Baking bread isn’t just about following a recipe – it’s about understanding how your surroundings affect the dough. Temperature, humidity, and the temperature of your ingredients all play a bigger role than many realise. That’s why the same recipe can behave very differently in January and July. By adjusting your dough to the season, you can achieve consistent results – every time.

Understand the Key Factors

When you bake, you’re working with living ingredients. Yeast and sourdough cultures respond to warmth, cold, and moisture. This means you need to adjust proving time, liquid quantity, and temperature depending on the season.

• Temperature: Yeast thrives at around 25–30°C. In a cool kitchen, fermentation slows down; in a warm one, it speeds up – sometimes too much.
• Humidity: In winter, the air is often dry, while in summer it can be humid. This affects how much flour your dough absorbs.
• Ingredient temperature: Flour, water, and starter can vary in temperature depending on where they’re stored. That difference can have a big impact on how your dough develops.

Learning to read your dough and respond to the conditions will make you a more intuitive and adaptable baker.

Winter: Give Your Dough Time and Warmth

British kitchens can be chilly in winter, and that slows down fermentation. It’s tempting to add more yeast, but that’s rarely necessary. Instead, try to create a warmer environment for your dough.

• Use slightly warmer water – around 30–35°C – to give the yeast a good start.
• Let the dough rise somewhere cosy – for example, in the oven with just the light on, or near a radiator.
• Extend the proving time – a slow rise often gives better flavour and texture.

If you’re using sourdough, feed your starter a bit more frequently during the colder months to keep it active.

Summer: Keep the Dough Cool

When the temperature rises, fermentation speeds up, and your dough can overproof or lose structure. The key is to slow things down a little.

• Use cold water – straight from the fridge if needed.
• Reduce the amount of yeast – especially if you’re leaving the dough to rise overnight.
• Try fridge fermentation – it gives you more control and develops a deeper flavour.

If you bake with sourdough, store your starter in the fridge and take it out a few hours before using it. This prevents it from becoming overly active or sour in the heat.

Spring and Autumn: Watch the Transitions

In the UK, spring and autumn can bring unpredictable swings in temperature and humidity. One day feels like summer, the next like winter. During these in-between seasons, pay extra attention to how your dough behaves. Use your senses: feel the texture, watch the rise, and adjust as you go.

A useful habit is to keep notes – jot down the room temperature, how long the dough took to rise, and how the bread turned out. Over time, you’ll build a personal guide to your own kitchen’s conditions.

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Adjust Your Dough to the Season – and Achieve Consistent Results Every Time

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Discover how to adapt your bread-making process to the changing seasons. Learn why dough behaves differently in winter and summer, and how small adjustments in temperature, timing, and hydration can help you achieve perfect, consistent loaves all year round.

Adjust the Liquid to the Humidity

Humidity affects how much water your flour can absorb. On dry winter days, dough can feel firmer; in summer, it may turn sticky.

• If the dough feels too dry, add a little extra water, a tablespoon at a time.
• If it’s too wet, sprinkle in a bit more flour – but don’t overdo it. A slightly moist dough often bakes into a softer, more flavourful loaf.

The goal is a dough that feels elastic and supple – not stiff, but not runny either.

Bake with the Seasons

While you’re adjusting your dough to the weather, let the season inspire your flavours too.

• In autumn, try wholemeal or rye loaves with nuts and dried fruit.
• In spring, add fresh herbs or grated vegetables for a lighter touch.
• In summer, think of Mediterranean flavours – olives, sun-dried tomatoes, or cold-fermented ciabatta.
• In winter, warm spices like cinnamon, cardamom, or mixed spice bring comfort and aroma to the kitchen.

Baking with the seasons isn’t just about technique – it’s about mood and taste.

Consistency Comes from Awareness, Not Perfection

Even experienced bakers find that dough behaves differently from one bake to the next. That’s part of the charm. By understanding how the seasons influence your dough, you can take control and achieve more predictable results – without losing the joy of experimentation.

When you learn to work with nature’s rhythm rather than against it, baking becomes more than a routine. It becomes a living process – one that changes with the weather, the light, and the time of year.