10:00 PM – Starter Build: In a small glass jar, add your 5g of starter culture to 35g of water and whisk together cleanly. Stir in 30g of all-purpose or bread flour and 5g of rye flour. Mix thoroughly, cover loosely, and let sit at room temperature 74--78°F (23--26°C) overnight for 8 to 10 hours until the starter reaches its peak and at least doubles or triples in volume.

10:00 PM – Malt Saccharification Soaker: In a small lunch thermos, whisk 25g of rye malt and 25g of rye flour with 75g of hot boiling water until it forms a uniform, thick paste consistency. Seal the thermos tightly. The soaker must rest undisturbed at roughly 149°F (65°C) for 9 to 12 hours to trigger the chemical breakdown of starches into natural sugars. (Alternative: If you do not own a thermos, mix the soaker in a standard bowl, preheat your home oven to 350°F, turn the oven completely off, cover the bowl tightly with wrap, and leave it overnight inside the warm oven with the oven light turned on).

6:00 AM – The Flavor Autolyse: In your stand mixer bowl, combine all 120g of your warm rye malt soaker, 180g of main water, 280g of bread flour, and 20g of whole wheat flour. Mix mechanically just until a rough, shaggy dough forms and no dry flour spots remain. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in a warm spot for 1 full hour to completely hydrate the flour particles and naturally initiate gluten development.

7:00 AM – Sourdough Starter Integration: Add 70g of your active overnight starter peak directly into the autolysed dough mass. Turn your mixing machine on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes (or use a KitchenAid mixer on speed 3 for 3 to 4 minutes) until the starter is completely incorporated. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.

7:30 AM – Bassinage & Salt Incorporation: Add your 8g of salt along with the remaining 25g of held-back water into the bowl. This secondary hydration step (bassinage) tightens the gluten fibers. Mix on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes (or on a KitchenAid on speed 3 for 5 to 6 minutes) until the liquid is fully absorbed. The dough will pull together cleanly but should remain slightly sticky on the bottom of the bowl. Let rest for 30 minutes at 74--78°F (23--26°C).

8:00 AM – Cranberry Lamination: Spray your clean work surface lightly with water and wet your hands. Gently tip the dough out and stretch it as thin as possible without ripping the matrix. Scatter the 1/2 cup of dried cranberries evenly across the entire surface of the stretched dough sheet. Fold the dough cleanly over onto itself into a tight package to trap the fruit securely inside. Place into a proofing container and let rest for 45 minutes.

8:45 AM – 1st Stretch & Fold: Wet your hands slightly. Lift one side of the dough up cleanly from the edge and fold it directly over the center. Repeat this action for all four quadrants of the dough mass to build structured vertical tension. Cover and let rest for 45 minutes.

9:30 AM – 2nd Stretch & Fold: Execute your second structured round of quadrant folds to organize the expanding gluten network. Cover and let rest for 45 minutes.

10:15 AM – 3rd Stretch & Fold: Execute the third and final stretch-and-fold round. Cover and let the dough proof completely untouched for 30 minutes at a warm 76--80°F (23--26°C). The dough should look visibly lighter, show distinct surface bubbles, and hit a clean 50% volume rise.

10:45 AM – Preshaping: Gently tip the expanded dough out onto your work surface and dust the top lightly with flour. Flip the mass over so the floured side faces directly down. Fold the outer edges cleanly onto itself so that the raw flour coating remains entirely on the outside of the loaf (this ensures a beautiful crust). Round the dough into a loose ball and let it rest on your counter completely uncovered for 30 minutes to relax the gluten.

11:15 AM – Final Shaping: Dust the top of the resting dough round with flour. Use a dough scraper to flip it over onto your counter so the floured side faces down. Pull the bottom two corners outward and fold them up into the center of the dough. Repeat this exact matching movement across the top corners. Roll the dough tightly away from you, shaping it into a perfectly smooth, taut, uniform log.

Basket Stabilization & Fridge Retard: Transfer the shaped roll seam-side up into your well-floured proofing basket. Cover with plastic wrap and return the basket to a warm 80°F (27°C) spot for exactly 15 minutes to stabilize. Slide the basket directly into your refrigerator to rise slowly for 14 to 24 hours of cold fermentation retard.

Next Morning – Preheating: Preheat your oven to 500°F (260°C). Place your cast iron pan and lid onto the middle rack to heat up thoroughly for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Scoring & Loading: Remove the cold dough basket from the fridge. Flip it over gently onto a sheet of parchment paper and score the smooth surface with one clean, long, deep cut using a sharp lame or razor blade.

The Steam Bake: Transfer the dough carefully onto the smoking hot cast iron pan base, drop the heavy lid down tightly to lock in the steam, and bake at 500°F (260°C) with the lid on for exactly 15 minutes.

The Open Bake: Carefully lift the hot lid off to expose the loaf, lower the oven temperature to 450°F (232°C), and continue baking bare for an additional 20 minutes until the crust turns an incredibly deep, caramelized golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack for 2 full hours before slicing!