Schedules
Overnight Cold Bulk: Mix at Night, Bake in Morning
If you'd rather bake fresh in the morning, this overnight cold-bulk schedule produces excellent same-day sliceable bread.
Short answer: mix dough in the evening, bulk 2 hours, refrigerate overnight. In the morning, shape, proof briefly, and bake. Fresh bread for breakfast or lunch.
Why this schedule
This is the schedule for:
- Morning people who want fresh bread by 10 AM
- Bakers without weekend afternoons
- Working bakers who can spare 30 min in the evening + 2 hours in the morning
It's flexible, fast, and produces bakery-quality bread.
The timeline
| Time | Action |
|---|---|
| Evening 6 PM | Feed starter |
| Evening 9 PM | Mix dough, bulk 2h |
| Evening 11 PM | Refrigerate (cold bulk) |
| Morning 6 AM | Pull dough out, warm 30 min |
| Morning 7 AM | Shape, basket, proof 1.5h |
| Morning 8:30 AM | Preheat oven |
| Morning 9:30 AM | Bake |
| Morning 11 AM | Slice for brunch |
Total active time: 60 minutes spread across two days.
Step by step
Evening 6 PM
- Feed starter (1:1:1)
Evening 9 PM
- Starter at peak
- Mix dough
- 500g bread flour, 350g water, 100g starter, 10g salt
- Bulk 2 hours with 2 sets of folds
Evening 11 PM
- Cover, refrigerate
- Sleep
Morning 6 AM
- Pull dough out
- Let warm 30 min
Morning 7 AM
- Pre-shape, rest 20 min
- Final shape
- Basket, proof 1.5 hours
Morning 8:30 AM
- Preheat Dutch oven 500°F (60 min)
Morning 9:30 AM
- Score, bake covered 18 min
- Uncover, bake 22 min
Morning 11 AM
- Cool 90 min
- Slice
Why overnight cold bulk
Cold bulk overnight:
- Develops flavor without supervision
- Makes the dough easier to handle in the morning (cold = firm)
- Schedules around sleep
- Frees up active time
This is the most efficient sourdough schedule.
A variation: longer cold bulk
For more flavor:
- Refrigerate 18+ hours
- Pull dough Friday morning, shape Friday lunch, bake Friday afternoon
Common adjustments
Want to bake earlier?
Pull dough at 5 AM, bake at 8 AM.
Want to bake later?
Pull dough at 8 AM, bake at noon.
Have a stand mixer?
Mix in mixer 5 min instead of by hand at evening.
Why this is forgiving
The cold bulk:
- Slows but doesn't stop fermentation
- Allows 8–18 hours of flexibility
- Doesn't ruin if you sleep in
Pull dough whenever you wake up.
A working week example
Tuesday night: mix Wednesday morning: bake Wednesday breakfast: fresh bread
Repeat Friday night → Saturday breakfast.
Two fresh loaves a week with minimal weekday effort.
A weekend version
Saturday night: mix Sunday morning: bake Sunday brunch: fresh bread
The bake aligns with traditional breakfast time.
A final note
The overnight cold-bulk schedule is the most replicable for working bakers.
You're sleeping while the dough develops. The morning bake fits naturally into a weekend or weekday morning routine.
Try it for 3 weeks in a row. By week 3, it's automatic.