Temperature × recipe
100% Whole Wheat Pan Loaf at 83–87°F
Adjusted timing: 2.2h bulk + 4.5h proof (multiplier 0.56×).
- Baseline bulk (76°F)
- 4h
- Adjusted bulk
- 2.2h
- Baseline proof
- 8h
- Adjusted proof
- 4.5h
- Multiplier
- 0.56×
- Activity
- hyperactive
- Target hydration
- 80%
- Bake temp
- 425°F
Why the timing shifts
Hot kitchen — summer without AC, near-window light. Ferment nearly 2× faster than baseline. Not ideal — fermentation outpaces gluten development, leading to over-acidic flavor and collapsed structure. If unavoidable, use very low levain (10-12%), minimal bulk (2h max), and get dough into cold retard ASAP. Consider reducing bulk temperature by moving dough to cooler location (basement, refrigerator brief intervals).
Technique for 100% Whole Wheat Pan Loaf
Long autolyse (90 min) with 100% of the water at 80°F. Add levain and salt, mix until fully incorporated. 4 stretch-and-folds in 2h. Total bulk 4h. Shape into log, place seam-side down in oiled 9x5 loaf pan. Cold retard overnight. Bake at 425°F for 35-40 min until internal 200°F.
Calculator pre-set to these values
- Multiplier at 85°F
- 0.56×
- Adjusted bulk ferment
- 2.2 h
- Adjusted final proof
- 4.5 h
How the math works
Multipliers are piecewise-linear interpolations between reference points measured by Myhrvold et al. in Modernist Bread vol 3. 76°F is the baseline (1.0×); every 10°F drop roughly doubles fermentation time, and every 10°F rise roughly halves it.