- Home
- Cooking Timers
- Bread Proofing Timer
Bread Proofing Timer
Tap the stage your dough is at and press Start. When the alarm sounds, check the dough before you move on.
1 hour
Spacestart / pauseRresetFfull screen+ −add or remove a minute0–9type a time
30 minutes: flour and water rest, covered, before the salt and yeast or starter go in.
60–90 minutes at about 75°F (24°C), until the dough has doubled. Cooler kitchens take longer.
30–60 minutes for the shaped loaf. Use the poke test before it goes in the oven.
4–6 hours at about 75–78°F (24–26°C). Look for 50–75% growth, bubbles and a domed top.
8–16 hours in the fridge. The chip sets 12; bake the loaf straight from cold.
How long to proof bread, stage by stage
| Stage | Timer | Usual range | Ready when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autolyse | 30 min | About 30 min | The dough is smoother and stretches without tearing |
| First rise (yeast dough) | 1 h | 60–90 min | It has doubled in size |
| Second rise (shaped loaf) | 30 min | 30–60 min | A floured poke springs back slowly |
| Sourdough bulk fermentation | 4 h | 4–6 h | It has grown 50–75%, with bubbles and a domed surface |
| Cold retard in the fridge | 12 h | 8–16 h | The loaf is puffy and holds a small dent |
Ranges assume a warm room, about 75°F (24°C); the sourdough range assumes 75–78°F (24–26°C). Dough rises faster when warm and slower when cool, so the time tells you when to look and the dough tells you when it is ready.
How to use it
- Tap the stage you are at: autolyse, first rise, second rise, sourdough bulk or an overnight proof in the fridge.
- Cover the dough so its surface does not dry out, put it somewhere free of drafts and press Start.
- Treat the alarm as the moment to look, not the moment to bake. Check how much the dough has grown and, for a shaped loaf, do the poke test.
- If the dough is not there yet, add 15 minutes with the steppers and check again. In a cool kitchen expect to do this more than once.
How long to let dough rise depends on temperature
Yeast works faster when it is warm and slower when it is cool. A recipe that says “60 to 90 minutes, until doubled” assumes a kitchen at about 75°F (24°C). On a cold morning the same dough can need a good deal longer, and beside a warm oven it can be ready early. The amount of yeast or starter, the temperature of the water you mixed with and how much sugar or fat is in the dough all move the time as well.
So the time is a guide and the dough decides. For a first rise, look for doubling. For sourdough bulk fermentation, which usually takes 4 to 6 hours at 75–78°F (24–26°C), look for growth of about 50 to 75 percent, bubbles along the sides of the bowl and a surface that domes at the edges. A straight-sided container with a mark at the starting level makes the growth easy to read.
The poke test for the second rise
Flour a finger and press it about ½ inch (1 cm) into the shaped loaf. If the dent springs back at once, the dough is under-proofed: give it more time. If it springs back slowly and leaves a small dent, it is ready to bake. If the dent stays and does not spring back at all, the loaf is over-proofed and has little rise left for the oven.
An overnight proof in the fridge slows everything down. The cold holds the yeast back for 8 to 16 hours while flavor develops, and a cold loaf is firmer, which makes it easier to score. The same test applies, but chilled dough springs back more slowly, so read it with that in mind.
Common mistakes
- Baking by the clock. A dough that has not doubled after 60 minutes is not ready because the timer says so.
- Proofing somewhere hot, such as on a radiator. The outside races ahead of the middle and butter in enriched doughs melts out.
- Leaving the dough uncovered. A dry skin forms, stops the dough stretching and shows up as a tough, dull crust.
- Letting the shaped loaf go too far. An over-proofed loaf sinks when it is scored and bakes up flat.
- Waiting for sourdough to double during bulk. Most recipes aim for 50–75% growth; doubling often means it has gone past its best.
Questions people ask
How long does it take to proof bread?
For a standard yeast dough at about 75°F (24°C), the first rise takes 60 to 90 minutes and the second rise of the shaped loaf takes 30 to 60 minutes. Cooler rooms stretch both.
What is a normal sourdough bulk fermentation time?
About 4 to 6 hours at 75–78°F (24–26°C), and longer when the kitchen is cooler. Go by the dough: roughly 50 to 75 percent bigger, bubbly and domed on top.
How long should the second rise be?
Usually 30 to 60 minutes at room temperature. It is shorter than the first rise because the yeast is already active. Use the poke test instead of waiting for the loaf to double.
Can I proof bread overnight in the fridge?
Yes. A shaped loaf, covered, can proof in the fridge for 8 to 16 hours. Many bakers do this with sourdough for flavor and timing, and bake it straight from the fridge.
What does the poke test tell me?
It shows how much rise the dough has left. A dent that fills in fast means under-proofed, one that fills in slowly and stays slightly visible means ready, and one that does not fill in means over-proofed.
Will a 12-hour proofing timer survive closing the page?
Yes. The countdown runs for hours and saves its end time, so if you close the page overnight and open it again in the morning it shows the correct time left.