Dough Proofing Time
Turn dough temperature into proofing windows
Dough proofing times, temperature and schedule FAQ
How accurate are these proofing time estimates?
The calculator gives ballpark time windows, not exact rise times. It scales a reference dough using your dough temperature and yeast or levain %, then shows bulk and final proof ranges with a first-check reminder. Flour type, gluten strength, hydration, mixing, salt level and kitchen drafts all shift the real-world timing, so always treat the numbers as a starting plan, not a rule.
What kinds of dough does this work best for?
This tool is tuned for lean bread doughs such as basic white, country or whole-wheat loaves in the 60–75% hydration range. It assumes normal salt (around 2% of flour by weight) and room-temperature proofing. Rich brioche, laminated doughs, very high-hydration ciabatta or heavily sweetened doughs often rise differently and may need more specialised schedules.
Why does dough temperature matter more than room temperature?
Yeast and sourdough cultures respond mainly to the temperature of the dough itself, not the thermostat setting. A dough mixed with warm water, long kneading or a warm preferment can stay several degrees warmer than the room and ferment much faster. Measuring dough temperature after mixing gives a much clearer picture of how quickly things will move.
What is “baker’s percentage” for yeast or levain?
Baker’s percentages express each ingredient as a percentage of the total flour weight. If you use 1 g of instant yeast for 100 g of flour, that is 1% yeast. If your sourdough formula uses 200 g of levain for 500 g of flour, that is 40% levain. Enter these percentages in the calculator so it can scale times up or down sensibly.
Can I use this for fridge (retarded) proofing?
The estimates are built for room-temperature proofing. Fridge proofing slows things down far more than a simple temperature formula can capture, and fridges vary a lot. You can still use the tool to sketch your room-temperature bulk before the dough goes cold, but rely on your own notes and experience for overnight or multi-day cold proofing.
How do I know if my dough is under or overproofed?
Underproofed dough usually feels tight, springs back fast and shows very little surface bubbling. Overproofed dough often looks wobbly, fragile and very gassy, and the poke mark may not spring back at all. Use the time windows from this calculator as checkpoints, then rely on dough cues (volume, bubbles, surface tension) to decide whether to shape, bake or degas and reshape.
What if the suggested timing doesn’t fit my day?
If the schedule flag says the dough will be very fast, you can usually lower the dough temperature (cooler water, cooler room) or reduce yeast or levain % to buy more time. If it looks very slow, slightly warmer water or a touch more leavening can speed things up. Make changes gradually and note what works in your own kitchen rather than chasing a single “perfect” number.
Does sourdough always take longer than commercial yeast?
Often, but not always. A strong, warm sourdough with a high levain percentage can move quite quickly, while a sluggish starter in a cool kitchen may crawl. The calculator uses a more generous base time for sourdough and expects higher levain percentages, but you should still read the time windows alongside the health and behaviour of your own starter.
Should I ever ignore the calculator?
Absolutely. If the dough clearly looks proofed (or clearly not), trust your senses over a generic timing chart. The aim of this tool is to give you a tidy starting schedule and reminders for when to check, so you are less likely to forget the bowl on the counter or the bannetons in the fridge.
How to use this dough proofing time calculator
This tool takes the two numbers that matter most for timing bread dough — dough temperature and leavening percentage — and turns them into simple bulk and final proof windows. Instead of guessing or copying a schedule from a different kitchen, you get a plan that reacts to today’s dough.
1. Choose dough style and leavening percentage
Start by picking whether you are using instant yeast, active dry / regular yeast, or sourdough levain. Then enter the baker’s percentage for your leavening: yeast as % of flour (often 0.5–2% for yeasted doughs) or levain % for sourdough (often 10–30% for everyday loaves). The tool uses this to scale a reference schedule up or down.
2. Set temperature units and measure dough temperature
Next, choose whether you want to work in °F or °C, and measure the dough temperature at the end of mixing or kneading. A small probe thermometer poked into the centre of the dough works well. Warmer doughs ferment faster, cooler doughs slower, so this single number dramatically shifts the timing.
3. Read the bulk and final proof windows
When you tap Estimate proof times, the left-hand column shows:
- Bulk proof window as a low–high range (in hours and minutes).
- Final proof window for shaped loaves or rolls.
- Total active fermentation time from start of bulk to bake.
- A suggested first check time so you know when to look at the dough.
These windows are centred on a simple modelled schedule and widened slightly to acknowledge real-world variation between kitchens.
4. Use the schedule flag to manage your day
The right-hand column shows a GREEN, AMBER or RED schedule flag with a short note: green for a relaxed same-day schedule, amber for fast or long doughs that need more attention, and red when the combination of temperature and leavening is likely to feel very tight or very drawn out. Use this to decide whether to tweak water temperature or leavening before you even start mixing.
5. Build your own timing notes with the copy summary
Hit Copy summary after you run the calculation and paste the text into your recipe notebook, spreadsheet or baking app. Over time you will build your own proofing log that reflects your flour, starter, mixer and climate. The next time you bake a similar loaf, you can compare the dough to your notes instead of starting from zero.
Used this way, the calculator is a proofing co-pilot: it gives you a clear plan and reminders, while you stay in charge of the final call based on how the dough looks, feels and smells on the day.
How the dough proofing time math and flags work
The aim of the maths here is not to mirror laboratory fermentation curves, but to give a transparent, tweakable model that behaves sensibly as you change dough temperature and leavening %. You can repeat the calculations by hand or adjust the assumptions to match your own kitchen notes.
1. Reference schedules for each dough style
For each dough style the tool stores a simple reference schedule at a moderate dough temperature of 24 °C / 75 °F:
- Instant yeast: bulk ≈ 90 minutes, final proof ≈ 60 minutes at about 1% yeast.
- Active dry / regular yeast: slightly longer bulk and final proof at about 1.5% yeast.
- Sourdough levain: bulk ≈ 4 hours, final proof ≈ 2.5 hours at about 20% levain.
These reference points are deliberately conservative and assume a lean dough at room temperature.
2. Scaling times by leavening percentage
At a fixed dough temperature, fermentation time is assumed to be roughly inversely proportional to the leavening percentage. If P₀ is the reference leavening (for example 1% yeast) and P is your chosen baker’s percentage, the raw time scale factor is:
time_factorₚ ≈ P₀ ÷ P
Double the yeast and the model halves the time; halve the yeast and the time roughly doubles. Sourdough uses the same idea but with a higher reference percentage and longer base times.
3. Adjusting for dough temperature
The tool then adjusts for dough temperature using a simple “baking Q10” style rule of thumb. Every 5 °C (about 9 °F) cooler than the 24 °C reference makes fermentation slower by a fixed multiplier, and every 5 °C warmer makes it faster by the same amount:
time_factorₜ ≈ q^((24 − T°C) ÷ 5), where q is around 1.4 in this tool.
The final modelled time for bulk or final proof is then:
time ≈ reference_time × time_factorₚ × time_factorₜ
Results are rounded to the nearest 5 minutes and widened into a low–high range to reflect kitchen variation.
4. Schedule flags and reminders
The GREEN / AMBER / RED schedule flag is based mainly on the total active fermentation time:
- GREEN — a relaxed same-day schedule, roughly 3–8 hours from mixing to bake.
- AMBER — a fast dough (<3 hours) or a long one (>8 hours) that needs more attention.
- RED — very tight (<2 hours) or very extended (>12 hours) timing where a small change in conditions can swing the result.
The first-check reminder is simply set near the earliest edge of the bulk window, nudging you to look at the dough before it drifts too far off course.
Because every flour, starter and kitchen is different, the model stays deliberately simple and visible. The calculator keeps you organised; your hands, eyes and nose still make the final proofing decision.
References and further reading on dough proofing and fermentation
Pair this timing tool with trusted bread-baking and fermentation resources:
- King Arthur Baking — How to bake bread — clear guidance on kneading, proofing and baking with commercial yeast.
- The Perfect Loaf — Beginner’s guide to sourdough — step-by-step sourdough schedules, including dough temperature notes and sample timelines.
- Weekend Bakery — Handy sourdough tips — practical tips on fermentation, dough handling and adapting proofing times.
- Serious Eats — How to proof bread dough — an accessible walkthrough of what happens while dough rises and how to judge proof by feel.
Use the calculator as a planning helper, then keep adjusting the assumptions as you learn how your own flour, starter and kitchen behave over time.