Autolyse and fermentolyse both begin with a short rest, but the ingredients—and the fermentation clock—are different. The key question is simple: has the starter gone in yet?
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What is the difference?
| Method | In the first rest | Add after resting |
|---|---|---|
| Autolyse | Flour and water | Starter and salt |
| Fermentolyse | Flour, water and starter | Salt |
| KNEVA: mix everything | Flour, water, starter and salt | No separate salt addition |
A true autolyse lets flour hydrate before the starter and salt are added. The rest can make the dough easier to stretch and reduce the mixing it needs. Fermentolyse includes the starter at the first mix, so fermentation is already underway during that rest.
KNEVA’s simpler method: mix everything from the start
At KNEVA, we mix flour, water, starter and salt together from the start, then rest. This keeps the process simpler to manage and easier for beginners. There is no separate salt-addition step in our method.
This is a mix-everything method, distinct from conventional fermentolyse, where salt is usually added after the first rest. The comparison above explains those conventional terms; it does not describe a requirement to delay salt in KNEVA’s method.
How to manage the first rest
For KNEVA’s method: weigh the ingredients, mix flour, water, starter and salt thoroughly until no dry flour remains, cover, and rest for the time specified in your recipe. Continue with that recipe’s folds and fermentation. Count fermentation from starter addition.
For comparison, the conventional resting methods work as follows:
- Follow a tested recipe and weigh the ingredients.
- For autolyse, mix flour and water until no dry flour remains. Cover and rest, then add the starter and salt.
- For fermentolyse, mix flour, water and starter. Cover and rest, then add the salt.
- Mix later additions in thoroughly. Follow your recipe’s rest time and dough-temperature assumptions; keep fermentolyse short in a warm kitchen.
The common mistake: resetting the clock after salt
Count total fermentation time from starter addition. Adding salt later does not restart fermentation. Include the fermentolyse rest when judging how long the dough has been fermenting, and watch the dough as well as the clock.
Recipe names are not always consistent. Some call a flour-water-starter rest an “autolyse”. Check what goes into the bowl rather than relying on the name alone.
Learn more
Adding salt at the first mix is a valid sourdough workflow; King Arthur Baking’s no-knead sourdough recipe also mixes its ingredients together at the start.
For the technique and terminology, see The Sourdough Journey’s autolyse and fermentolyse FAQ, The Perfect Loaf’s autolyse guide and King Arthur Baking’s autolyse tests.
Explore more KNEVA Guides and our starter feeding ratio explainer.