Sourdough Baking Schedule & Reverse Timeline Calculator

Mix 23g seed starter + 46g flour + 46g water (1:2:2 ratio) to yield 115g active levain. Ferment until domed, bubbly, and doubled/tripled (~6 hrs).

Combine 100% main flour with 90% of recipe water (reserve 10% bassinage water for salt). Mix until no dry flour remains, cover, and rest 45 minutes to hydrate starch and activate protease extensibility.

Dimple in 100g (20%) ripe levain, 2.0% sea salt, and reserved bassinage water. Perform pincer & Rubaud mixing for 4–5 minutes until cohesive, then rest 30 minutes. Pinch off a 30g aliquot sample.

Perform 2 sets of Stretch & Folds followed by 2 sets of gentle Coil Folds spaced 30 minutes apart (at +0m, +30m, +60m, and +90m) with wet hands to align the gluten network without tearing gas alveoli.

Let dough rest undisturbed until your aliquot jar reaches +50% volumetric rise (or +38.1% height in a standard 9" sloped bowl). Look for a domed surface, translucent side bubbles, and a marshmallow jiggle.

Turn dough onto an unfloured counter, preshape into a taut round, and bench rest uncovered for 20 minutes. Dust top lightly, flip, fold into a batard or boule with firm surface tension, and place seam-side up in a rice-floured banneton.

Seal banneton inside a proofing bag and transfer immediately to a 38°F (3°C) refrigerator for 12 hours. Cold retarding halts yeast while heterofermentative bacteria build complex lactic aroma and stiffen the skin for razor scoring.

Place empty cast-iron Dutch oven (with lid on) on the middle rack and preheat at 475°F (245°C) for a full 45 minutes to saturate thermal mass before loading cold dough.

Turn cold dough onto parchment, score at a 30° angle, and bake covered at 450°F (232°C) for 20 minutes. Remove lid and bake 20–22 minutes until deep mahogany (208°F internal). Cool on a wire rack for 80 minutes before slicing to prevent gummy starch compression.