SOURDOUGH JOE • TIMING TOOL
Sourdough Baking Schedule Planner
Tell us when you want bread out of the oven. We'll work backwards and give you the exact clock time for every step — feed, mix, fold, shape, proof, bake.
Tell us when you want bread out of the oven. We'll work backwards and give you the exact clock time for every step — feed, mix, fold, shape, proof, bake.
The #1 question new sourdough bakers ask isn't about hydration or starter ratios — it's “when do I need to start?” A loaf out of the oven at 10am Sunday means mixing dough by 2pm Saturday. Most schedules online assume you bake at exactly the same time they do.
This planner works backwards from your target bake time and adjusts for your actual kitchen temperature. A 65°F kitchen needs roughly 7 hours of bulk fermentation. A 78°F kitchen needs about 4. Use the wrong window and you either over-proof (gummy crumb) or under-proof (dense brick).
Plug in your numbers, get clock times for every step, save the plan, and share it with the friend who keeps asking for your recipe. Your future self will thank you when you're not setting a 4am alarm to shape dough.
You don't need 20 tools to bake great sourdough. You need these three.
A schedule is only half the puzzle. Get our beginner's guide to building a starter, choosing flour, and reading your dough — the stuff this tool assumes you already know.
Get our sourdough starter guide for beginners →