Combine sourdough starter and flour.

Add water if necessary to be able to make into a smooth dough.

Place in a clean glass bowl or plastic container and cover.

Let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 4 hours (depending on the temperature of your kitchen).

Place in refrigerator overnight.

Remove Firm Starter from refrigerator an hour or so before you are ready to start, to take the chill off.

Combine the firm starter with the water and mix until smooth.

Stir in barley malt, if using.

Add bread flour and whole wheat flour and mix to a rough dough.

Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.

Add salt and work in until you no longer feel the salt.

Add sunflower seeds and knead until they are evenly distributed.

Place in a clean glass bowl or plastic container and cover.

Let rise until doubled in bulk, about 4 hours, turning the dough every 30 minutes for the first 3 hours (6 times). See photos in post.

Leave it alone for the remaining hour.

Turn dough our onto your work surface.

Using a bench knife, pull the dough under and into a circle until the dough becomes tight on top.

Cover dough with a damp cloth and leave to rest for 30 minutes.

While the dough is resting, heavily flour a lined banneton with rice flour. Set aside.

Uncover and fold dough using an envelope fold. (Fold bottom up, each side in, and top down.) When you pull the top down, keep going and pull it all the way over and tuck it under the dough.

Again using the bench knife, repeat the same pulling under you did before.

Using the bench knife to lift the dough, place it in the prepared banneton.

Cover with plastic wrap or a plastic shower cap.

Allow to rise for 1 hour.

Put it in the refrigerator overnight.

An hour or so before you are ready to bake the next day, place a Dutch oven in the lower third of your oven and preheat to 500 degrees.( Instead of a Dutch oven, you can also use a baking stone. Find instructions for that here : bakerstable.net/nokneadsourdoughbread.)

When you are ready to bake, remove the bread from the refrigerator and place near the oven.

Being careful not to get burned, set the dutch oven on the oven door, remove the lid, and flip the bread into the pan.

Use a lame, a razor blade, or a sharp knife to score the top of your bread.

Replace the lid on the Dutch oven and put it back in the oven.

Immediately reduce the heat to 450 degrees and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove the lid and bake an additional 10-20 minutes, until dark brown.

Turn out of pan, and allow to cool on cooling rack.