When is BULK FERMENTATION of your SOURDOUGH COMPLETE?

In this video I'll show you a quick hack to know when bulk fermentation of your sourdough is complete. Using this trick I always get my bulk fermentation right. There's a sweet spot of around 30 minutes that you want to hit.
I have always had issues with over-proofing my dough. When baking it is sometimes hard to judge whether bulk fermentation is done. Especially when applying stretch and folds. Did the dough really double in size? The dangers are severe - over-doing bulk fermentation will turn your dough into a sticky mess for the shaping phase. The dough will become incredibly hard to handle, it will be overproofed. Furthermore you will not get as much ovenspring as you could get in theory.
Basically we take a small part of the mixed dough and place it in a glas jar. We mark the jar where the dough was after adding the starter. Then if the dough doubled in size we know we are done with the bulk fermentation.
Edit:
This video is relatively old. I like to take a rubber band and place it on the jar these days. That is much easier.

[@liagm]

Great tip, thanks. I keep overproffing my bulk fermentation.

[@the_bread_code]

You are welcome. It is always better to finish bulk fermentation a little earlier than too late.

[@marilynyunker4664]

Great binary benefit! A control for under/over proofing dough. Plus a hot sample for husband so he will wait for loaf to cool, so no more gummy loaves. Love how this tip, provides an easy, reliable, and measurable control for fermentation. No more under or over proofed bread, especially no more guessing, no more doubting my inprecise impression of the rise. For the bulk fermentation, I use a glass measuring cup for my sample, upped the amount to 1/2 c (112g) dough, additionally, I now also use an 8 cup glass measuring cup for my bread dough. Later, I shape and bake the sample along with my bread, providing my spouse a mini hot boule. Love your videos and the great info. Thank you, so much for this fantastic tip!

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Marilyn Yunker, you are most welcome! Feel free to reach out with more questions at any time. Happy baking and cheers from Hamburg.

[@reneeprince6790]

I’ve been looking for this answer. I’ll be doing this next weekend, thanks !

[@the_bread_code]

Glad I could help! Thank you!

[@jlf1430]

Thank you, simple answer, smart idea!!!

From the look of it the rise in the glass is a lot more than 30%. Especially since the glass is not cylindrical in shape

[@teddykayy]

Planning to use this method on my next attempt. Many thanks!

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Marek, perfect. Feel free to reach out with more questions! Happy baking.

[@rlarviso]

Thank you so scientific and precise

[@franciscajoseph591]

I have problems with my bulk fermentation, it goes sticky. I measured all ingredients according to recipe. I am stuck with solving bulk fermentation problem. I will try the above test in my next journey. TQ!

[@happypiper7669]

I've noticed that sometimes, when I make a high hydration dough it's not always rising in volume as much as a lower hydration dough. Higher hydration makes the dough ferment faster and there's a higher risk of overproofing. Last time I made a high hydration dough it only rose 10% in volume over the night (used very little starter) but the breads came out great.

[@StellaDalinaVu]

I mixed the dough, and took a piece to put in a small jar since 4:25 pm. Went through all the steps, of resting and folding all looks great. But now it 11:55 pm and still it hasn’t doubled in size. Is it possible that it might take up to 16 hrs to bulk ferment ?

[@JMMS925]

So, do you add the dough to the dough once you have done stretch and folds? Then, once the dough in the jar has grown by about 30 percent then I can be pretty sure that bulk fermentation is done?

[@johnsparks3340]

So is this the first rising of the sourdough, but before you shape it and put in the proofing basket?

[@lisakuduk4754]

Henrik i seem to remember a temperature( in Fahrenheit)/time/ starter % chart that helped me to figure out fermentation times. It was color coded. Im trying to help another baker and cant find my original nor on which video you had it on. Can you help please?

[@teddykayy]

Commenting because I never do and I learned a lot from all your videos

[@the_bread_code]

Hi Marek. Awesome. You are welcome. Saw your other comments too. Feel free to send me more questions!

[@Ondrzel]

Dear Hendrik, I'm having issues with my bulk fermentation. I'm doing a 60% bread flour, 40% whole-grain spelt flour, 68% hydration, 5% starter and 2% salt recipe. The dough is coming together beautifully in the beginning with a great windowpane effect, and gets nice and silky during bulk fermentation, without sticking to the bowl anymore, but it doesn't really grow in size enough. And when I decide "OK, it didn't bubble, but the texture has clearly changed and there are nice bubbles", I put it on the counter, split into two pieces and pre-shape, still goes very well, doesn't stick and holds shape quite well, but when I come back after 10 minutes to final-shape, I find it has spread out into a pancake, the surface membrane is completely destroyed and it's very sticky. Have you had any issues like this, do you know what the reason might be? Viele Grüße von Jena und Tschechien :)

[@danielg.pesante1131]

Hi, I am not the originator of the video, but may I suggest you experiment using more starter, in the recipe, something in the range of 20-25% (flour weight)! I believe you are using too small an amount of starter ( inoculant) in proportion to the main dough =r the portion being autolised). As I read it, 95% of the the recipe flour is going into the main dough, and 5% of the flour is going to the starter, or being contributed by the starter Your bulk formation will still occur OK (with 5%) , but it will take a very long time to do something noticeable. With 20-25% (starter flour/total flour(s)) I double the volume in bulk fermentation in 2- 2.5 hrs. This is keeping the dough at around 82-83 degrees F!

[@notpipa_]

So, should i add a little of dough in the glass and wait until 50% from when i put the starter? even if i do folds and knead the final dough?

[@the_bread_code]

Yep, exactly. Then you will know that your dough has doubled in size. Ideally your folds should not degas your dough. Check this out on folding: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bHu0nmWkacaJkMU

[@notpipa_]

@@the_bread_code thank you!

[@darthnihiluz5305]

I think possibly I over proofed, when I took it out of the basket it kind of flatten like a pancake?

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Darth. Yep. That sounds very likely.

[@justryan2070]

So I've tried this three times now and it did not work? I made bread dough with 20% starter, 20% WW and 80% White AP with 2% salt. I cut off a piece and put it in a second jar. I also made a jar of starter with the exact same 20% starter, 20% WW and 80% White AP but without salt. The bread dough and stiff 60% starter both rise. But this is the third time the piece I cut off from the bread dough hasn't risen at all. Any suggestions? Idk how to determine when the ferment is done. I can't rely on my normal starter because it would ferment faster than the bread dough that has salt and 40% less hydration/more flour to go through.

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Just. I'd recommend to check out this tutorial, covering the full process from start to finish: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hH7KnZutpZefhNU. Hope this helps :-)

[@justryan2070]

@@the_bread_code You already know but just an update anyways, I'm reliably making some quality loaves of bread and the key was both flour quality and the right sample size and some practice of course.

[@the_bread_code]

@@justryan2070 Awesome. Well done!

[@5plus2eqauls9]

@@justryan2070 I seem to have the same thing happening, main dough is clearly rising, but when I look at the sample it has only slightly grown. When you say the correct sample size, how did you correct for this? Using a larger sample? I'm admittedly using a very small sample (placed in a shot glass)

[@Balto13]

Nice tip! What you also can do is the fload test just like you do with your sourdough, but then whit a piece of dough. If it fload you should be good to go. Maybe you are interessed in trying this out?

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Seppe. Thanks for the comment. This works when you have made a starter with a high gluten flour. However for whole wheat or rye this will not work likely. The doubling in size is more reliable.

[@eda7875]

You got the UFO looking bread.

[@the_bread_code]

UFO Bread, good one. Haha.

[@chasberman]

30%? Looks like more than 50%

[@scualos]

I think so. @The Bread Code can you clarify this?

[@lurchamok8137]

yes it looks like it almost doubled in size (conical jar)

[@andreldfc]

too late, but I had the same impression

[@guynakash]

I put the entire dough in a clear container with a flat bottom and mark the side, you don't need to take a part out, measure the entire dough.

[@cdavid0624]

This won't be totally reliable since you will slightly deflate the dough when you do stretch and folds.

[@guynakash]

@@cdavid0624 I do 3-4 sets of stretch and fold, check for windowpane and then bulk ferment without touching it, no deflation dude.

[@justryan2070]

@@guynakash The dough starts fermenting when you add the starter. It doesn't wait to rise until you've done stretch/folds and checked for windowpane. If it rose 25% during that time, a double in size would actually be 150% not 100% volume gain. That's because you may have 125% volume right after stretch and folds. Also many bowls and containers are tapered at the bottom making the marking unreliable and the rising dome of dough is hard to interpret.

[@guynakash]

@@justryan2070 and? There's no difference between measuring a portion of the dough and the entire dough, it all depends on what you're looking for, you say 50% as if it's the magic number, I shape and retard at around 25% and I don't do stretch and folds, am I doing it wrong? I knead the dough, check for windowpane, when I get a good gluten developed I start bult fermentation, mark the container and shape it when I reach 25%, retard overnight and bake in the morning. Again, measuring a portion or tge entire dough is the same thing, and even if you do stretch and folds, you don't deflate the dough that much, unless you're doing it wrong.

[@justryan2070]

@@guynakash You said you did 3-4 sets of stretch and fold and check for windowpane THEN bulk ferment it. But it's bulk fermenting started as soon as you added yeast before even your first set of stretch and folds. That's what I'm saying. Rising 50% from the start is different from a dough that has already risen 25% rising 50% more from that dough that had already risen 25% during stretch and folds.

[@dilhildebrand]

At what stage should the bit of dough be put aside in a jar for tracking rise? Immediately after mixing in the leaven? Or after the folding steps? It's not clear from this or any of your other videos the correct moment to remove the test piece. Thanks!

[@the_bread_code]

After the folding. Just to make sure you have a good distribution of starter.

[@dilhildebrand]

@@the_bread_code Wonderful....thank you! And thanks for the many helpful videos.

[@MickieMuellerStudio]

That’s what I was trying to find out, trying this method today, Thanks!