The schedule
Times are for dough at 75°F / 24°C. Warmer is faster, cooler is slower — start to finish this loaf takes 34h 12m at 68°F, 29h 45m at 75°F, 27h 31m at 80°F. Steps marked in colour scale with temperature; the rest do not.
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1
0:00 · 4h 30m
Build the levain
Use the levain at its peak, not after. Past peak at this hydration and the dough will go slack on you.
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2
4:30 · 1h 30m
Autolyse
Flour and 90% of the water. Hold the rest back for the salt.
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3
6:00 · 30m
Add the levain
Pinch through, then rest 20 minutes.
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4
6:30 · 30m
Add the salt
Salt with the reserved water. Slap and fold on the counter for two or three minutes.
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5
7:00 · 30m
Bulk ferment
Coil folds only. The dough should go from soupy to holding a dome. First fold in 30 min.
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7:30 · 30m
Stretch and fold 1 of 5
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8:00 · 30m
Stretch and fold 2 of 5
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8:30 · 30m
Stretch and fold 3 of 5
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9:00 · 30m
Stretch and fold 4 of 5
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9:30 · 30m
Stretch and fold 5 of 5
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6
10:00 · 1h 15m
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
11:15 · 5m
Pre-shape
Very light round. Do not degas it.
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8
11:20 · 30m
Bench rest
Thirty minutes, uncovered.
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9
11:50 · 10m
Shape and basket
Letter fold, then roll up. Handle it as little as you can get away with.
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10
12:00 · 14h
Cold proof
12–16 hours at 40°F / 4°C. Bake it straight from the fridge.
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11
26:00 · 1h
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
27:00 · 22m
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
27:22 · 23m
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
27:45 · 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 1.4× 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.
Country loaf, same day
Levain at breakfast, bread by dinner. No fridge step, so the timing is tighter and the flavour is milder.
First loaf, 70%
Stiffer dough, fewer folds, more margin. Start here if a previous loaf turned into a puddle.