Temperature × recipe
Hokkaido Milk Bread (Sourdough) at 88–95°F
Adjusted timing: 1.0h bulk + 1.2h proof (multiplier 0.39×).
- Baseline bulk (76°F)
- 2.5h
- Adjusted bulk
- 1.0h
- Baseline proof
- 3h
- Adjusted proof
- 1.2h
- Multiplier
- 0.39×
- Activity
- extreme-mold-risk
- Target hydration
- 72%
- Bake temp
- 350°F
Why the timing shifts
Very hot — avoid. Mold risk rises sharply above 85°F. Fermentation outpaces structural development. Levain becomes unbalanced toward lactic acid producers, creating cloying sour flavor. Only use briefly for refreshing starters or if absolutely unavoidable. Move dough to cooler location, or skip this bake and wait for cooler conditions. If baking must happen, reduce levain to 8%, bulk 90 min max, get into refrigerator immediately after shaping.
Technique for Hokkaido Milk Bread (Sourdough)
Make tangzhong: 25g bread flour + 125g water, heat in pan stirring to 65°C until thick paste. Cool. Combine tangzhong with other dough ingredients + levain. Knead 10 min. 2.5h bulk. Divide into 3 pieces, roll each into rectangle, fold thirds, roll into coil. Place coils side-by-side in oiled loaf pan. Proof 3h until risen 1 inch above pan. Bake 350°F for 30-35 min until golden and internal 190°F.
Calculator pre-set to these values
- Multiplier at 92°F
- 0.39×
- Adjusted bulk ferment
- 1 h
- Adjusted final proof
- 1.2 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.