I love the routine of making tin loaves. Not only are they a bit of a breeze to cobble together (especially in comparison with an artisan boule) but the crisp exterior that comes from baking in a tin provides sheer joy each and every time it emerges from the oven. My family instantly are instantly jostled into a conversation about what to spread on (or in) it to make the meanest sandwich yet…and it rarely disappoints.

I’ve been testing a few ten minute loaves recently using a young starter, and whilst the results are pretty decent, I wanted to introduce two sets of folds into the mix to see what it would come out like, along with a mix of ancient grains to create a more complex flavour.

So here we have it - my Spelt & Einkorn Seeded Tin Loaf - a glorious crusty number with stacks of fibre-rich seeds and the goodness of Einkorn - a 100% wholegrain organic flour from Gilchesters Organics. Not only is this flour 4 x higher in beta carotene than standard wheat flour, it’s also got a much lower gluten content and therefore, a little easier on digestion. It worked beautifully with the spelt and some traditional white bread flour. I think I’ll increase the amount of Einkorn next time and see what kind of results I can get. In the meantime, this will do just nicely!

INGREDIENTS:

• 350g warm water (32C)

• 50g active starter

• 100g Organic Einkorn flour

• 100g Spelt flour

• 300g strong white bread flour

• 10g salt

• 10g warm water

• Handful of mixed seeds

METHOD:

1. Add the water and starter to a bowl and whisk together

2. Add the flours to the water and mix in by hand until no dry bits of flour remain, leave to autolyse for 30 minutes

3. Add the salt, the additional 10g warm water and use your hands to move the dough around the bowl until you feel it gaining elasticity. Cover and leave for 30 minutes.

4. Perform two sets of stretch and folds, 30 minutes apart, then move the dough to your baking tin and leave covered on the kitchen counter overnight.

5. Preheat the oven to 220C and bake for 20 minutes, then reduce to 200C, turn the tin sideways and bake for a further 20 minutes.

6. Once baked, leave to cool completely before slicing.