Every loaf we serve starts the day before. The process is slow, but most of it is waiting, and the waiting is where the flavour comes from.
The starter
Our starter is older than the restaurant. It lives in a glass jar by the bread oven and is fed twice a day with flour and water, the same way it has been for fourteen years.
Mixing and folding
In the afternoon we mix flour, water, salt and starter, then fold the dough every half hour for three hours. No kneading. The folds build strength gently and keep the crumb open.
Shaping by hand on a lightly floured bench, about a kilo per loaf.
A long, cold rest
The shaped loaves rest overnight in the cold room. The slow rise gives the bread its gentle sourness and a crust that blisters in the oven.
Into the oven
We bake at first light in heavy pots with the lids on for the first twenty minutes, then uncovered until the crust is deep brown. By the time we open, the loaves have cooled enough to tear.
