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When Is Bulk Fermentation Actually Done?


Why bulk fermentation is so often misjudged — and how to judge it reliably.

 

Bulk fermentation is the second most critical stage in the entire fermentation chain, right after the starter.

Get it wrong, and everything that follows is compromised.
And most home bakers are forced to guess their way through it, even when everything else is done right.

Not because bulk is mysterious.
And not because it “just takes years of experience”.

But because bulk fermentation cannot be judged reliably by time, feel, or surface appearance — yet that’s exactly how it’s usually taught.

So you end up stopping too early, pushing too far, or second-guessing yourself bake after bake.
Sometimes it works.
Sometimes it doesn’t.
And you never quite know why.

That isn’t inconsistency.
It’s a broken decision process.

Bulk fermentation only becomes reliable when it’s judged by development, not instinct.
Until then, everything else you do is built on a guess.

Most home bakers decide when to stop bulk fermentation using one of three signals.

They watch the clock.
They feel the dough.
Or they look for visible rise.

Sometimes they combine all three.

And sometimes that works.
Most of the time, it does not.

Time does not account for temperature shifts, starter strength, or flour choice.
Feel changes from dough to dough and only becomes reliable after years of repetition.
Visible rise tells you fermentation is happening, not whether it has reached the right point.

So bulk becomes a judgment call you are forced to make without a reliable reference.

You stop early to avoid overdoing it.
Or you push longer because it does not feel ready yet.
Or you wait for a sign you were told to look for and hope it means what you think it means.

That's not intuition.
That's guesswork dressed up as experience.

And as long as bulk is judged that way, results will stay inconsistent, no matter how good the rest of your process is.

When bulk fermentation is misjudged, everything that follows is compromised.

A strong starter cannot save it.
Good shaping cannot fix it.
Careful proofing cannot recover it.
Even a perfect bake cannot undo it.

If bulk stops too early, the dough never develops enough structure to support expansion.
If it runs too long, the structure weakens before the loaf ever reaches the oven.

Either way, the result looks familiar.
Poor oven spring.
Uneven crumb.
Loaves that spread flat.
Inconsistent results, even when the process feels the same.

If you want to stop guessing your way through bulk fermentation, this is where to start.

The Sourdough Unchained System gives you a clear, repeatable way to judge bulk fermentation using volume tracking, not guesswork, within the full fermentation chain.

It is not a bulk fermentation trick.
It is not a standalone fix.
And it is not something you apply in isolation.

Bulk fermentation only works when the stages before and after it are aligned.

Inside Sourdough Unchained, bulk is treated as one critical link in a connected chain, so decisions you make at this stage actually hold through ambient proofing, cold retard, and baking.

If bulk fermentation is the stage that keeps undoing your bakes, this is the system that restores control to the entire process.

Join Sourdough Unchained.
Access starts immediately.
Apply it to your next bake and build it into your process.

Sourdough Unchained Annual Membership

$147/y

Most Popular

Best Value

Full access to the complete fermentation chain system

  • Starter Rehab Program
  • Dough to Basket Calibration
  • Fermentation Chain Fundamentals
  • The Reboot Process
  • The Sourdough Clinic
  • Magnus 5 Sourdough Calculator and Tracker
  • Live workshops and members’ lounge community


Seven-day money-back guarantee

Annual Access

Sourdough Unchained Six Month Membership

$99/6m

Full access to the complete fermentation chain system

  • Starter Rehab Program
  • Dough to Basket Calibration
  • Fermentation Chain Fundamentals
  • The Reboot Process
  • The Sourdough Clinic
  • Magnus 5 Sourdough Calculator and Tracker
  • Live workshops and members’ lounge community


Seven-day money-back guarantee

6 Month Access

 

This isn’t about baking more often. It’s about knowing what you’re seeing when you do bake.

I Used to Guess When Bulk Fermentation Was Done

"Before joining, I was constantly guessing when bulk fermentation was done. Sourdough Unchained taught me how to recognise the end of bulk fermentation with confidence, through guidance and repetition.

Learning to track fermentation through each stage, the levain, bulk, and proofing, gave me a systematic way to judge what was actually happening in my dough.

The real breakthrough came when I learned to size my dough properly for my banneton. Now, bulk fermentation doesn't have to be perfect, just close. Small shortcomings can be balanced out during final proof.

I no longer feel like I'm guessing. I actually know when my dough is ready."

— Kyle M., Texas

 

You don’t have to keep guessing.

 

What Happens When You Join

Once you join, you follow a clear, step-by-step system designed to remove guesswork and build reliable results.

Step 1: The Sourdough Starter System
Rehab or stabilise your starter so fermentation is powered correctly from the start.

Step 2: Dough-to-Basket Calibration
Size your dough properly so final proofing becomes measurable, not a guess.

Step 3: Fermentation Chain Fundamentals
Learn to track each stage of fermentation by volume to remove guesswork completely.

Step 4: The Reboot Process
Run controlled bakes that remove variables and lock in consistency.

Step 5: The Sourdough Clinic
Submit real bakes for analysis and learn how to diagnose and fix issues going forward.

How this works as a membership

You use the five steps to build a solid foundation, then continue refining your baking through intentional recipe design, shaping flavour, texture, nutrition, and appearance with each bake.

Progress happens bake by bake, at a pace that fits your life. There’s no fixed schedule and no concept of falling behind.

The membership gives you continued access to the full system and ongoing support as you apply it in your own baking, including Sourdough Lab livestreams where real bakes are analysed and decisions are explored in practice.

The Sourdough Unchained System gives you the framework. The membership is where you apply it, refine it, and build judgment over time.

Want to see exactly what’s included?
You can explore the full curriculum and lesson breakdown below.

 

From Flat Loaves to 50-Loaf Batches in 4 Months

When Rachael joined Sourdough Unchained in March 2025, her loaves had massive irregular holes from incorrect fermentation (picture on the left). She'd been struggling for months, never knowing if her timing was right.

The problem wasn't just bulk fermentation. It was the entire fermentation chain.

She started by rehabbing her starter so it could properly power the fermentation. Then she learned to judge bulk fermentation using volume increase instead of guessing. Finally, by matching her dough weight to her basket size, she dialled in the final proofing stage.

Each step built on the last. Once the complete fermentation chain was working, her results transformed.

By early July 2025, just four months later, Rachael was confidently baking fifty-loaf batches for her local community. Each one perfectly executed, with beautiful oven spring and the iconic ear.

What changed everything?

Rachael stopped trying to fix the bulk fermentation in isolation. Once she mastered the complete fermentation chain, rehabbing her starter, judging bulk with volume tracking, and calibrating final proofing, everything clicked.

The Complete Sourdough Unchained System – Lesson Breakdown


You came here to solve bulk fermentation timing. That’s Step Three: Fermentation Chain Fundamentals. But consistent sourdough comes from the full system, from starter strength to troubleshooting. Here’s the path you’ll follow, in order.

7-Day Money-Back Guarantee

Not satisfied? Get a full refund within 7 days. No questions asked.

You'll get immediate access to everything — The Fermentation Chain, all systems, personalised feedback, and the entire member library.

Try it risk-free. If it's not right for you, we'll refund every penny.

The only risk is continuing to guess when your dough is ready.

Frequently Asked Questions

Stop Guessing. Start Baking With Confidence.


You've spent too long poking the dough and hoping. Too many flat loaves. Too many wasted weekends. Too much frustration.

The Fermentation Chain gives you the system to judge fermentation with precision, so you finally know when your dough is ready.

No more guessing. No more inconsistent results. Just confident baking, every single time.

Start Your Membership

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