!

Ingredients and Tools for making 100% Emmer Sourdough Bread

Ingredients

Emmer Flour – I use freshly milled Emmer flour for the full flavor and health benefits. Whole grain flour has so many benefits! You can mix different flours if you prefer. Add at least 1/2 Emmer for the benefits and flavor.

Sourdough Starter – Use active, bubbly sourdough starter.

Water – For best results, use filtered water.

Salt – I prefer to use sea salt.

Tools

Grain Mill – I use the Nutrimill Grain Mill

Mixing Bowl

Loaf Pan – I use a Lodge Loaf Pan

Kitchen Scale – A kitchen scale is a very inexpensive tool that will help you get consistent results when making sourdough artisan bread.

Sharp knife, Razor, or Lame – I have this Lame I have and use weekly.

Baking vessel – I prefer to use this Granite Ware Roasting Pan because my loaf pan fits it in well. If you don’t have one, add another loaf pan on top of the bread for the first 20 minutes and then remove for the remainder of time.

Instructions for making this recipe

Feed Your Starter

The day before you want to make this bread, feed your starter and put it in the fridge. It will be ready for baking the next morning.

Mill your grains

Mill your Emmer berries on a fine setting of your grain mill.

Mix the dough and Autolyse

In a large mixing bowl, add the water and sourdough starter. Mix well until the liquid is milky and the sourdough starter is fully dissolved in the water.

Add the flour and salt.

Mix with a danish dough whisk or wooden spoon until no dry flour bits remain.

The dough will be tacky and shaggy.

Cover with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and let the dough rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Stretch and Folds

After the dough has rested for 30 minutes, it’s time to start a series of 4-6 stretch and folds.

To perform a set of stretch and folds, lift up on one corner of the dough and fold it over onto the center of the dough.

Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat all the way around the bowl.

Aim to do 4-6 sets of stretch and folds approximately 15-30 minutes apart covering in between.

Bulk Fermentation

After the last set of stretch and folds, cover and let ferment for an additional 2-3 hours.

Take note that sourdough bread made with Emmer seems to ferment more quickly so be aware and keep an eye on the dough.

When the dough feels puffy and airy, go ahead and shape for the fridge. It’s better to under proof on the bulk fermentation for this recipe than to over proof.

Shape the dough

Prepare a loaf pan by spraying it with oil or lining it with a piece of parchment paper.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface.

To shape the dough, pat it out into a rectangle and then roll up the dough as tightly as possible into a loaf shape.

After that, turn the dough over and drag it across the table to build surface tension on the top of the dough.

Surface tension is important as it has a direct affect on the oven rise of the bread.

Place the dough, seam side down, in the loaf pan.

Final Proof/Cold Ferment

Cover and put directly in the fridge overnight.

Score and Bake

The next day, preheat the oven with the baking vessel inside to 450 degrees F.

Carefully remove the hot vessel from the oven and remove the lid.

Take the loaf out of the fridge and carefully lower the loaf pan into the roasting pan. If you don’t have a roasting pan, place another loaf pan on top of the loaf and bake covered for 20 minutes and then remove the second loaf pan and bake an additional 15 minutes.

Return the lid and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Remove the lid and bake an additional 15 minutes.

Let the bread cool on a wire rack completely before slicing.

Slice with a sharp bread knife on a cutting board.

Storage

Store bread in a plastic bread bag or an airtight container on the counter for 3-4 days.

Freeze the loaf in a freezer safe bag for up to 3 months. I prefer to slice my loaf before freezing.

Tips for making this dough and working with Emmer Flour

Internal Temperature – Your bread should reach an internal temperature of 195-205 degrees F.

Working with sticky dough – This dough is a bit on the sticky side, so have a small bowl of water nearby to keep your fingers damp while working with the dough. When working with whole wheat flour, keep in mind you want it to be on the wet side for a better rise and airier tender crumb.

Fermentation times – For a more sour flavor, only allow the dough to ferment on the first rise throughout the stretch and folds and go ahead and shape the dough. Put in the banneton basket and into the fridge for an extended cold fermentation.

Temperature has so much to do with proofing time. The warmer the environment, the more quickly the dough will rise, the cooler, the longer it takes.

This will give you more control over the rise since this wheat variety seems to over ferment more easily than modern wheat.

FAQ’s dealing with Emmer Flour

Serving Suggestions

Take a fresh slice of the emmer sourdough bread and dip it in a small plate olive oil, sea salt, and herbs.

This 100% emmer sourdough bread pairs perfectly with avocado for the best avocado toast!

Make the best grilled cheese with this bread.

In conclusion

I encourage you to experiment with ancient grains in your baking. You can start out with 1/2 ancient grain and 1/2 modern wheat and work you way to 100%.

Hopefully, I have inspired you to make this amazing bread and find the wonderful benefits of this ancient grain!

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