SOURDOUGH, PLANNED BACKWARDS

Warm bread
at ten on Sunday.

Tell Bakeward when the loaf should come out of the oven. It counts back to the morning you feed your starter, fits every fold, shape and proof around how warm your kitchen is, and does the baker's maths for you.

Plan your bake See how it works ↓

Free. No account. Your plan stays in your browser.

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HOW IT WORKS

Start at the end.

You choose the moment the loaf comes out. Bakeward walks back through every step and tells you when each one happens.

  1. Sun 10:00

    Out of the oven

    Cool on a rack for at least an hour before slicing.

  2. Sun 09:35

    Remove the lid

    Lower to 230 °C / 450 °F and bake 25 more minutes until deep brown.

  3. Sun 09:15

    Bake, lid on

    Score the dough, put it in the Dutch oven and bake for 20 minutes.

  4. Sun 08:15

    Preheat the oven

    Heat the oven to 250 °C / 480 °F with the Dutch oven inside.

  5. Sat 21:15

    Shape

    Shape tightly and put it in a floured banneton. Cover it and put it in the fridge.

    Night Anything after 22:00 or before 07:00 gets a Night badge, so you see it coming.

  6. Sat 20:45

    Pre-shape

    Turn the dough out and round it loosely. Rest it uncovered.

  7. Sat 16:15 – 17:45

    Four stretch and folds

    Every 30 minutes, lift each side of the dough and fold it over.

  8. Sat 15:45

    Mix the dough

    Combine the levain, flour, water and salt until no dry flour remains.

  9. Sat 10:45

    Feed the starter

    Mix starter, flour and water 1:2:2 and leave until bubbly and doubled.

THREE THINGS YOU TELL IT

  1. When it comes out.

    Pick a day and time, in 15-minute steps. The default is the next 10:00 you can still make.

  2. How warm your kitchen is.

    Anywhere from 16 to 30 °C (60 to 86 °F). A cool kitchen stretches the rise, a warm one shortens it.

  3. How it proofs.

    Overnight in the fridge (8 to 48 hours) or the same day on the counter.

FERMENTATION

Your kitchen sets the pace.

Sourdough rises slower in a cool room and faster in a warm one. Bakeward scales the levain, bulk and same-day proof to your kitchen, so 5 hours at 24 °C becomes 7 at 20 °C.

22 °C
Levain 6 h
Bulk ferment 6 h

Folds stay at 30-minute intervals. The fridge proof doesn't change with the room.

BAKER'S PERCENTAGES

Grams you can weigh, percentages you can trust.

Enter total flour, hydration, levain and salt. Bakeward counts the levain's own flour and water toward the totals, so 75 % really means 75 %.

500 g flour · 75 % · 20 % levain · 2 % salt

Levain build

Starter
22 g
Flour
44 g
Water
44 g

Final dough

Flour
450 g
Water
325 g
Levain
100 g
Salt
10 g

Total dough 885 g.

AND THE REST

Small things that save a bake.

  • Add to calendar.

    One tap downloads every step as a calendar event, each with an alert at its time.

  • Night badges.

    Steps after 22:00 or before 07:00 are flagged before you commit.

  • "Next" at a glance.

    Finished steps fade out and the next one is marked, refreshed every minute.

  • °C or °F.

    Switch units any time. The plan doesn't move.

  • It remembers.

    Your plan is saved in this browser and is there when you come back. No account.

  • Honest warnings.

    If the first step is already in the past, it tells you, and still shows the plan.

TRY IT HERE

This is the planner. Go on, change the time.

It's running right here on the page. Move the bake to Saturday evening and watch everything shift.

Open it full screen

Pick a time. Then go to bed.

Bakeward does the counting. You do the baking.

Plan your bake

Free · Works in your browser · No sign-up