No review needed, no catch. Just the founding price, locked in for as long as you stay subscribed.
Free, no account needed
Tell me when to start
Pick the moment your bread should be ready. This works backwards through every step and tells you when to begin, adjusted for how warm your kitchen actually is.
Start at
—
Want this schedule in your inbox, so you are not squinting at a phone with floury hands?
Want it to adapt as the dough proves?
The Live Ferment Timer watches the clock with you and adjusts as your dough actually behaves.
Why bread is never ready when you want it
Most recipes are written forwards. Mix at nine, bulk for four hours, shape, prove, bake. That works fine if your kitchen is the same temperature as the kitchen the recipe was written in, and if you have nothing else on that day. Neither is usually true.
The problem is that fermentation does not care about your plans, it cares about temperature. Dough at 18°C takes roughly twice as long to ferment as the same dough at 28°C. A recipe that says "bulk for four hours" is quietly assuming a number it never tells you, and in a cold British kitchen in February that four hours can stretch past six.
This tool works the other way round. You say when you want to be eating it. It works backwards through every step, using the same fermentation model as the DoughRise ferment timer, and tells you the time to start.
What actually changes the timing
Temperature does most of the work. The rule of thumb bakers use is that fermentation roughly doubles in speed for every 10°C warmer, which is why the same loaf can be ready by lunch in August and still be sulking at teatime in January.
How much starter you use is the other big lever. A lively starter at a generous inoculation drives the dough hard; a sluggish one that has been in the fridge a fortnight will take its time no matter how warm the room is.
Flour matters more than people expect. Wholemeal and rye carry more enzyme activity and ferment noticeably faster than white bread flour, so the same schedule on rye will run ahead of you.
Ranges, not stopwatches
Every time this tool gives you is a best estimate with about 25% either side. That is not hedging, it is honest: your starter, your flour and the actual temperature of your worktop all vary. Use the schedule to know when to be in the kitchen, then read the dough when you get there. A dough that has risen by half and feels alive is ready whatever the clock says.
Common questions
What time should I start my sourdough to have it ready for dinner?
Work backwards from the meal. A same-day sourdough at 21°C typically needs around six hours of bulk fermentation, plus roughly an hour for mixing and shaping, two to three hours of final proof, an hour to bake, and at least an hour to cool. That is a long day, which is why most people either start very early or shape the evening before and retard the dough overnight in the fridge. Put your target time into the calculator above and it will do the arithmetic for you.
How much longer does dough take in a cold kitchen?
Roughly double for every 10°C drop. Dough that bulks in five hours at 24°C will want closer to eight at 18°C. This is the single most common reason a recipe "does not work" in winter: nothing is wrong with the dough, the kitchen is simply colder than the one the recipe was tested in.
Can I retard the dough overnight in the fridge?
Yes, and it is usually the easier schedule for anyone with a job. Shape in the evening, put the dough in the fridge, and bake it in the morning. Cold retarding slows fermentation almost to a stop, develops more flavour, and makes the dough firmer and easier to score. Tick the cold retard box above and the schedule shifts to an evening shape and a morning bake.
Does this work for pizza dough and yeasted bread too?
Yes. Pick the dough type at the top. Pizza and yeasted doughs move considerably faster than sourdough because commercial yeast is more vigorous than a starter, so the schedule is shorter and there is no starter feed to plan around.
Why does my dough never match the times exactly?
Because no two starters, flours or kitchens are identical. Treat the schedule as the plan and the dough as the authority. Look for a rise of roughly 50 to 75%, a domed and slightly jiggly surface, and bubbles through the sides of the container. If those signs arrive early, move on early.
Is this free?
Yes, and there is no account or card needed. If you want a timer that tracks the bake live and adjusts as the dough actually behaves, that is part of DoughRise Pro, but the schedule above is yours for nothing.
