SIMPLE.Signature
Bread by hand
Free recipes

SIMPLE · HAND MIXING

Einkorn

Einkorn with strong wheat flour. Handle gently and assess the actual flour batch.

Formula for 1,000 g raw dough. Mature rye starter at 100% hydration. Room and flour at 22 °C, starter at 18 °C, proof at 24 °C, fridge measured at 4 °C: starting conditions to verify, not a universal optimum. T80 is a French flour classification; do not automatically substitute a local grade.

Proposed process, not presented as production-validated. Times and temperatures do not scale with batch weight. Starter water and flour are included; soaking water is separate. Tray oil, dusting flour and toppings are extra.

Contains gluten. Also check allergens in seeds and all other ingredients.

Hydration excluding soaking water: 85.9%

Process

  1. Prepare the starter

    SIMPLE reference: at least 12 h at 18 °C

    Prepare the mature starter weight shown in the table, plus a separate mother-starter reserve. Use a marked jar and record time, temperature and starting height. Hold at 18 °C. The 12-hour reference must be adjusted to the feeding ratio and observed peak.

    Move on when: Steady rise, distributed bubbles and a supported top. Do not treat an already collapsed starter as if it were at its peak.

  2. Mix flour and water; rest

    20–30 min

    Mix all added flours with the dough water, retaining the separately displayed reserve from that same water allowance. Do not add starter or salt yet. Cover. The autolyse concerns fresh flour; the rye flour in the starter has already fermented.

    Move on when: All flour is hydrated; extensibility improves without liquefaction.

  3. Add salt and starter by hand

    3–5 min as an initial estimate

    After the flour–water rest, add salt with some reserved water, then starter. Gently pinch and fold to distribute. Keep remaining water aside. Use a scraper and lightly damp hands; avoid unweighed flour additions.

    Move on when: No starter streaks or dry patches; a homogeneous dough.

  4. Rest before hand kneading

    5 min, covered

    Cover and let the dough relax. This rest is part of the manual working sequence, before the 30-minute bulk rest. Measure temperature.

    Move on when: The dough extends more easily. If it is above the target, pause somewhere cooler and remeasure.

  5. Knead gently

    1–2 min, then observe

    Use short stretches and gentle folds in the bowl. Stop once sufficiently cohesive; do not seek a strong-wheat windowpane. Add reserved water gradually only if retained. Weigh unused water and record final temperature.

    Move on when: Cohesion, a smoothing surface and better strength after resting. Stop if tearing increases or structure breaks down.

  6. Initial bulk rest

    30 min

    Place in a marked tub, cover and record temperature and height. Aim around 24 °C if possible.

    Move on when: The dough begins to relax; follow volume as well as time.

  7. Fold only if useful

    0–2 gentle sets according to strength

    After resting, check strength. A gentle fold may help a spreading but cohesive dough. Reduce the movement and stop if it tears or weakens. Do not impose four sets.

    Move on when: Better strength after resting without increasing tears. The number of folds is not a target.

  8. Mature in the tub

    6 h in a refrigerator measured at 4 °C

    Refrigerate after fermentation has begun, in a shallow covered tub. Check core temperature: a large mass cools slowly. Do not automatically add a long warm rise to this cold process.

    Move on when: Aerated but still cohesive and extensible. Stop before collapse. Refrigeration slows fermentation but does not stop it instantly.

  9. Divide, preshape and rest

    20 min bench rest

    Divide at the chosen piece weight, weighing each piece. Preshape gently and cover. If some water was held back, reweigh the actual dough before division.

    Move on when: Pieces can be shaped without tearing; extend the rest slightly if they retract.

  10. Shape and proof

    First check at 60 min; room at 24 °C

    Preserve gas and create even surface tension. Place seam-up in a floured banneton for hearth baking. Cover. Allow more proof if cold pieces remain firm.

    Move on when: Inflated and light, with a gentle indentation returning slowly without collapse. With rye, also observe surface and expansion: no single test is enough.

  11. Bake

    35–45 min for a small loaf

    Hearth oven / Rofco: fully preheat the baking surface. Start at 240–250 °C on loading, then 210–220 °C after 15–20 min; adjust for levels and radiation. Score just before loading. Use steam only through a manufacturer-approved method and vent towards the end. In a Rofco, record each level and recovery between batches.

    Move on when: Coloured crust and baked base. A core around 96–98 °C is an initial reference; validate using cooled crumb.

  12. Cool and assess

    At least 2 h; longer for rye

    Cool on a rack without stacking. Wait before slicing and packaging. Weigh when cool and record mass loss, crumb and flavour.

    Move on when: No packaging condensation; settled crumb. Measured mass loss will later relate raw dough weight to sale weight.

Record final temperature, actual timings, starter at use, shaping, cooled weight, crumb and flavour. Raw weight does not guarantee baked weight: measure the loss.