Bench Notes
A sourdough companion

Learn from every bake.

Bench Notes keeps your starter, recipes, live bake steps, photos and results together, so you can see what changed and carry it into the next loaf. New to bread? It walks you through every step.

In testing on Android now. Join the beta to try it first.

Coming soon to Google Play See how it works
PlanRecordCompareUnderstandImprove
One connected record

From starter feed to finished loaf.

A bake is more than a recipe. Bench Notes keeps the timing, temperatures, observations and outcome around it, so the record still makes sense weeks later.

01
PlanWork back from oven time. Know when to feed.
02
RecordLive stages, temperatures, rise and photos.
03
CompareTwo bakes side by side, differences marked.
04
UnderstandPatterns from your own starter and kitchen.
05
ImproveCarry what worked into the next bake.
Starter

Know how your starter behaves.

Log each feed: ratio, flour or a blend of flours, temperature, rise and peak. Bench Notes groups similar feeds, so your own history starts to predict when she’ll be ready.

  • Ready-time estimates from your feeds under similar conditions, not a generic rule.
  • Starter Vigor shows whether peak times are getting faster or slower.
  • Fridge and feeding reminders so a resting starter isn’t forgotten.
DAY1

Starting from scratch? A day-by-day walkthrough takes you from flour and water to an active starter, with a reminder each day.

Betty, the example starter

Meet Betty.She’s our example starter. Her repeated feeds show how a general guess becomes a history you can plan around.

Betty · Starter Vigor11 similar feeds · 1:3:3 · 77–79°F
Typical peak 6h 42m. Observed across similar feeds, not a universal rule.
Typical 6h 42mRange 6h 08m–7h 19m

RECENT SIMILAR FEEDS

1:3:3 · 78°F6h 51m

Bread flour · 2.6× rise

1:3:3 · 77°F6h 24m

Whole wheat · 2.3× rise

1:3:3 · 79°F6h 08m

AP + rye · 2.1× rise

Setup
Mix
Bulk
Bulk · started 7:25 AM
1:32:34 −17:38Stretch & Fold 3+
Step Stretch & Fold 3

started 8:45 AM · 13m ago · planned 30m · due 9:15 AM

Dough temp78°F
Bulk likely done 12:17–1:37 PM · start checking ~11:57 AMaim for about 40% rise · from 6 comparable bakes
Done → start Stretch & Fold 4
All steps3 of 12 done · Stretch & Fold 3 running
Bench Notes · now
Stretch & Fold 3 timer

Your 30m for Stretch & Fold 3 is up. Next: Stretch & Fold 4.

StopStart next step+5 min
Live bake

Follow the plan. Record what actually happened.

Each step shows what to do, so you always know what comes next. Tap Done as it finishes and Bench Notes starts the next one. Times, dough temperature, notes and photos are saved with the bake as you go.

  • A live clock for every stage, plus a timer for the step you’re on. Nudge it with − and + when the dough needs longer.
  • Alarms that ring like an alarm clock, with the bake on your lock screen. Tap Start next step right from the alarm.
  • A bulk estimate from your own bakes: add the dough temperature and see when to start checking.
  • Fix any time: tap a step’s time to change it. Started late? Set where you are, and earlier steps fill in.
  • More than one dough? Run several bakes at once, each with its own card on the Bench.
Compare bakes

See what changed, and what stayed the same.

Put two bakes side by side. Differences stand out, shared conditions stay visible, and the next thing to try gets easier to choose.

What
Bake ASep 14 · Tight crumb
Bake BSep 21 · Great loaf
Dough temperature
78.4°F
81.2°F
Bulk duration
5h 35m
4h 42m
Rise at shaping
31%
48%
Cold proof
13h
11h
Recipe · hydration · flour
Same
Same

What changed most

Dough temperature+2.8°F
Bulk duration−53m
Rise at shaping+17%
Cold proof−2h

What stayed the same

RecipeHydrationFlour blendStarter

Example data. Bench Notes lines up the evidence; you judge the loaf.

Plan & tools

Plan from oven time back to the first feed.

Pick when you want the loaf in the oven. Bench Notes works backward through every stage, tells you when to feed your starter, and how much to build.

  • Bake planner with start-at or finish-by timing and your starter’s real history.
  • Starter build covers what the recipe needs, what you keep, and a margin.
  • Import a recipe you already love: paste it or open a file, check it, and bake from it step by step.
  • Recipes that scale: pick how many loaves and every amount follows, in grams and baker’s percentages.
Try itChange the day, time or kitchen. The plan updates as you go.
Plan a bake
Kitchen
Final proof

    Typical times for a country loaf at about 75% hydration. In the app, timings come from your own starter and past bakes, and every stage gets an alarm.

    Water temperatureHit your target dough temp
    Starter readinessWhen will it peak?
    Dough calculatorScale and hit hydration
    Cold proofPlan the fridge window
    ConversionsCups, °F/°C, yeast, pans
    Shopping listWhat to buy for the next bake
    Try it

    Two of the tools, right here.

    The app has more: starter readiness, a dough calculator, cold-proof timing, and conversions for yeast and pans.

    Try itType your temperatures. The answer updates as you go.
    Water temperature
    Use water at—

    Water = (target × 4) − room − flour − starter, for hand mixing. With a stand mixer, go a few degrees cooler.

    Try itPick an amount and an ingredient.
    Cups to gramsUS cups
    Weighs about120 g

     

    Cup weights as published by King Arthur Baking. A scooped cup of flour can weigh much more, so weigh it when you can.

    A Bench Notes share card: a close-up of a sourdough boule’s ear with its hydration, bulk time, dough temperature and flour
    Dough
    Shaping
    Scoring
    Crumb
    Then & now
    Bake 1 → Bake 24

    Your first loaf beside your latest, ready to post.

    Post 4:5Square 1:1Story 9:16
    Library & sharing

    Keep every photo with the bake behind it.

    Recipes, bake history and photos live in one Library. Photos are filed by stage, so you can line up crumb shots across months and see the progress for yourself.

    • Visual history of dough, lamination, shaping, scoring and crumb, plus labels you name yourself, across every bake.
    • Share cards turn a bake into one clean image, with the photo and the numbers behind it, ready to post wherever your audience is.
    • Then & now puts your first loaf beside your latest, so the people following along can see how far you’ve come.
    For bakers who sell
    Pro · free for founding bakers

    Selling your bread? Run bake day from your phone.

    Keep track of who ordered what, get the dough for the whole day in one plan, and post announcements that look like your bakery.

    OrdersUpcoming · 4

    Saturday, Oct 3

    4 orders · 12 items · $113.00 · 2 not paid

    The Corner Café8:30 AM · 4 Country Sourdough, 2 Focaccia
    $56.00Not paid
    Maya R.9:00 AM · 2 Country Sourdough
    $18.00Paid
    Daniel K.10:00 AM · 1 Seeded Rye, 1 Country Sourdough
    $19.00Paid
    Priya S.11:30 AM · 2 Seeded Rye
    $20.00Not paid
    Bake-day planSaturday, Oct 3
    Country Sourdough7 × 900 g
    Seeded Rye3 × 900 g
    Focaccia2 × 900 g

    Country Sourdough dough

    Bread flour2.72 kg
    Whole wheat480 g
    Water2.4 kg
    Salt64 g
    Levain640 g
    Dough6.3 kg

    Loaf weights come from your recipe or your last bake. One levain build covers the whole day.

    Announcements

    Your logo, your colors or a preset, ready for pre-orders, codes, weekly menus with prices and market days. Add a QR code that opens your order form, WhatsApp or Instagram.

    A pre-orders announcement card in the Bench Notes palette, with the 75° Proof logo
    Preset · Bench Notes
    A weekly menu card in the Sage palette with the 75° Proof logo: four loaves with prices, pickup time and a QR code to order
    Weekly menu · Sage
    A market-day announcement card in 75° Proof's own charcoal, wheat and cream colors
    Custom · 75° Proof colors
    Built-in guide

    New to sourdough? Start here.

    A clear, illustrated guide lives inside the app, from building a starter to your first loaf and what to change when it doesn’t go to plan.

    • Troubleshooting matches what you see, like a dense crumb or a flat loaf, to the likely causes.
    • Plain language with the numbers explained, not assumed.
    Sourdough from scratch

    The guide in Bench Notes

    1. Flour, water and what’s in the jar
    2. Your starter, day by day
    3. Keeping a starter happy
    4. Your first loaf, from mix to bake
    5. Shaping and scoring
    6. Sandwich loaf, focaccia and discard
    7. What went wrong, and what to try
    8. Warm and cool kitchens
    Your data

    It stays on your phone.

    Bench Notes doesn’t need an account or an internet connection, and it doesn’t collect anything about you.

    Local first

    Starters, bakes, recipes and photos are stored on your device. No ads, no tracking, no sign-up.

    Backups you control

    The app keeps a daily backup on your phone, and you can export a file whenever you like and restore it on a new phone.

    Picks up where you left off

    Drafts and live bakes survive the app closing, with an hourly backup while you bake. Remove a bake by mistake? It waits in Recently deleted for 30 days.

    Get the app

    Coming soon to Google Play.

    In testing now, and we’re looking for bakers with an Android phone to try it first. Join the beta, or follow along on Instagram for the launch date.

    StatusIn closed testing
    Join the beta

    Android only. Three quick steps, free, and your bakes stay on your phone.

    Follow @benchnotesapp