Fermentation & Proofing Planner

The calculator includes two timing helpers:

• Bulk Fermentation
• Proofing

These are yeast-aware, temperature-aware planning estimates. They are meant to speed up dialing in a process, not replace dough feel.

Best ForUsing the calculator's timing helpers as a practical starting range.

FocusYeast-aware estimates, temperature inputs, and the limits of the model.

Read This NextFermentation and proofing guides if you want to pair the estimate with dough cues.

Where It Shows Up

The planner cards appear when:

• Yeast is enabled
• Yeast percentage is greater than 0

If yeast is disabled or set to 0%, the cards are hidden.

What You Can Control

Each stage (bulk and proofing) has the same controls:

• Mode: Room or Cold
• Use actual room or refrigerator temp toggle
• Optional stage temperature input in °F
• Celsius is shown below the Fahrenheit value for quick reference

If "Use actual" is off, the calculator uses stored defaults:

• Room: 72°F
• Cold: 38°F

Those defaults are also readable as:

• Room: 22°C
• Cold: 3°C

When "Use actual" is on, allowed ranges are:

• Room temp: 32-110°F
• Cold temp: 32-60°F

How the Estimate Is Calculated

The estimate uses:

• Active yeast percentage
• Selected stage temperature
• Stage type (bulk or proofing)

Reference point:

• 1% yeast at 72°F

Stage base times:

• Bulk base: 3.5 hours
• Proof base: 1.8 hours

Temperature and yeast scale the base time, then the result is clamped:

• Bulk clamp: 0.8 to 96 hours
• Proof clamp: 0.4 to 72 hours

Displayed output is a range:

• Low = estimate × 0.75
• High = estimate × 1.25

Important Scope Notes

The timing model currently responds directly to:

• Yeast %
• Temperature

It does not directly model:

• Hydration %
• Flour strength/type
• Salt %
• Mixing intensity
• Dough development or handling

That is why the UI labels these as rough estimates.

Presets and Defaults

Presets can preload bulk/proofing mode (room or cold).
Applying a preset resets stage panels to closed and disables "Use actual temp" until you opt in.

Reset behavior returns fermentation planning to:

• Bulk mode: room
• Proof mode: room
• Use actual temp: off

Practical Workflow

1. Pick a preset or set your formula manually.
2. Set yeast % to match your schedule.
3. Choose room/cold mode for bulk and proof.
4. Turn on actual temp if your kitchen or fridge runs warmer/cooler than typical.
5. Use the estimated range as a starting target, then confirm by dough behavior.

Related Guides

• KitchenRatio Calculator
• Fermentation
• No-Knead vs Kneading
• Hydration

Get the Gear

• Baking Gear & Ingredients