Overnight Rye Bread

Ingredients:
For the soaker:

• 2 ½ cups 7-grain hot cereal mix (Bob’s Red Mill)
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup pumpkin seeds
• ½ cup flax seeds
• 2 ⅔ cups cold water

For the dough:

• 2 cups dark rye flour, plus more for dusting
• 2 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon instant dried yeast
• 1 ½ cups cold water
• 4 teaspoons salt
• ¼ cup molasses
• Butter for greasing the pan

Preparation:
Soaker: Combine all the ingredients for the soaker in a medium bowl. Cover and let sit 8-12 hours. Do not drain.

Dough: Combine flour, yeast, and water in a separate bowl. Stir to combine (the mixture will be thick), and then knead briefly with your hands. The dough will be very thick and clay-like in texture. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature 8-12 hours.

Grease a 13 x 4-inch Pullman loaf pan with butter and dust with rye flour, including the lid. Set it aside. Combine the soaker, flour mixture, salt, and molasses in the bowl of a stand mixer. Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed for 2-3 minutes until everything is thoroughly combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl from time to time. Increase speed to medium and mix for an additional 2-3 minutes, stopping to occasionally scrape down the sides of the bowl. The mixture will be sticky.

Transfer the dough to the pan. Smooth out the top and sift a thin layer of rye flour over the surface of the dough. Place the lid on the pan and let the dough rise for 1½ -3 hours at room temperature or until it is about ½ inch from the top of the pan.

Preheat the oven to 500° F. Bake the loaf with the lid on for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 400° F and continue to bake, covered, for an additional 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and carefully slide the lid off. Reduce the temperature to 325° F and bake, uncovered, for an additional 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately turn the loaf out onto a metal cooling rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Return the bread to the oven for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool completely before slicing for at least 3 hours. The bread will keep at room temperature for 3-5 days loosely wrapped in foil.