How should the timers behave when the phone is locked?

Compute each step from a target end time rather than counting down, so the timer is still right when the user comes back, and schedule a local notification for that end time. Nothing in the app runs while it is in the background, so the notification is the only reliable alarm.

Should the app include recipes?

Ship two or three starter recipes so the first bake is not a blank form, but make the user own their own recipes from day one. The product is the log, not the recipe library; people already have recipes they trust.

How to Build a Sourdough Baking Log App with AI (2026)

What a sourdough baking log app needs

Starter feeding schedule with reminders and a feed log
Bake timeline: autolyse, mix, bulk, shape, cold proof, bake, with a timer per step
Hydration and flour notes per bake, with a baker percentage calculator
Crumb and crust photos attached to each bake
Rating and notes so the next bake starts from what worked

The screens

Screen	What it does
Starter	Next feed due, last fed, feed history
Bakes	Past bakes as photo cards with rating and date
New Bake	Pick a recipe or start blank, set flour, water, salt, starter
Timeline	Current bake step with a timer and the next step queued
Bake Detail	Photos, hydration, timings, rating, and what to change next time

The data model

Starter: name, flourType, feedIntervalHours, lastFedAt
FeedLog: starterId, fedAt, ratio, note
Recipe: name, flourGrams, waterGrams, saltGrams, starterGrams, steps (name, durationMinutes)
Bake: recipeId, startedAt, status (in progress, done), rating, notes, photoUris
BakeStep: bakeId, name, startedAt, endedAt

The build prompt (copy this)

Paste this into ShipNative and it becomes a working React Native app with these screens, navigable in a live preview, in about two minutes:

“A sourdough baking log app for home bakers. Starter shows when the next feed is due with a big countdown, a Feed Now button that logs the feed and reschedules the reminder, and a history of feeds. Bakes lists past bakes as cards with the crumb photo, date, and a star rating. New Bake starts from a saved recipe or blank and lets the user enter flour, water, salt, and starter in grams, showing hydration as a baker percentage automatically. Timeline runs the bake: each step (autolyse, mix, bulk ferment, shape, cold proof, bake) has a timer that counts down from a target time, fires a local notification when done, and lets the user mark it done early or extend it; the current step is large and the remaining steps are listed below. Bake Detail shows photos the user adds from the camera, the timings that actually happened versus the plan, and a notes field for what to change next time. Timers must stay accurate when the app is in the background. Works offline; no account required. Screens: Starter, Bakes, New Bake, Timeline, Bake Detail.”

Then iterate with small, screen-specific prompts (“make the primary button bigger”, “add an empty state”), preview on your own phone, and export the full Expo project whenever you want. The full method: how to build an app with AI.

How it makes money

A one-time unlock or a small annual subscription for unlimited bakes, multiple starters, and recipe import, with the first ten bakes free. Sourdough bakers are a hobbyist audience who happily pay once for a tool they use every weekend but resent monthly fees for a notebook. A paid recipe pack from a known baker can convert better than the app itself.

Implementation and the revenue math for every model: how to make money from an app. When you’re ready to ship: App Store and Google Play publishing guides.

Build it now

The prompt above is free to run at shipnative.dev — working sourdough baking log app on your phone today, full code export.

How to Build a Sourdough Baking Log App with AI