Make your rye leaven the day before you want to bake. Mix 110g of water with 110g rye flour and 35g of mature rye starter in a bowl, cover, and leave to rest at room temperature. The next day the leaven will be bubbling and smelling  yeasty.

The night before you want to bake, weigh your seeds and cracked rye into a bowl, cover with boiling water, and leave overnight to soak.

The next day, drain the seeds and cracked rye, and combine all your ingredients, including your rye leaven, in a mixing bowl with your 195g of water. Mix gently until smooth.

Lightly grease your loaf tin with olive oil. Wet your hands with cold water – this will make the dough easier to handle. It will be quite sticky, but don’t worry, it is meant to be like this. Shape your dough into a rough rectangle, and place it in the tin. Flatten the top with a dough scraper, and dust with flour if you would like a more decorative topping, or you can leave it plain. Cover, and prove in a warm place free from draughts (in the colder months the airing cupboard works well) for one and a half hours.

Preheat your oven to 230°C. If your oven doesn’t have a steam function, place an oven-proof dish with roughly 12 ice cubes in the base of the oven to create steam. Place the loaf in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, and then quickly remove the ice cubes. Bake for a further 30-40 minutes. Rye bread takes a bit longer to bake than some other grains. When the loaf is cooked through, turn it out of the tin and leave it to cool on a wire rack. Rye bread tends to slice better the day after baking.