Follow the dough through the stages
Mix → bulk ferment → divide or preshape if needed → shape → final proof → bake.
In many sourdough recipes, bulk starts when the starter or levain is mixed into the dough and includes the folds. If your recipe counts from another point, write down that baseline. Bulk ends before you work the dough into its final shape. A recipe can include a preshape and bench rest in between, especially for multiple loaves. [1] [3]
| Stage | Where the dough is | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Bulk fermentation | In a tub or bowl as one mass | Expansion since your starting mark, dough temperature, bubbles and how the dough feels. |
| Final proof at room temperature | Shaped in its basket, tin or other support | The recipe’s signs of expansion and aeration for a shaped loaf. Use a light poke if it suits the dough. |
| Final proof in the fridge | Shaped and covered for the recipe’s cold proof | The condition at shaping, time in the fridge and the recipe’s instructions for baking cold or allowing further proof. |
Is a cold retard the same thing as final proof?
When a recipe chills the shaped loaf for its last rise, the cold retard is part of final proof. Some methods refrigerate the dough earlier, before shaping. That chill happens during bulk if the dough is still in its first rise. Check what stage the recipe says you are in before moving dough to the fridge. [4] [2]
Why the cues change after shaping
During bulk you can mark a straight-sided tub and track rise from an early baseline. Once shaped, the loaf is in a basket or tin and has been handled, so that bulk measurement has done its job. Keep the expansion you saw and the time of shaping in your notes, then use the final-proof cues for the shaped dough.
A cold loaf can feel firm even if it has proofed enough. Check the recipe’s handling instructions and how the loaf looked before refrigeration. A longer chill also changes the dough’s temperature and rate of fermentation. It cannot be treated as a fixed amount of extra bulk. [5] [4]
An illustrative handoff
Say your recipe calls for shaping after the dough has reached its specified expansion and feels aerated. You make that decision at 19:00. After shaping, the instructions call for an overnight fridge proof. The bulk entry ends around shaping. Your next entry records the time the loaf went into the fridge, the fridge temperature if known, and the morning bake plan.
Crispy Crust’s planned bake timeline would give bulk and final proof their own checklists and times. When you review a loaf, you could see how long the dough spent in each stage and which observations led you to shape or bake.
If you are looking at one unshaped mass, check bulk cues. If you have a shaped loaf waiting for the oven, use the final-proof instructions for that loaf.