Sourdough Baker’s Timeline: The Schedule I Use for Baking Sourdough Bread
Here is a detailed timeline that I use when baking my sourdough. Just be aware that the timing, particularly when it comes to proofing on the counter at room temperature, is going to vary depending on your recipe and temperature in your home. My best advice is to use this as a starting point, and just know going into it that there will be trial and error while you figure out what works best for you and your environment. I really think it takes about 10 sourdough loaves to really get the hang of it.
Also, just a little disclaimer that this timeline is fairly long. You can adjust the time spent in the refrigerator to best fit your schedule, or there are a TON of recipes and timelines out there for baking sourdough bread in a shorter period of time. I don’t have children or any pressing timelines in my personal life, so this works for me, but it may not work for you! And that’s okay! Personally, I really like the fact that this process takes a little longer, because I never have to worry about having too much bread at once and end up throwing it away / wasting it. P.S. I have linked some Amazon products that I use below, which I will earn a tiny bit of commission from if you purchase.
Day 1: Making the dough
9:00 AM - Feed my starter at a 1:2:2 ratio (30g starter, 60g lukewarm water, 60g bread flour)
4:00 PM - Start making my dough. I use the Pantry Mama recipe which calls for 50g starter, 350g water, 500g bread flour, 10g salt. However, I wait to add the salt in. So I mix the dough with the starter, water, and bread flour, until a shaggy dough forms. I let it sit for 30 minutes, covered, as part of the autolyse process
4:30 PM - Add in my salt. There are a lot of mixed reviews out there about when to add in salt when baking bread, specifically sourdough. I find waiting the 30 minutes to be a happy medium. It is still wet enough to be able to add the salt in. Once I add the salt, I let it sit for another 30 minutes. If you don’t want to do this, just mix all the ingredients together and let it sit for 1 hour.
5:00 PM - Form the dough into a ball, using stretch and folds. I do about 15 stretch and folds til a ball shape forms. Cover it again, and let it sit for 30 minutes.
5:30 PM - The official “start” of stretch and folds / coil folds. If you are just starting out, you may want to stick with stretch and folds to keep it simple. If you’re looking for additional ways to help strengthen your dough, look into coil folds. It’s a fairly simple process, and is just another method of strengthening. I find adding in 1 or 2 coil folds does make a difference for me. From here, I will do a stretch and fold every 20-30 minutes depending on my schedule. If it’s late or you’re pressed for time, you can do 15 minutes, or just do less rounds of stretch and folds.
6:00 PM - Stretch and fold / coil fold #2
6:30 PM - Stretch and fold / coil fold #3
7:00 PM - Stretch and fold #4
7:30 PM - Stretch and fold #5
8:00 PM - Stretch and fold #6
At this point, I cover my dough with plastic wrap and let it sit on the counter overnight. I move it into a clear 6qt Cambro container (the one I use is linked here). You don’t have to do this, but I find it to be helpful to better measure / see the rise of my dough so I know when to stick it in the fridge.
*A note on proofing on the counter overnight - this will really depend on your environment and the recipe that you use. Since the recipe I use calls for a smaller amount of starter (50g) this means that it will take longer to ferment. If you are using a recipe that calls for 100-150+ grams of starter, your results may vary, and you should probably reference the recipe instructions as a starting point.
Day 2: Final proofing
10:00 AM - I find the time that I need to shape / put my dough in the fridge varies, just depending on the time I began making the dough, the temperature of my house that day, etc. But normally, it’s ready to go sometime around 10 am. If it’s warmer in my house, then it goes in earlier than that.
Again, this is something that is really going to vary based on your environment and recipe, so keep an eye on it. I normally let my dough double or come close to it, but some people say you should only allow it to reach a 30% rise.
11:00 AM - Shape the dough and let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes, covered (this step can be skipped, and should be especially if you suspect your dough is overproofed)
11:30 AM - Shape the dough again, place top down in a floured banneton, cover, and place in fridge. If you don’t have a proofing basket, stick it in a bowl. Just make sure it’s small enough that the dough won’t spread out and flatten
*At this point, you can leave the dough in the fridge for as little, or as long as you desire. At the bare minimum, I try to leave it in there for 8-6 hours. But it always turns out so much better if I leave it in there for 24-36 hours. Once it is in the fridge, the fermentation process will stop, so it’s not a matter of worrying about your bread overproofing in the fridge. It’s just about the complex flavors that develop from this (it’s called a “cold retard”). It’s going to give you more of a sour taste, and it will be easier to score because it will begin to develop a stiffer outer layer, which will become your crust.
Day 3: Baking the bread
6:00 PM - Preheat oven to 500 degrees, and stick my dutch oven in there while it heats. You want it to be HOT. I use a non-coated, 5 quart dutch oven for this, but any dutch oven will be fine as long as it’s not too big.
7:00 PM - Gently remove my sourdough from the banneton in the fridge, and place it on a piece of parchment paper. I like using the individual sheets because they fit in the dutch oven perfectly.
Dust the top of my loaf with rice flour, and score it.
Turn oven down to 450 degrees before placing my dough inside the dutch oven. I give it a very generous spritz of water on top before covering, this will help it steam and create a better oven spring. I also put a pizza stone on the bottom rack of my oven to prevent the bottom from getting too tough.
7:30 PM - Turn oven down to 410 degrees and remove the lid. Sometimes I will leave it covered for a little bit longer, ~35 minutes. You’ll want it to have a tiny bit of color.
7:45 PM - I set a timer for 15 minutes, and will check the progress just to make sure it isn’t burning. Overall, I normally bake it for around 55-60 minutes total. If you suspect it needs longer but the outside is starting to burn or is darker than you’d like it to be, just stick the lid back on.
One thing I’ve learned though is the outside should be a lot darker than you think. Early in my sourdough journey, I ended up with really undercooked bread that was practically white / had just the tiniest bit of color. Part of this is a preference thing, but make sure it is golden brown before you remove it from the oven!
8:00 PM - Remove the bread from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. You will want to wait 1-2 hours at least to cut into it, otherwise you’ll end up with a gummy texture. I have broken this rule before because it’s delicious when it’s warm, but trust me when I say the texture will be soooo much better if you can be patient and wait.
I actually let my sourdough sit on the cooling rack overnight before cutting into it the next morning, and it’s always the perfect texture! :) If you don’t already have one, make sure to invest in a good bread knife, this one is great.
And another tip, if you find the bottom of your bread is too tough, even with the pizza stone/baking tray on the bottom rack of your oven, cover it with a tea towel when it comes out, or let it cool a little bit and then stick it in a ziploc bag. This will help trap the steam and soften the crust.