Temperature × recipe
Pain au Levain at 63–67°F
Adjusted timing: 8.6h bulk + 22.8h proof (multiplier 1.90×).
- Baseline bulk (76°F)
- 4.5h
- Adjusted bulk
- 8.6h
- Baseline proof
- 12h
- Adjusted proof
- 22.8h
- Multiplier
- 1.90×
- Activity
- moderate
- Target hydration
- 72%
- Bake temp
- 480°F
Why the timing shifts
Cool kitchen — spring/fall without heating, air-conditioned summer. Ferment 1.5× longer than baseline. Good flavor development territory. Dough develops more complex sour notes. Manageable schedule. Extend bulk and proof by 50% vs recipe defaults.
Technique for Pain au Levain
Autolyse 60 min. Add levain (100% hydration, 15-20% of flour weight) and salt. 3 sets of stretch-and-folds. Total bulk 4.5h at 76°F. Shape tight boule, cold retard 12h. Bake in 480°F dutch oven: 22 min lid on, 22 min lid off.
Calculator pre-set to these values
- Multiplier at 65°F
- 1.9×
- Adjusted bulk ferment
- 8.6 h
- Adjusted final proof
- 22.8 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.