There is something special about rye bread. It reminds me of home and of my childhood. This bread is essential to my culture. It comes in many shapes and sizes, and it is made with various ingredients; some of which add complexity of flavour and some of which make it sweeter or longer lasting.

Usually, rye bread is naturally leavened which means that it is made with a sourdough culture. It not only intensifies the flavour, but also prevents starch attack which is a process whereby the enzymes in rye flour convert starches to sugars in such high quantities that the resulting bread turns out sticky and unpleasant.

My recipe combines intensely flavoured ingredients, sweetening, scalding, and potato all of which work together to create a bread with a complex flavour, bouncy texture, and great shelf life. There is no need to worry about starch attack since I’m using white rye flour which is not as rich in the sugar creating enzymes.

The fermented rye malt is an ingredient which may not be easy to come by depending on where in the world you reside. I usually order it off eBay from Russia. It takes weeks to arrive, but it’s worth the wait. There is nothing quite like it and without it these types of dark rye breads will not be the same.

Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.

Ingredients

For the scald –

50g (1.75oz) mashed potato

100g (3.5oz) white rye flour

30g (1oz) fermented rye malt

10g (0.35oz) salt

10g (0.35oz) caraway seeds

30g (1oz) barley malt syrup

390g (13.75oz) boiling water

For the main dough –

5g (0.17oz) instant dry yeast or 6g (0.21oz) active dry yeast or 15g (0.53oz) fresh yeast

100g (3.5oz) white wheat bread flour

300g (10.6oz) white rye flour

To learn more about no-knead bread dough temperature control click here.

If you are using active dry yeast, then you may need to let it sit in the scald for 10 minutes before adding the other ingredients or else it could take a lot longer to raise the dough.

Method

1. Cook the potato. Peel and cut the potato in large chunks. Cover with water, bring up to a boil, and cook for 25 minutes or until completely soft.
2. Weigh out the required amount of potato in a large bowl. Place the potato water back onto the cooker to keep it boiling.
3. Mash the potato, add the white rye flour, fermented rye malt, salt, caraway seeds, and syrup. Pour the boiling water over the ingredients and then whisk the mix until smooth. Cover and leave to cool down to room temperature.
4. Add the yeast and white wheat bread flour to the scald. Mix well. Add the white rye flour and mix to a dough. *Desired dough temperature around 25C (77F). If your dough is warmer, then it will ferment more rapidly. If it is cooler, then it will take longer. Adjust fermentation time accordingly.
5. Cover and bulk ferment for 1.5 hours.
6. Tip the dough out on the table. Pinch off 20g of dough and place in a small bowl. Mix with 20g of water. This will be used as a glaze later.
7. Shape the loaf and place it in a banneton or in a fabric lined bowl.
8. Cover and final proof for 1 – 1.5 hours. *During this time pre-heat the oven to 180C (355F) fan on or 200C (390F) fan off. Also, pre-heat the baking vessel if you are using one.
9. Invert the loaf on a piece of baking paper and brush it with the glaze.
10. Place in the pre-heated pan and cover with a lid. Bake with the lid on for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for 15 minutes. Finally, spray the loaf with water and bake it for 5 more minutes. If you don’t have a baking pan, then bake the loaf on a tray for 40 minutes, then spray it with water and bake for another 5 minutes.

Leave to cool down completely before slicing.

Keep in mind that the conditions in each kitchen are different, so fermentation times may vary for you. It is up to the baker to control the bread and react accordingly.

Your oven may be different too, so your baking time may vary.

This one is quite similar to the other dark rye bread recipe I posted recently. With a few changes like using some wholegrain rye flour for extra flavour, skipping the pre-ferment for simplicity, and glazing the loaf towards the end of the bake, this bread turned out to be quite unique.

It is soft and bouncy with a rich aroma and flavour. The crust is beautifully shiny and soft thanks to the glaze. And like most other rye breads it will stay soft for days.

Adjustments are always welcome. You can swap the caraway for fennel, use other sweet syrups, and even change the shape of the loaf. The glaze can also be changed to one of the 15 glazes I made a video about a while back.

Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.

Ingredients

For the scald –

200g (7oz) wholegrain rye flour

40g (1.4oz) rye malt powder

40g (1.4oz) molasses

10g (0.35oz) caraway seeds

280g (9.9oz) boiling water

For the main dough –

100g (3.5oz) warm water

20g (0.7oz) apple cyder vinegar

5g (0.17oz) instant dry yeast or 6g (0.21oz) active dry yeast or 15g (0.52oz) fresh yeast

10g (0.35oz) salt

100g (3.5oz) white rye flour

100g (3.5oz) white wheat bread flour

100g (3.5oz) wholegrain rye flour

For the glaze –

80g (2.8oz) water

2g (0.07oz) cornstarch

Method

1. Make the scald. In a large bowl combine the wholegrain rye flour, rye malt powder, caraway seeds, molasses, and boiling water. Mix well. Leave to cool down.
2. Make the dough. Add the water, vinegar, salt, and yeast to the scald. Mix well. Add the white rye flour and mix again. Add the wheat flour and the wholegrain rye flour and mix to a dough. *Desired dough temperature 25C (77F). If your dough is warmer, then it will ferment more rapidly. If it is cooler, then it will take longer. Adjust fermentation time accordingly.
3. Cover and ferment for 1 hour.
4. Fold.
5. Ferment for 1 more hour.
6. Shape and place in a breadbasket.
7. Final proof for 1 hour.
8. Invert the dough onto a piece of non-stick paper and spray the surface with water.
9. Place in a pre-heated oven at 250C (480F) fan off and turn the temperature down to 190C (375F) immediately.
10. Bake for 30 minutes.
11. Remove the lid form the pan and place the loaf back into the oven to bake for 15 minutes.
12. Make the glaze. Combine the water and cornstarch in a small pan and place on high heat. Cook whilst stirring until the mix thickens. It will take a couple of minutes.
13. Remove the bread from the oven and brush with the glaze all over.
14. Place it back into the oven to set the glaze for another 5 – 10 minutes or until the glaze looks dry.
15. Leave to cool down for a couple hours. Wrap in clingfilm and leave to mature overnight before slicing.

Keep in mind that the conditions in each kitchen are different, so fermentation times may vary for you. It is up to the baker to control the bread and react accordingly.

Your oven may be different too, so your baking time may vary.

I’ve been baking a lot of rye breads lately and I’ve enjoyed the process thoroughly. Learning new things about the specific methods has been an eye-opening experience. There will be a rye baking principles video coming in the near future, but while that is not ready yet let’s talk about one of the most important principles tackled in this recipe.

Rye flour does not produce any useable gluten for capturing fermentation gases as opposed to wheat flour. Instead, rye contains carbohydrates called arabinoxylans which absorb water and turn into a gel that is able to trap fermentation gases.

This starchy gel is also responsible for keeping rye breads fresher for longer and preventing them from losing moisture and staling.

Like other grains rye contains amylase enzymes which convert starch to simple sugars which the yeast can consume, and then produce gas to make the dough rise. The conversion of starch to sugar is called amylase degradation also known as ‘starch attack’.

The issue with rye flour is that it’s a lot richer in natural sugars than wheat. More sugar means a stickier bread. If you have moderate rye bread baking experience, then you most certainly would have run into this problem. You took your nice-looking loaf from the oven, you let it cool down and were all excited to eat it. But as you tried slicing it the knife dragged and perhaps even got stuck into the gummy interior of the bread. You did not want to give up and made a sandwich that then got stuck to your teeth as you were eating it. That is starch attack, and we want to avoid it.

One of the best methods for combating starch attach is the introduction of acidity which impairs amylase activity. That is one of the main reasons why most 100% rye breads are made with natural leavening. Sourdough starters make the dough acidic.

I don’t have a rye starter yet, and you might also not have one, but there are other ways of acidifying the dough. Various liquids like buttermilk, yogurt, vinegar. Sweet syrups like molasses or honey.

Another method for combating starch attack is scalding. Amylase enzymes become inert at 80C (175F). You can find a full video on that topic here.

And it is worth mentioning that mixing wheat flour with rye will also lessen the effect of starch attack depending on the ratio of the mixed flours. The more wheat flour there is the less you need to worry about introducing acidity, scalding, or using pre-ferments.

However, this recipe is 100% rye, and I don’t have a sourdough starter. So, we will be scalding, adding some molasses, a bit of vinegar, and we will make a yeasted pre-ferment.

The result is a heavy, bouncy, moist, and flavourful loaf that will stay fresh for many days.

It will fit in a 2lb (900g) pullman loaf tin.

Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.

Ingredients

For the scald –

250g (8.8oz) wholegrain (dark) rye flour

170g (6oz) sunflower seeds

10g (0.35oz) salt

50g (1.75oz) dark molasses

320g (11.3oz) boiling water

For the pre-ferment –

180g (6.35oz) water

20g (0.7oz) apple cyder vinegar

Pinch of yeast

250g (8.8oz) white rye flour

To finish the dough –

40g (1.4oz) water

8g (0.28oz) instant dry yeast or 9.6g (0.33oz) active dry yeast or 24g (0.85oz) fresh yeast

100g (3.5oz) more sunflower seeds to top the loaf.

If you are using active dry yeast, then you may need to let it sit in the water for 10 minutes before adding the other ingredients or else it could take a lot longer to raise the dough.

Method

1. Make the scald. Combine the wholegrain rye flour, salt, seeds, treacle, and boiling water in a large bowl. Mix well until there is no dry flour left. Cover.
2. Make the pre-ferment. In a large bowl combine the water, vinegar, pinch of yeast, and white rye flour. Mix until there is no dry flour left. Cover.
3. Leave the soaker and the pre-ferment for around 16 hours. If the pre-ferment is ready but you are not, then pop it in the fridge to stop it from over fermenting.
4. Make the dough. In a large bowl combine the remaining water and yeast. Mix well to hydrate the yeast. Add the pre-ferment and the soaker. Mix until smooth. A mixer would come in handy, but it is totally doable by hand too.
5. Scrape the dough into a greased baking tin. Wet your hand and work it into the corners making sure to press firmly. Finally, smooth out the surface and top with seeds. Press the seeds into the dough to make them stick.
6. Cover and proof for 1.5 – 2 hours or until the first cracks start appearing on the surface.
7. Cover and bake in a pre-heated oven at 160C (320F) fan off or 140C (285F) fan on for 1.5 hours.
8. Carefully remove the loaf from the tin and place it back in the oven on its side for 20 more minutes of baking. Turn it over on other side after 10 minutes.
9. Leave to cool down on a rack. Once cooled wrap it in plastic or place it back into the baking tin and cover it with a lid.
10. Leave to mature for at least 24 hours. If you cut it sooner, it will be gummy.

It’s been a long time, but now you can cut your 100% rye loaf into thin slices and enjoy it for many days.

Keep in mind that the conditions in each kitchen are different, so fermentation times may vary for you. It is up to the baker to control the bread and react accordingly.

Your oven may be different too, so your baking time may vary.

Sometimes rye bread contains more wheat flour than rye. And this is a good example of it. Bread made with only rye flour can never be as light and airy as wheat bread because rye is not as good at trapping fermentation gasses.

Personally, I think there is nothing wrong with mixing in some wheat to achieve a certain texture. That is exactly what we are going to do in this recipe.

The resulting bread is light but still has a nice chew to it. It contains plenty of seeds for taste, texture, and added nutritional value. While the grated carrots add extra moisture and sweetness. Coated in oats the loaf looks pretty good too.

Because of the high wheat content, we do not need to worry about starch attack. The pre-ferment is just there to add a bit more flavour.

Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.

Ingredients

For the pre-ferment –

100g (3.5oz) white rye flour

100g (3.5oz) water

Pinch of yeast

For the scald –

30g (1oz) sunflower seeds

30g (1oz) pumpkin seeds

30g (1oz) linseeds

30g (1oz) oats

9g (0.31oz) salt

150g (5.3oz) boiling water

For the main dough –

40g (1.4oz) water

2g (0.07oz) instant dry yeast or 2.4g (0.08oz) active dry yeast or 6g (0.21oz) fresh yeast

100g (3.5oz) grated carrot

50g (1.75oz) wholegrain rye flour

250g (8.8oz) white wheat bread flour

100g (3.5oz) oats to cover the loaf

To learn more about no-knead bread dough temperature control click here.

If you are using active dry yeast, then you may need to let it sit in the water for 10 minutes before adding the other ingredients or else it could take a lot longer to raise the dough.

Method

1. Make the scald. In a large bowl combine the seeds, oats, and salt. Pour over the boiling water and mix well. Cover.
2. Make the pre-ferment. In a small bowl combine the water, pinch of yeast, and white rye flour. Mix until there is no dry flour left. Cover.
3. Leave both the scald and the pre-ferment to do their thing for 16 hours.
4. Make the dough. Add the remaining water, yeast, and carrots to the scald. Mix well. Add the pre-ferment and mix again. Add the wholegrain rye flour. Mix.
5. Finally, add the wheat flour and mix to a dough. *Desired dough temperature around 24C (75F). If your dough is warmer, then it will ferment more rapidly. If it is cooler, then it will take longer. Adjust fermentation time accordingly.
6. Cover and ferment for 2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.
7. Shape the loaf. Tip the dough out on the table and press to degas. Shape into and oblong loaf.
8. Spray or brush with water and roll in oats to cover the whole surface.
9. Place the loaf on a non-stick paper lined baking tray. Score.
10. Cover and proof for 40 – 50 minutes.
11. Spray with water and place in a pre-heated oven at 250C (480F) fan on. As soon as you close the oven door turn down the temperature to 190C (375F).
12. Bake for 50 – 60 minutes.

Leave to cool down and enjoy!

Keep in mind that the conditions in each kitchen are different, so fermentation times may vary for you. It is up to the baker to control the bread and react accordingly.

Your oven may be different too, so your baking time may vary.

Here’s a super quick and easy scone recipe with added whole grain rye goodness for some kind of nutritional balance and great flavour. To make a nice and light scone we must use some white wheat flour. You can use white rye too.

Once again adjustments are welcome when it comes to recipes like this. Yes, a scone is kind of like cake, but more of a cake-bread hybrid, so it does not take much science and precision to make it well. Flours can be swapped; seasonings and fillings can be changed.

Swap the raisins for chopped nuts, change to different seeds, use brown sugar or some other sweet syrup instead of honey.

You can make them low-fat by not using butter. It will result in a denser more bread-like scone, but at least it will have lower calories, of course depending on what you top it with when you eat it!

This recipe makes 6 scones. 4 perfectly square ones and 2 made from trimmings. If you multiply the recipe to make more scones you will have fewer trimmings in relation to the number of scones, so you’ll get more perfect pieces in the end.

Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.

Ingredients

For the dough –

125g (4.4oz) wholegrain (dark) rye flour

125g (4.4oz) white wheat flour (all purpose or cake flour)

3g (0.1oz) salt

40g (1.4oz) raisins, currants, cranberries, chocolate chips, or chopped nuts

4g (0.14oz) toasted anise seeds

12g (0.42oz) baking powder or 6g (0.21oz) baking soda

1 egg (around 50g; 1.75oz)

170g (6oz) buttermilk

20g (0.7oz) honey

60g (2.1oz) cold butter (if you choose to use it)

1 egg for glazing

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 190C (375F) fan on or 210C (410F) fan off.
2. Combine the flours, salt, baking powder, anise seeds, and raisins. Mix well.
3. If you are using butter, then rub it with the dry ingredients until the mix becomes evenly crumbly.
4. Combine the buttermilk, honey, and egg. Mix well.
5. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix to a dough.
6. Tip the dough out on a heavily floured surface and cover the dough with flour on all sides. Flatted and cut into portions. Press the trimmings together to make a couple more scones.
7. Place on a non-stick paper lined baking tray and brush with egg.
8. Bake on the middle shelf for 15 minutes or until nicely browned all over.

These rye squares are the best thing since sliced bread because there is no need to slice them at all. They come out the oven pre-sliced. Even better still you can trim the edges and tear the squares apart into two pieces which can then be used to make closed sandwiches. Two in one, now that’s an efficient recipe!

As ever they are super easy to make and don’t take a long time either. You can swap the honey for some other sweet syrup like treacle or maple syrup. Swap the caraway for cumin, anise, or fennel. Toast the seeds and grind them up to make a seasoning powder. It’s all up to you.

This recipe makes 7 rye squares. To make more simply multiply all the ingredients. If you are going to double the recipe, I would suggest splitting the dough in 2 when rolling it out to make it easier to work with.

Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.

Ingredients

For the dough –

250g (8.8oz) wholegrain (dark) rye flour

5g (0.17oz) salt

6g (0.21oz) toasted caraway seed

3g (0.1oz) instant dry yeast or 3.6g (0.12oz) active dry yeast or 9g (0.31oz) fresh yeast

40g (1.4oz) dark honey

185g (6.5oz) warm water*

*To learn more about no-knead bread dough temperature control click here.

If you are using active dry yeast, then you may need to let it sit in the water for 10 minutes before adding the other ingredients or else it could take a lot longer to raise the dough.

Method

1. In a large bowl combine the water, yeast, salt, honey, and toasted seeds. Mix well to dissolve the salt completely.
2. Add the flour and mix to a dough. *Desired dough temperature around 28C (82F). If your dough is warmer, then it will ferment more rapidly. If it is cooler, then it will take longer. Adjust fermentation times accordingly.
3. Cover and ferment for 60 – 75 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
4. Dust the dough with flour generously and tip out on the table. Make sure the whole dough is covered in flour.
5. Press it to a rectangle shape using your hands and then roll it out to a thin rectangle around 30cm x 20cm (12in x 8in).
6. Trim the edges and cut into 6 equal portions. Press the trimmings together to make one more piece.
7. Place the squares on a non-stick paper lined baking tray. Dock the surface using a fork or a docking wheel. If you have a docking wheel, I’d suggest using it before you place the squares on the tray.
8. Cover and proof for 60 – 75 minutes or until noticeably puffed up. During this time pre-heat the oven to 220C (430F) fan off or 200C (390F) fan on.
9. Bake the squares for 12 minutes.
10. Leave to cool down slightly and enjoy!

You can wrap them in plastic after cooling down to make them last longer. I kept a couple pieces like that for 5 days and they were still nice and moist.

Keep in mind that the conditions in each kitchen are different, so fermentation times may vary for you. It is up to the baker to control the bread and react accordingly.

Your oven may be different too, so your baking time may vary.

This is another recipe that I have adapted from ‘The Rye Baker’. It is inspired by the Finnish archipelago bread. I’ve changed some of the ingredients and proportions to suit my taste. All the slight changes result in an extremely flavourful, sweet, moist, and dense rye bread that will stay fresh for many days.

Slice it nice and thin and it will go well with pretty much anything you put on it.

Recipes like these are as simple as baking can get. All the ingredients are mixed from the get-go, the dough is moulded into a baking tin, followed by final proofing and baking.

You can adjust the recipe by swapping the raisins for nuts or more seeds or some other type of dried fruits. Use any seeds you like. Swap the honey and molasses with other sweet syrups. Play with the flours and ratios. White wheat flour really helps with making the bread lighter. You can go with 100% rye. In that case I would suggest using white rye as it will also help with making the crumb softer and lighter.

If you can’t get a hold of wheat bran you can use whole wheat flour instead. Or you can sift whole wheat flour to remove the bran and use that.

This loaf will fit perfectly in a 2lb baking tin. You can find the exact one I use in my Amazon shop if you’re interested.

Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.

Ingredients

For the dough –

300g (10.6oz) white wheat bread flour

250g (8.8oz) wholegrain (dark) rye flour

50g (1.75oz) wheat bran

100g (3.5oz) raisins

80g (2.8oz) linseeds

60g (2.1oz) sunflower seeds

600g (1.32lb) buttermilk

7g (0.25oz) salt

50g (1.75oz) honey

50g (1.75oz) blackstrap molasses or black treacle

10g (0.35oz) instant dry yeast or 12g (0.42oz) active dry yeast or 30g (1oz) fresh yeast

If you are using active dry yeast, then you may need to let it sit in the water for 10 minutes before adding the other ingredients or else it could take a lot longer to raise the dough.

Method

1. In a large bowl combine the buttermilk, yeast, salt, honey, molasses, and seeds. Whisk until smooth.
2. Add the wheat bran and keep whisking. Add the white wheat flour and mix until there is no dry flour left.
3. Finally, add the wholegrain rye flour and mix one last time.
4. Place the dough in a greased baking tin and spread it out so it reaches all the corners and fits the tin perfectly. Smooth out the surface. *My dough was relatively cool after mixing. That is because I used cold buttermilk. Use room temperature ingredients to raise the final dough temperature and to shorten fermentation time. But there is certainly nothing wrong with having a cooler dough and fermenting it for slightly longer.
5. Cover and ferment for 2 – 2.5 hours or until the dough has risen by about 30%. During the final hour of fermentation pre-heat the oven to 160C (320F) fan off or 140C (285F) fan on. This bread is dense and heavy, so it needs a low and slow bake.
6. Cover the tin with a lid or with a piece of foil.
7. Bake for 2 hours or until the core temperature reaches at least 94C (200F).
8. Drizzle the bread with honey to make it nice and shiny (optional).
9. Leave it to rest in the tin for 15 minutes before removing.
10. Cool down completely and then wrap in plastic and leave to mature for 1 day.

Keep in mind that the conditions in each kitchen are different, so fermentation times may vary for you. It is up to the baker to control the bread and react accordingly.

Your oven may be different too, so your baking time may vary.

I’ve read through Stanley Ginsberg’s book ‘The Rye Baker’. It has great eye-opening information in it and the principles have been extremely valuable to me. If you are interested in rye baking, then you should definitely check it out (you can find it in my Amazon store).
Saying all that, some of the recipes I’ve tried have not been to my taste, so I decided to use the principles I learned from that book to modify the recipes in that book to fit my baking style and desired results.

This is a modified Swedish limpa. Staying true to the seasonings given in the recipe (coriander, fennel, caraway, anise), but changing the flour and liquid. 60% white rye, 20% wholegrain rye, 20% white wheat mixed with milk and yogurt (or buttermilk).

Resulting in a super soft, delicate, and moist sandwich loaf full of flavour and sweetness.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – learning the principles of baking is far more valuable than learning recipes. It gives us freedom to modify any recipe to our liking.

You can modify my recipe too by using different seeds for seasoning or changing the proportions to suit your taste. You can play around with the flour and make the dough even with 100% rye.

This loaf fits perfectly in a 2lb baking tin. You can find the exact USA Pan tin in my Amazon store if you’re interested.

Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.

Ingredients

For the dough –

5g (0.17oz) caraway seed

4g (0.14oz) fennel seed

4g (0.14oz) coriander seed

4g (0.14oz) anise seed

360g (12.7oz) milk

60g (2.1oz) yogurt or buttermilk

30g (1oz) butter

100g (3.5oz) black treacle

6g (0.21oz) salt

5g (0.17oz) instant dry yeast or g active dry yeast or 15g fresh yeast

100g (3.5oz) white bread flour

100g (3.5oz) wholegrain (dark) rye flour. Medium will work too.

300g (10.6oz) white (light) rye flour

Method

1. Make the seasoning. Combine the seeds in a pan and place on high heat. Toast whilst moving continuously for around 2 minutes or until the seeds become aromatic and you start seeing smoke appearing.
2. Grind the seeds to a powder. You can leave them slightly chunky for aesthetics if you like.
3. Infuse the milk. Combine the milk-yogurt mix with the seasoning powder in a small pan set on medium heat. Warm the milk gently to nearly 40C (104F).
4. Make the dough. Pour the infused milk in a large bowl and add the butter, treacle, and salt. Mix well. Just in case, check the temperature to see if it’s not too hot for the yeast. It should be no more than 47C (116F).
5. Add the yeast, white bread flour, and wholegrain rye flour. Whisk until smooth.
6. Finally, add the white rye flour and finish the mix. *Desired dough temperature around 32C (90F). If your dough is warmer, then it will ferment more rapidly. If it is cooler, then it will take longer. Adjust proofing time accordingly.
7. Pour the dough in a greased tin and spread it out so it gets into all the corners. Sooth the top. Cover.
8. Proof for 1 – 1.5 hours. During this time pre-heat the oven to 160C (320F) fan on or 180C (355F) fan off.
9. Cover the loaf with a lid or with foil and bake it for 50 minutes.
10. Remove from the tin and gently place it back into the oven on its side to bake for another 10 minutes. Turn the loaf onto the other side halfway through the final bake.
11. Leave to cool down completely before slicing to avoid having a gummy crumb.

Keep in mind that the conditions in each kitchen are different, so fermentation times may vary for you. It is up to the baker to control the bread and react accordingly.

Your oven may be different too, so your baking time may vary.