I have to say, this bread is on the top of my most delicious bread list! I did reduce the water, and baked in a loaf pan. I was very happy with the oven spring. This is now day 3 after baking it, and it is still delicious. I just loved how the whole house smelled like flax during the rise and the bake. Sorry, now picture this time, it is going too fast. I would say, 12 out of 10, Melissa! Keep on bringing us delicious breads to try! 
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Thanks for sharing your experience with this recipe. So glad you’re loving it! I’ve been adding flaxseed meal to oatmeal lately and enjoying it. Makes me wonder if I should try an oat porridge flaxmeal sourdough.
I am not clear about the instructions. After first mixing it, you let it rest 30 minutes, then coil fold & rest 2 or 3 times, THEN let sit for 12 hours or so at 65F, then shape, etc? It never actually says to let it rise, only that it may take longer than most to ferment.
I love ground flaxseed in my oatmeal so want to try it in my bread. Been making the original No Knead Sourdough for years. I usually just mix and let it rise for 14-18 hours in my cool kitchen. I have not tried to mess with it while it’s still wet.
The rising is happening from the moment you mix in the starter, and because it’s a long fermentation/rising period – like the no knead recipe – gluten development can be passive (in other words: skip the coil folds if you prefer). I tried it that way, too, and it came out good. Hope that clarifies things.
Hello, I love the recipe for this flax bread and the scoring , thank you! I only have a very ripe rye starter that i have been maintaining at approx 100% hydration for a year. My question is for this recipes and recipes in general that call for white bread flours. Can i use my rye starter? My best bread is with rye flours and my white sourdoughs are as heavy as a brick, do you think it is my rye starter? I’ve tried to make an offshoot “white” starter but it just inst as lively. Thanks again!
Lisa
Your rye starter should work fine. I wish I had an explanation for why it’s not working in your white flour breads; the microbes should adjust to a different flour no problem. Let me know how it goes with the flaxseed recipe.
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I’ve tried this recipe a number of times, and the taste is amazing, but the dough is very wet, and I cannot form a ball. If this is as good as it gets, I’m fine with it as the taste is great, but a nice rise and photo op would be greatly appreciated.
Sandi
Are you using the lower amount of water in the range I gave and still finding it too wet? If so, it sounds like I need to edit the recipe more.
I’m sorry it’s giving you trouble. Definitely drop the water amount next time, maybe by 50+ grams and only add more if you can’t incorporate the dry ingredients.
Thank you for the suggestion, Melissa,
I have cut back on water the last two attempts as per some earlier posts, but not by 50+ grams. I’ll try that next time and hopefully it will rise and look as great as it tastes.
Thanks much,
Sandi
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It worked perfectly for me, first try!! This was my first attempt at scoring bread for the pattern. I am neither an accomplished baker, nor artist. But it came out great!
I didn’t even dust it…the flour is just the coating from the proofing basket. Thanks so much for the idea!
Beautiful!
Question here. I am not new to bread baking but am new to these new methods and to sourdough. The recipe for this one says coil and fold several times with a 30 minute rest and then says total fermentation will take 12 hours or so, so do I just let it rise at that point for that long? It’s looking so beautiful after the 3 30 minutes rests that I’m not sure what will happen if I leave it for 12 hours…
This dough will take longer than most to ferment (12 or so hours at 65F) because of the oil in the flaxseed meal. I stopped the bulk fermentation after the dough had doubled.
I don’t think I could get a 12 hour bulk ferment myself from that much starter. But two things to consider… 1: when Melissa did it the temperature was a relatively cool 65°F. If its warmer where you are then I imagine it will be quicker. 2: Melissa gives a visual guideline of doubling.
So if your dough has doubled then move on to the next step.
Just made this, fresh from the oven. Did a less fancy scoring patter, and was pleasantly surprised by the amount of oven spring I got. I did about 11 hours bulk rise at around 65°F and then shaped and did a final proof overnight for about 11 hours. Baked right out of the fridge. I hope it tastes as good as it looks!
I love that scoring pattern! I hope you enjoyed the flavor.
Can this same recipe be used to make 100% millet bread. Flax and millet bread?
If you want to use only millet and flax, you’re not going to have any gluten except for the tiny bit that is in the sourdough starter. So I wouldn’t expect a free-standing tall loaf of bread. If you’re okay with a pan loaf or a flatbread, I say go for it.
Combine millet and flax flours with water, salt, and sourdough starter. How much water is up to you. More water = faster fermentation and pan-loaf requirement. Let the dough/batter get aerated, then shape/pour it into a loaf pan and let it re-aerate some more. If using a dryer dough and baking freestanding flatbreads, you’ll probably want a really hot pizza stone in the oven or to use a fry pan.
For a pan loaf, follow similar baking instructions to this recipe:
I hope this helps!
Thank you so much for replying with detailed instructions. I am a newbie and can’t digest gluten much, wll give Millet and Buckwheat bread a try. 
I’ve made this bread twice. Both times, it rose well overnight and in the final rise in the basket. Yet both times, it deflated while baking. It’s not bad to eat, but it’s quite dense. Any suggestions? I think I may have overproved it the second time, but I’m not sure. I haven’t had this trouble with other sourdoughs.
Deflating while baking is over proofing. Shorten the final proof.
This dough will take longer than most to ferment (12 or so hours at 65F) because of the oil in the flaxseed meal. I stopped the bulk fermentation after the dough had doubled.
Never mind the 12 hours. Are you fermenting at 65°F and even if you’re not are you bulk fermenting till doubled either way!?
If you get the bulk ferment correct then the final proof should be anything from 1-3 hours…
Final Proof
Let the dough proof 1-3 hours at room temperature or 10-14 hours in the refrigerator (or a combination of room and refrigerator proofing).
As it stands it can be 1-3 hours even if the bulk ferment was done correctly. So from what it sounds like it’s over fermented/over proofed.