People ask why we cannot simply bake more bread when the shelf is empty at ten. The honest answer is that the loaf you buy this morning was started the day before yesterday.
Day one: the starter
Our starter is a jar of flour and water that has been fed every morning for eleven years. Before it can raise a batch of dough it needs a full day of feeding, until it doubles in a few hours and smells of yoghurt and green apples.
Day two: the dough
The dough is mixed by hand late in the morning and folded every hour through the afternoon. At about five it is shaped, and at six it goes into the cold room for the night.
Cold slows the yeast but not the bacteria. That is where the flavour comes from.
Morning: the bake
At five the loaves go straight from the cold onto a hot stone. The shock gives them their height, and the long rest gives them a crust that tastes of toffee and a crumb that stays moist for days.
This is also why we ask for orders by 6 pm. After that, tomorrow's bread has already been counted.