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Bakehouse · Bakery

The bakehouse production checklist: artisan bread, from starter to rack

Great bread depends on rhythm, not just ingredients; a structured process keeps every kilo of dough on track. Turning that rhythm into a digital checklist means your exact method is followed — every mix, fold and bake, every single day.

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Sourdough starter refresh locked to a 24-27 °C window before the morning mix Proving cabinet held at 26-30 °C and 75-80% RH, cold retard tracked to a precise 10-20 hour window Signed, time-stamped records at your fingertips, kept in order

Quick summary

What does the production process in a bakehouse look like?

A true bakehouse runs on a living, rhythmic sequence: it begins not when the mixer starts, but when the sourdough starter is refreshed. That first step — feeding at a steady 24-27 °C — sets the microbial activity that will carry through every later stage, so recording it matters as much as logging the bake itself.

From there, the flow depends on verifiable parameters. Bulk fermentation stretches 3 to 5 hours, paced by folds that build strength; the proving cabinet settles at 26-30 °C and 75-80% relative humidity, and a cold retard of 10 to 20 hours deepens flavour and makes scoring cleaner. Once the oven is loaded, 220-240 °C with steam sets the crust for bread, while viennoiserie and pastry find their range at 180-200 °C — and after the bake, cooling on a wire rack needs a full 1 to 2 hours before a loaf is ready to slice or wrap.

Paper sheets get lost, stained with flour, or sit unsigned in a folder you never check. Timlup does not certify anything; it simply helps you document, in an orderly way, whatever you decide to record. That means every cooling time, every proving temperature and every weight check is stored with a signature and a date, and it is there when you need to look back — or when a customer asks how that morning's batch was made.

In the bakehouse

The bakehouse in motion, in pictures

From mixing to the oven: every stage signed from the tablet.

Baker shaping bread dough by hand on the floured bakehouse worktable.
Mixing and shaping follow the spec sheet, recorded at hand.
Baker loading loaves into the deck oven in the bakehouse with a tablet.
The bake, with its temperature and batch, signed by whoever does it.
Full checklist

The bakehouse production process, ordered by block

From sourdough starter to cooling. Times vary by recipe and volume; tune each block to your bakehouse spec sheets.

Sourdough starter and weighing

20-30 min — first step of the day
  1. 1 Refresh the sourdough starter: weigh starter, flour and water to ratio, mix at 24-27 °C and log time and temperature 10 min
  2. 2 Check the previous refresh: rise, aroma and bubbling before using the starter 3 min
  3. 3 Pull and lay out the day's spec sheets (breads and pastries to produce) 3 min
  4. 4 Weigh each dough's ingredients to recipe: flours, water, salt and starter 8 min
  5. 5 Check mixing-water temperature to hit the target final dough temperature 2 min

Mixing and bulk fermentation

3-5 h — bulk ferment
  1. 1 Mix to correct gluten development; check final dough temperature (target per recipe) 12 min
  2. 2 Start the bulk ferment (3-5 h) and log the start time 1 min
  3. 3 Perform the scheduled folds in the first hours to build the gluten network 5 min
  4. 4 Watch the proof point: volume, open crumb and feel before dividing 3 min

Shaping and final proof

1-2 h (or 10-20 h cold)
  1. 1 Divide and weigh pieces to the spec-sheet weight 10 min
  2. 2 Pre-shape and bench-rest the pieces 8 min
  3. 3 Final-shape pieces (batons, loaves, pastry) into trays, couches or bannetons 15 min
  4. 4 Final proof in the cabinet at 26-30 °C and 75-80% RH; log temperature and humidity 3 min
  5. 5 Cold-retard alternative: move pieces to the fridge for 10-20 h and log the time in 3 min

Baking

20-45 min per batch
  1. 1 Preheat the oven: bread 220-240 °C, pastry 180-200 °C, and confirm it reaches temperature 10 min
  2. 2 Score the bread pieces before loading 3 min
  3. 3 Load the oven and inject steam in the first minutes for bread 2 min
  4. 4 Control the bake: time, crust colour, and log the batch if you decide to document it 3 min
  5. 5 Bake viennoiserie at 180-200 °C, watching the colour 5 min

Cooling and waste

1-2 h cooling
  1. 1 Turn pieces out onto a wire rack and cool 1-2 h before slicing or wrapping; log time out of the oven 3 min
  2. 2 Check the batch quality: crust, crumb, volume and pull non-conforming pieces 5 min
  3. 3 Record the day's waste (defective pieces, surplus, test bakes) by product 5 min
  4. 4 Clean and reset the kit: mixer, bench, bannetons, couches and trays 15 min
Baker view

This simple on the bakehouse tablet

The baker enters with a PIN, sees only the tasks of their stage and signs at the close of the block. You control the process from your panel without being in the bakehouse.

The Wheatsheaf Bakery · Bakehouse

Production — Starter and weighing

due 06:30
3 / 5
  • Refresh starter at 24-27 °C (log temp and time)
  • Check the previous starter refresh
  • Lay out the day's spec sheets
  • Weigh each dough's ingredients
  • Check mixing-water temperature
Tick all 5 tasks to sign and close the block
Why Timlup

Bringing order to the oven

Capture your method, build consistency, and keep the story of every loaf at your fingertips.

A log that matches your method

Write the checklist to follow your actual production sequence — refreshing starter, mixing, folding, shaping, proving, baking and cooling — so nothing is skipped or rearranged on a whim. It is your process, digitised exactly as you want it.

Technical parameters, not just ticks

Record the numbers that matter: dough temperature, proving cabinet RH, cold-retard hours, oven setpoints for bread versus pastry, and final cooling time. These data points help you trace quality back to the moment a batch went right — or wrong.

Waste, yield and closed-loop learning

End each day by logging how many kilos went in and how many came out. That waste-and-yield record flags small drift before it becomes a margin problem, and your signed records give the team a reason to treat each gram with respect.

FAQ

Common bakehouse process questions

What bakers and bakehouse owners ask us most about sourdough, fermentation and baking.

How long should bulk fermentation take, and what do folds do in practice?
In a typical artisan schedule, bulk fermentation runs 3 to 5 hours at ambient or lightly controlled temperature. Folds — usually one to three sets during the first couple of hours — strengthen the gluten network and even out dough temperature, and recording when each fold was done helps you replicate the same crumb structure day after day.
What temperature and humidity should a proving cabinet maintain?
For a consistent final proof, aim for 26-30 °C and 75-80% relative humidity. Staying within that band prevents skinning on the dough surface and keeps fermentation active without rushing it. Logging both values on your checklist gives you an early warning if the cabinet drifts out of specification.
Why does sourdough starter refresh temperature matter so much?
A starter refreshed at 24-27 °C maintains a balanced population of yeast and lactic-acid bacteria. Go much cooler and activity slows dramatically; go much warmer and the acidity can tip too far. Recording the temperature at refresh time helps explain later variations in rise, acidity and oven spring.
What is the purpose of the 10- to 20-hour cold retard?
A cold retard — typically at fridge temperature — slows fermentation enough to let enzymes and bacteria develop complex flavour compounds, while the chilled dough becomes firmer and easier to score. Tracking the exact number of hours means you can correlate flavour and handling differences back to that time window.
Why do bread and viennoiserie need such different baking temperatures?
Lean doughs for bread need an initial hit of 220-240 °C, usually with steam, to maximise oven spring and set a crisp crust. Viennoiserie and pastry, which are enriched with butter, sugar or eggs, bake more evenly at 180-200 °C to avoid burning the outside before the inside is set. Recording which programme was used prevents trays being loaded at the wrong temperature.
What role does steam play in the oven?
Steam delays crust formation, keeping the dough surface flexible so it can expand fully during the first minutes of the bake. It also gelatinises surface starches, contributing to a glossy, crackly crust. Noting steam duration or valve settings on the checklist removes guesswork from the person loading the oven.
Why must bread cool on a wire rack for 1 to 2 hours?
Internal structure continues to set during cooling, and excess moisture escapes through the crumb and crust. Cutting too soon yields a gummy texture. A wire rack allows airflow on all sides; logging the time the loaf left the oven and when it was packaged proves the rest was respected.
How should we record waste and yield in a bakehouse?
Track the total dough weight going in and the sellable kilogrammes coming out. The difference — trimmings, over-baked items, test loaves — is your waste figure. Monitoring that percentage shift week on week, especially when linked to process notes on the same checklist, turns waste into a tool for improving technique and margins.
Can a digital checklist handle technical spec sheets for different products?
Yes. You can build separate checklist templates for sourdough boules, ciabatta, croissants or any other product, each carrying its own target temperatures, hydration, proof times and oven settings. The person on the bench simply follows the spec that loads for that day's bake, so no one has to memorise every detail.
Do I need my own bakehouse production checklist, or is there a one-size-fits-all version?
Every bakehouse works to its own mix of recipes, equipment and craft preferences, so a generic list rarely fits. The value comes from capturing what you actually do — your starter schedule, your retard timing, your oven profiles — and Timlup simply gives you a clean, signed, time-stamped place to do that.
John Guerrero
Editor

John Guerrero

Founder of Timlup · Founder of ChefBusiness

15+ years working on business operations and process digitisation. Behind Timlup, ChefBusiness and AI Chef Pro. These guides capture the daily-control procedures I see working in operations-heavy businesses across Spain.

ChefBusiness ↗ AI Chef Pro ↗ GastroSEO ↗ Hosply ↗

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