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Sourdough timeline & schedule calculator

Pick when you want to bake and this works the sourdough timeline backwards: when to feed your starter, mix, shape, proof and bake, adjusted for your kitchen temperature. Use a preset for a 9-to-5 workday or a morning bake, then tweak it.

Sample sourdough schedules

Both at 72°F (22°C). Warmer kitchens shift every step later; cooler ones, earlier.

9-to-5 workday

1:5:5 feed, 30% levain, 19 h in the fridge

Day 1	8:35 AM	Feed the starter
Day 1	5:35 PM	Mix the dough
Day 1	10:15 PM	Pre-shape and shape
Day 1	11:00 PM	Into the fridge
Day 2	6:00 PM	Bake

Bake in the morning

1:2:2 feed, 20% levain, 12 h in the fridge

Day 1	7:25 AM	Feed the starter
Day 1	1:25 PM	Mix the dough
Day 1	7:15 PM	Pre-shape and shape
Day 1	8:00 PM	Into the fridge
Day 2	8:00 AM	Bake

The 9-to-5 sourdough schedule

The trick for a workday is to let the long, hands-off steps happen while you're out or asleep. A 1:5:5 feed before work takes about 9 hours at 72°F, so the starter peaks around the time you're home. A higher levain percentage (30%) shortens the evening bulk to about 3¾–5½ hours, and the shaped loaf waits in the fridge overnight and through the next workday until you bake after work.

Baking in the morning

For fresh bread at breakfast, do the active work the day before and let the fridge cover the night. Feed in the morning, mix around lunchtime, shape in the evening and bake straight from the fridge. If you'd rather sleep later, push the bake time back: a longer cold retard is fine up to about 48 hours.

Same-day sourdough

Skipping the fridge is quicker but less flexible: at 72°F (22°C) feeding to baking takes about 12–18 hours, and you need to be around for the end of bulk and the final proof. Choose "Counter" above to plan it. Check the bulk fermentation chart for other temperatures.

Watch the dough, not the clock

Starter at its peak

Roughly doubled (or more) since the feed
Domed top, just before it flattens
Bubbly all the way through, pleasantly tangy

Bulk fermentation done

Risen about 50–75% in volume
Jiggly when you shake the container, domed edges
Bubbles on the sides and top, airy and light

Final proof: the poke test

Springs back fast: needs more time
Springs back slowly, small dent stays: bake
Dent stays and the dough sighs: over-proofed, bake now

How these estimates work

Temperature is the main driver. Sourdough is a living culture, and as a rule of thumb it works about 2× faster for every 9°C (16°F) warmer, and half as fast for every 9°C cooler. That's why the same recipe can take 4 hours in July and 9 in January.

Starter peak: a healthy starter fed 1:1:1 peaks in about 5 hours at 72°F (22°C), 1:2:2 in about 6 and 1:5:5 in about 9. In numbers: (4 + n) × 2^((22 − °C) ÷ 9) hours for a 1:n:n feed, kept between 3 and 14 hours on the counter. In the fridge, expect 1–5 days.

Bulk fermentation: a dough with 20% levain at about 75% hydration takes about 5 hours at 75°F (24°C) to rise 50–75%: 5 × 2^((24 − °C) ÷ 9) hours. Less levain is slower (10% ≈ ×1.35, 15% ≈ ×1.15), more is faster (30% ≈ ×0.8). The final proof at room temperature takes about 0.4 × the bulk time; a cold retard in the fridge (3–5°C / 37–41°F) works anywhere from 8 to 48 hours, best 12–16.

Every number is shown as a range (±20%), never an exact time, because starter strength, flour and hydration vary from kitchen to kitchen. It's the same model the Boulie app starts from, and the app then learns your starter's actual rhythm from your feeds and rise checks.

Frequently asked questions

How do I fit sourdough around a 9-to-5 job?

Let the fridge do the waiting. Feed your starter 1:5:5 before work so it peaks around the time you get home, mix with a generous 30% levain, shape before bed, and cold-retard the loaf overnight and through the next workday. At 72°F that means feeding around 8:35 AM, mixing around 5:35 PM, shaping around 10:15 PM and baking at 6:00 pm the next day.

How do I time sourdough to bake in the morning?

Shape the loaf the evening before and proof it in the fridge for about 12 hours. At 72°F (22°C) with a 1:2:2 feed and 20% levain: feed around 7:25 AM, mix around 1:25 PM, shape around 7:15 PM, fridge by 8:00 PM, and bake at 8:00 am.

How long does sourdough take from start to finish?

Without a fridge retard, about 12–18 hours at 72°F (22°C) from feeding the starter to baking: starter peak, bulk fermentation, shaping and final proof. With an overnight cold retard, most schedules run 24–36 hours, but almost all of that is hands-off waiting.

Can I leave sourdough in the fridge longer than planned?

Usually, yes. A shaped loaf can cold proof for anywhere from 8 to about 48 hours; 12–16 hours is the sweet spot. Longer gives a tangier loaf, and past about two days it risks over-proofing. Bake straight from the fridge.