Hi Nancy, I usually find that this particular bread is ready to bake straight from the refrigerator and I place it directly into a preheated cast iron Dutch oven, but if you're using a baking vessel that you're worried might be subject to thermal shock and crack, you might want to allow the dough to acclimate in the well-greased pot at room temperature for about 45 minutes before placing it in a preheated oven. I take the lid off after 20 minutes when baking in a preheated pot, and after about 25 minutes when putting the pot/dough in a preheated oven. If for some reason you feel that the dough could use some rising time at room temperature before baking, that is always an option as well, but I find this dough is usually ready and much easier to transfer and score straight out of the fridge. 

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