Process
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.
Prepare the seeds
20 min roasting, then cooling
Roast the weighed seeds at 180 °C, monitoring colour and smell. Add the weighed soaking water. Cool completely and incorporate both seeds AND water. The initial 1:1 soak assumes a mix without a high chia/flax proportion.
Move on when: Cool seeds, no burnt smell. If absorption differs, measure and adjust soaking water separately.
Mix flour and water; rest
60 min; extend towards 90 min only while the dough holds
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.
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.
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.
Knead without tearing
Two 2-minute sequences separated by 5 min rest
On the bench, gently push part of the dough with your palm, fold and turn a quarter turn. Use a scraper to release it. Alternate short work and rest; do not force strong retraction. Add reserved water gradually only if retained. Weigh any unused water and record final temperature. Incorporate the cooled seeds and their allocated water at the end of mixing.
Move on when: Cohesion, a smoothing surface and better strength after resting. Stop if tearing increases or structure breaks down.
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.
Develop structure with folds
2–4 possible sets; observe every 30 min
Lift one side until resistance, fold and turn the tub. Work around without tearing. For very supple but cohesive dough, lift the centre so the ends fold underneath. Cover and reassess after about 30 min; repeat only if strength benefits. Stop when sufficiently structured or already well aerated.
Move on when: Better strength after resting without increasing tears. The number of folds is not a target.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.