Free tool
Sourdough bake planner
Say you want bread out of the oven at 6 pm tomorrow. Tell the planner how warm your kitchen is and whether the dough proofs on the counter or in the fridge, and it lays out every step backwards, from feeding the starter to cutting the loaf.
Why plan backwards
Sourdough is slow, and most of the waiting is not work. The trouble is that the waiting lands at odd hours. Start forwards and the shaping falls at midnight. Start from the moment you want bread and work back, and every step lands where your day has room for it.
That is all the planner does. It takes the time you want the loaf out of the oven, your room temperature and your proof style, and counts backwards through the steps every sourdough loaf goes through.
The steps it plans
- Feed the starter so it peaks when you mix. The feeding ratio decides how long that takes: a 1:1:1 feed peaks in about 4 to 6 hours at 75F (24C), a 1:5:5 feed in about 8 to 12.
- Mix the dough with the starter at or near its peak.
- Stretch and fold a few times in the first part of bulk, to build strength and even out the dough's temperature.
- Finish bulk when the dough has grown roughly 50 to 75 percent, has domed edges and jiggles when you shake the bowl. Temperature sets the pace: about 4 to 5 hours at 78F (26C), 8 hours or more at 68F (20C).
- Shape and set the dough in a banneton.
- Proof on the counter (about 1 to 4 hours, judged by the poke test) or in the fridge overnight (about 8 to 16 hours).
- Preheat the oven and pot for 45 to 60 minutes.
- Bake about 20 minutes covered and 20 to 25 uncovered, until deep brown and about 205 to 210F (96 to 99C) inside.
- Cool at least 1 to 2 hours before cutting, longer for big or whole grain loaves.
An example: bread at 6 pm
Here is how a day can look in a kitchen around 75F (24C) with a counter proof. The planner's own times shift with your room and your ratio, so treat this as the shape of a day, not a timetable.
| Step | When | Why then |
|---|---|---|
| Feed the starter 1:5:5 | 10 pm the night before | Peaks by morning while you sleep |
| Mix | About 9 am | Starter at its peak |
| Stretch and folds | 9:30 to 11 am | Strength early in bulk |
| End bulk and shape | About 2 pm | Grown about 50 to 75 percent, jiggly |
| Counter proof | 2 to about 5:15 pm | Until a floured poke fills back slowly |
| Preheat | From about 4:15 pm | A full 45 to 60 minutes |
| Bake | About 5:15 pm | Covered, then uncovered |
| Out of the oven | 6 pm | Cut at about 7:30 pm |
Notice the feed. A 1:1:1 feed would peak in the middle of the night, so the planner suggests a bigger ratio instead. Change the ratio rather than your sleep.
Counter proof or cold proof
A cold proof means the shaped dough spends the night in the fridge at about 38 to 40F (3 to 4C). It deepens the flavor, firms the dough so it scores cleanly, and splits the work over two days: mix and shape one day, bake the next morning. Bake it straight from the fridge; there is no need to let it warm up. The one thing the fridge will not do is finish bulk for you. A dough that went in underfermented comes out with a dense bottom or a gap under the crust, however long it sat.
A counter proof is faster and fits a single day, but its window is narrower, so check the dough with a floured fingertip from about an hour in. If the dent springs right back, give it longer. If it fills back slowly and leaves a small dimple, bake.
Try it
Before you plan, set the recipe in the hydration calculator, and use the starter feeding calculator to choose a ratio that peaks when you want to mix.
When the dough and the plan disagree
A plan is a guess made before the dough exists. Your kitchen might run cooler than you think, the starter might be a little slow after a week in the fridge, or the flour might ferment faster than the last bag. When the dough is not where the plan says, believe the dough. Let bulk run on until it looks right, and use the fridge as a pause button: shape as soon as bulk is done and the dough can wait overnight.
Read more in the cold proof, how long to bulk ferment and a sourdough schedule for a 9 to 5 workday.
Sources
Bulk timing and the signs that bulk is done follow The Perfect Loaf's bulk fermentation guide and the Loaf Scout app's guide; the counter and fridge proof windows and the poke test follow The Perfect Loaf's proofing guide; the internal temperature follows The Perfect Loaf's baking guide; feeding ratio peak times are rules of thumb from the app's starter guide, faster in a warm room and slower in a cool one. Each linked guide names its sources in full. The planner runs in your browser and sends nothing.
Questions
How long does sourdough take from start to finish?
Usually about a day, or two with a cold proof. The starter takes 4 to 12 hours to peak depending on the feed, bulk 4 to 8 hours or more depending on warmth, the proof 1 to 4 hours on the counter or 8 to 16 in the fridge, then about 45 minutes in the oven and 1 to 2 hours to cool.
Can I fit sourdough around a 9 to 5 job?
Yes. A common pattern is to mix in the evening, bulk at a cool room temperature, shape before bed, cold proof overnight and bake in the morning. The planner can lay that out from the time you want bread.
What if my dough is not ready when the plan says?
Believe the dough, not the clock. Let bulk run until it has grown about 50 to 75 percent, looks domed and jiggles. If the day runs out, shape it and put it in the fridge overnight.
Do I need to warm cold proofed dough before baking?
No. Score it cold, straight from the banneton, and get it into the preheated pot. Cold dough holds its shape and its score better than warm dough.
Why does the planner suggest a bigger starter feed?
Because a bigger feed, like 1:5:5, takes longer to peak. It lets the starter be ready in the morning from a feed the night before, instead of peaking at 3 am.
Are the planner's times exact?
No. They are typical times for your room temperature and proof style. Every starter, flour and kitchen is a little different, so check the dough at each step.