Sourdough Baking in the Summer Heat: Tips, Tricks & Tracking

Summer brings warmer temperatures, longer days… and faster fermentation! If you’re baking sourdough in the summer, you’ve likely noticed your dough is rising quicker than usual. Here are our best tips to keep your bake consistent and delicious, even when it’s hot:

🕒 Track Your Timing Start by writing down the time you mix your dough, each time you check it, and the time you end bulk fermentation. Do this a few times and you’ll start to see your fermentation “window.” Right now, we’re averaging around 4 hours!

🌡️ Monitor Your Environment Your starter is also sitting in the heat—and that means it’s fermenting fast. A warm starter stays “hungry” longer and becomes more acidic. Try moving it to a cooler part of your house or into a temperature-stable cabinet.

📉 Evaporative Cooling or Refrigerated Air? If you’re using swamp coolers or refrigerated air, they can dry out your dough! Cover your bowl with a damp towel or a lid to protect it from crusting over.

🥵 Signs of Overproofing Watch for slack, sticky dough or dough that spreads too much. These are signs it may be fermenting too quickly. When in doubt, shorten your bulk and pop it into the fridge sooner.

Sourdough_Summer_Tracking_Log.docx

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📝 Grab Your Free Download We’ve created a printable log sheet to help you track your summer sourdough bakes. Download it below, print it out, and start identifying your best baking window.