Proofing Time & Temperature Adjuster
Estimate how much longer or shorter your dough needs to proof when your kitchen runs warmer or cooler than the recipe.
This is a planning estimate, not a timer. Proof by look and poke test instead: the dough should grow roughly 50 to 80% and spring back slowly when poked. A cold fridge proof behaves differently, since yeast activity nearly stops below 5°C (41°F).
How it works
Fermentation is a chemical reaction, and like most chemical reactions it speeds up in heat and slows down in cold. The rule of thumb here: proofing time roughly doubles for every 8°C (about 14°F) drop in temperature, and roughly halves for every 8°C rise. Enter your recipe's time and temperature, then your kitchen's actual temperature, and the calculator scales the time using that doubling rule.
Worked example: a recipe calls for 8 hours of bulk fermentation at 24°C, but your kitchen is a cool 16°C, 8 degrees below the recipe's temperature. That's one full halving step in the cold direction, so the dough needs roughly 16 hours instead of 8. Flip it around and proof the same dough at 28°C, 4 degrees warmer than the recipe, and it's done in about 5.7 hours.
FAQ
Is this exact?
No, it's a planning tool, not a timer. Flour strength, starter activity, altitude, and even how much you handled the dough all shift the real number. Use the estimate to plan your evening, then finish by watching the dough: it should grow roughly 50 to 80% in volume and spring back slowly, not instantly, when you poke it.
What's the poke test exactly?
Press a floured finger about half an inch into the dough. If it springs back fast and fully, it needs more time. If it springs back slowly and leaves a small dent, it's ready. If it doesn't spring back at all, it's overproofed.
Does this rule apply to cold, fridge proofs too?
Not really. Yeast activity nearly stops below about 5°C (41°F), so a fridge retard isn't just a lot more doubling steps stacked up, it's closer to a pause button. Cold-proofed dough is mostly about flavor development and scheduling, not the same doubling math as a room-temperature rise.
Why offer both Celsius and Fahrenheit?
Recipes and kitchen thermometers use both depending on where they come from, so the toggle lets you enter your kitchen's reading in whichever unit you actually have, without converting in your head first.
For more on how temperature and proofing interact, see how temperature changes proofing, how to tell when sourdough is properly proofed, and cold-proofing sourdough overnight.