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 it 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 triples in volume.

The Grain Soaker Setup: Weigh your 25g of oats and 50g of mixed grains/seeds into a dry skillet. Toast over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes until incredibly fragrant. Transfer them immediately to a heatproof bowl, pour 180g of hot boiling water directly over them, cover tightly, and let them soak on your counter overnight.

7:00 AM – The Soaker Autolyse: In your stand mixer bowl, combine the 125g of bread flour, 125g of stone-ground whole wheat flour, 55g of water, and all of your prepared overnight grain soaker (including any residual unabsorbed liquid). Mix with a spoon just until all dry patches entirely disappear. Cover tightly and let it autolyse on your counter for 1 full hour.

8:00 AM – Levain & Honey Integration: Add 50g of your active overnight starter peak and 25g of honey directly into the shaggy, hydrated autolysed dough. Mix on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes (or use a KitchenAid mixer on speed 3 for 3 to 4 minutes) until completely uniform and incorporated. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.

8:30 AM – Salt & Butter Emulsification: Add your 6g of salt directly to the bowl and mix on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes until well incorporated. Next, add the 25g of softened unsalted butter. Increase the mixer to medium speed and knead for 3 to 5 minutes until the butter fat is completely emulsified and the dough becomes more smooth, strong, and obedient, though it will remain slightly sticky at the bottom.

The 30-Minute Fold Intervals: Cover the bowl tightly and keep it at a warm 74–78°F (23–26°C). Because the dense whole grains and honey accelerate wild yeast activity, perform 4 rounds of structured quadrant stretch-and-folds spaced precisely 30 minutes apart: 9:00 AM: 1st Stretch & Fold (Wet your hands, lift one edge high, and fold over center; repeat for all 4 quadrants). 9:30 AM: 2nd Stretch & Fold. 10:00 AM: 3rd Stretch & Fold. 10:30 AM: 4th Stretch & Fold.

The Post-Fold Rise: After the 4th fold, let the dough proof completely untouched for 30 minutes at a warm 76–80°F (24–26°C). Look for a 40% to 50% volume increase, a lighter texture, and fine bubbles scattering across the surface.

11:00 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 down. Fold the outer edges cleanly onto itself so that the raw flour coating remains entirely on the outside of the loaf. Round the dough into a loose ball and let it rest on your counter completely uncovered for 30 minutes to relax the gluten network.

11:30 AM – Final Shaping & Seed Coating: Dust the top of the dough round with whole wheat flour and use a dough scraper to flip it over. Pull the right two corners outward and fold them up into the center; repeat on the left side. Roll the dough tightly away from you into a perfectly smooth, taut roll. Spray the exterior of the shaped roll generously with water using a misting bottle, then roll it directly through your wide dish of extra seeds or oats until it is heavily coated.

Basket Stabilization & Fridge Retard: Transfer the seeded roll seam-side up into your well-floured proofing basket. Cover with plastic wrap and return the basket to a warm 78°F (26°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 at a stable 40°F (4°C).

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 seeded loaf basket from the fridge. Flip it over gently onto a sheet of parchment paper and score the seeded 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 and exterior seed coat are deeply golden-brown and fragrant. Let cool on a wire rack for 2 full hours before slicing!