Rustic Flax Seed Bread

Step 1: The day before or early in the morning, refresh your sourdough starter with equal weights of flour and water. Let double in volume and use or refrigerate.

Step 2: If not using a starter, add the listed starter ingredients to the bowl of your mixer.

Step 3: Add the "dough" water to the starter or starter ingredients. Add the "dough" dry ingredients. With the paddle attachment, mix well and let rest covered for 10 minutes.

Step 4: Switch to the dough hook and knead for 8 minutes, stopping once to incorporate any dough in the bottom into the main body of the dough.

Step 5: Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and stretch and fold the dough by stretching the dough on an oiled counter with oiled hands into a rectangle and folding letter-style top down, bottom up and then stretch and fold the sides in to form a rough cubic package.

Step 6: Place in an oiled, straight-sided container covered. Clear containers work best to judge when the dough has doubled in volume. Let rest for 10 minutes.

Step 7: Stretch and fold one more time, cover the container and place in the fridge for at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours.

Step 8: When ready to bake, the dough should have doubled in volume or tripped. Tip the dough onto a very lightly floured counter and gently form into a ball or torpedo shape.

Step 9: Place in a floured or oiled bowl or a proofing basket (seam side up). Cover with oiled plastic and proof at room temperature about 30 minutes to proof.

Step 10: Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 F with a steam pan (a skillet you add 1 cup hot water to).

Step 11: When the dough is 1 1/2 times the original volume, turn out the loaf (seam down) onto parchment paper (not oiled) and score with a sharp knife or razor blade.

Step 12: Bake for 12 min with steam, rotate loaf and remove steam pan.

Step 13: Bake for 15 more minutes without steam and check internal temperature. Bake until 205 F internally.