The schedule
Times are for dough at 75°F / 24°C. Warmer is faster, cooler is slower — start to finish this loaf takes 20h at 68°F, 15h 27m at 75°F, 13h 9m at 80°F. Steps marked in colour scale with temperature; the rest do not.
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1
0:00 · 4h 22m
Build the levain
Mix the levain weights from the formula card. Ready when it has domed and is just starting to flatten — floats in water, smells sweet-sour, not sharp. Keep it warm — on top of the fridge, or in the oven with only the light on.
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2
4:22 · 49m
Autolyse
Flour and water only, covered.
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3
5:11 · 20m
Add the levain
Pinch through until smooth.
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4
5:31 · 20m
Add the salt
Salt and a splash of water, squeezed through.
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5
5:51 · 30m
Bulk ferment
Warm, 77–79°F / 25–26°C if you can manage it. First fold in 30 min.
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6:21 · 30m
Stretch and fold 1 of 4
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6:51 · 30m
Stretch and fold 2 of 4
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7:21 · 30m
Stretch and fold 3 of 4
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7:51 · 30m
Stretch and fold 4 of 4
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6
8:21 · 1h 19m
Bulk, hands off
No more folding. Bulk is done when the dough has risen roughly 50%, domed, and feels airy — jiggly, not soupy. Read the dough, not this clock.
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7
9:40 · 5m
Pre-shape
Loose round on a bare counter.
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8
9:45 · 22m
Bench rest
Uncovered, 20 minutes.
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9
10:07 · 10m
Shape and basket
Tight shape, seam up in the banneton.
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10
10:17 · 1h 38m
Final proof
At room temperature. Poke test: a floured fingertip should leave a dent that springs back slowly and not completely.
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11
11:55 · 50m
Oven on
480°F / 250°C, Dutch oven preheated inside. Give the pot at least 45 minutes at temperature — a cold pot is the most common reason a loaf comes out pale and flat.
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12
12:45 · 20m
Bake covered
Turn the dough out onto parchment, score it in one confident stroke about 1 cm deep, lower it in, lid on.
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13
13:05 · 22m
Lid off
Drop the oven to 450°F / 230°C. Bake until the crust is deep brown — darker than feels comfortable. Internal temperature 205–210°F / 96–99°C.
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14
13:27 · 2h
Cool before cutting
On a rack, at least two hours. The crumb is still setting; cutting early is what makes a loaf gummy.
At 75°F the dough ferments at the rate this schedule was written for. Fermentation runs about 1.5× longer at 68°F.
More schedules
Try another loaf
Country loaf, overnight
The default. Build the levain in the morning, bulk in the afternoon, shape at night, bake first thing.
First loaf, 70%
Stiffer dough, fewer folds, more margin. Start here if a previous loaf turned into a puddle.
Open crumb, 82%
High hydration, gentle handling, long cold proof. Wants strong flour and a starter that is firing reliably.