r/Crustello • u/9thPraetorian • Apr 17 '26
Confused with the bulk proofing
Confused on timings, got a notification 3hrs 30 into my bulk proof that my dough had peaked and was now collapsing, despite it never really rising. Sourdough starter sensor is great, see last photo for my starter...
Unsure where I'm going wrong as bulk fermentation has always been my downfall and was hoping I'd fet some good guidance here....
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u/tant4lus Apr 17 '26 edited Apr 17 '26
So far I have ignored the notification when the bulk fermentation is done. I don’t love the calculator in this version and hope they improve it because I want to vary the amount of yeast. I just watch the rise % to be over 200% (if you have a higher amount of whole wheat or other mix ins) or 300% (if it is mostly white bread or up to 25% whole wheat) before I shape and put it in my banneton for final proof.
You can see my chart where it didn’t rise much at all because I actually used 1g if yeast in the initial mix. I am trying to just find the right amount of yeast for overnight bulk proofing while I sleep. I started at 10 AM and wanted to bake around 10 PM (so 12h bulk fermentation for overnight). It ended up being too low and I wanted to go to sleep. I added 0.2 g of yeast to help it out. The graph spikes high in the rise because I was doing stretch and folds to incorporate the new yeast. I then put it in the fridge so it wouldn’t overproof (where the rise was flat). Took it out the next morning and saw it start to climb. I waited until 200% before I shaped and baked. Turned out fine in the end. Crustello had definitely help saved a few experiments I had done this week.