How to Have Fresh Sourdough Bread All Week Long

Wondering how to fit sourdough bread into your busy schedule and still have fresh bread all week long? In this post, I’ll share my sourdough schedule, plus tips for success.

Making homemade sourdough bread has become really popular in the last few years. However, it can be intimidating to get started, between all the sourdough lingo and overall time from mixing to baking.

Let’s be honest, in our modern world of instant gratification, the time factor can be quite an adjustment! A good loaf of sourdough bread can take anywhere from 8 to 24 hours (or even longer!) from start to finish, depending on the recipe.

It doesn’t have to be complicated though. In fact, sourdough can be quite simple and flexible enough to fit into any schedule. Yes – you don’t have to spend days on end in the kitchen baking sourdough just to have fresh homemade bread all week long!

In this post, I will share how I’ve adjusted my sourdough routine to fit into my schedule and how you can too. I’ll also answer common questions and troubleshooting like “Why does my sourdough bread turn out flat after a long cold proof?”

If you’re new to sourdough or just looking to simplify the process, this is the post for you!

Tips for Making a Simple Sourdough Routine

A simple and stress free sourdough schedule is easy to achieve once you have a few basic principles in mind. Here are my best tips.

Mix your dough all at once. Figure out how many loaves your family goes through per week, and mix it all at once. That way, you are only mixing, stretching and folding, and shaping dough one day a week.

Mix the loaves in separate bowls based on when you will bake them – this is important for the bulk ferment stage later on.

Prepare sourdough leaven for your dough. Say you need to make six loaves a week and you’re wondering how the heck you’re going to have enough active sourdough starter for all that dough! This is why I love making a sourdough leaven, instead of feeding directly into my starter.

A leaven is basically a separate starter made specifically for a recipe, so you’re not using up all your starter in the recipe. This works very well when you’re making large quantities of dough at once, since the leaven only takes a small amount of starter to become active. Just make sure you prepare it plenty of time in advance, like the evening before mixing the dough. See below for a basic calculation of preparing a leaven.

Stagger bulk fermentation and cold proofing periods. This is the key to having fresh (and sufficiently risen) sourdough all week long. Once your dough is at the bulk fermentation stage, you can stagger the fermentation times for the loaves based on when you will bake them throughout the week.

The loaf you will bake the soonest should have the longest bulk ferment time (and the shortest cold proof), and the loaf that will be baked toward the end of the week should have the shortest bulk ferment time (and the longest cold proof, since it will be hanging out in the fridge all week).

Bake fresh during the week. Once all your loaves are shaped and cold proofing in bannetons in the refrigerator, you can bake them as you need them during the week. The loaf that had the longest bulk ferment only needs a few hours in the fridge, while the loaf that had the shortest bulk ferment can wait to be baked later in the week.

This way, you only need an hour or so of time to preheat the oven, grab a loaf from the fridge, and bake it fresh. This adds so much flexibility to sourdough, especially for busy people!

Basic Calculation for Preparing a Sourdough Leaven

Making a sourdough leaven is quite simple for any recipe. The basic ratio is equal parts flour and water, plus 10% of that mixture in active sourdough starter. If that sounds confusing, here is an example:

The recipe calls for 200 grams of active starter or leaven. That means you will need about 95 grams of flour, 95 grams of water (this amount equals 190 grams). Ten percent of 190 grams is 19 grams, so you will need 19 grams of active starter. This will make about 209 grams total of active leaven. Some will stick to the sides of the jar, so having a few grams extra is nice.

Mix the leaven as you would your starter, cover and allow to activate. I like to make my leaven the evening before, so it’s ready to use in the morning.

Example Sourdough Bread Routine

If you’re curious to see this process in action, this is my sourdough schedule. I only need to make two loaves per week for my family currently, but I do adjust if I’m gifting sourdough or planning on having guests.

I mix the two loaves in separate bowls, as they will have different bulk ferment periods. However, the initial mixing process is the same. Check out my Favorite Sourdough Bread recipe for my go-to sourdough recipe.

The loaf I plan on baking right away bulk ferments for at least 6-8 hours. Then I shape it and cold proof for 1-3 hours, and bake.

The loaf I plan on baking later in the week only bulk ferments for a couple hours. I then shape it, place it in a banneton, cover and refrigerate. I can forget about that loaf in the fridge until I need it later in the week.

If I am making more loaves to bake at one time, say two now and two later, I will mix two loaves in one bowl. The only reason I mix them in separate bowls is for staggering the ferment and proof (and therefore baking) times.

Sourdough Bread Basics – Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between bulk fermentation and cold proofing?

Bulk fermentation, also called the first rise, refers to the initial fermentation process where the dough is fermented in one large mass, before dividing and shaping. This stage occurs right after stretch and folds (or kneading) and is at room temperature. Bulk fermentation is critical in developing flavor, texture and strength in the dough.

Cold proofing occurs after shaping, in the refrigerator. This process allows the dough to complete the final stages of fermentation before baking. It helps the dough develop more flavor, become easier to handle, and can produce a darker, blistered crust once baked.

Are both bulk fermentation and cold proofing necessary?

While I recommend both for best results, I’d say bulk fermentation is the most critical step. Cold proofing definitely improves the flavor and quality of sourdough and makes it easier to handle. But in a pinch, it could probably be skipped.

Why does my sourdough bread turn out flat after a long cold proof?

I struggled with this for months before I found a solution! I’m no sourdough scientist, but it seems to me that if I do a long bulk ferment and a long cold proof, the loaf will turn out flat. Dough that has been bulk fermented for 6-8 hours just cannot withstand 24+ hours in the fridge and starts to lose its precious rise.

This is why it’s so important to stagger bulk ferment times with cold proofing times. If I plan on baking the loaf same day, I will bulk ferment the dough 6-8 hours and only cold proof for an hour or so. This gives the loaf enough time in the refrigerator to firm up for easier scoring, but not too long that it deflates the dough.

If I plan on cold proofing the dough for several days, I will do a very short bulk ferment (2-3 hours usually) and it will keep its structure very well in the fridge.

I hope this post saves you some time in the kitchen. And if you’re on the fence about sourdough, I hope this is the encouragement you need to give it a try. Sourdough can be complex and complicated, but it surely doesn’t have to be. Don’t be afraid to experiment, and have some fun with it!