Bakery Craftsman cheat sheet

Baker's percentage: flour = 100%; every other ingredient is divided by total flour weight. Example: 2 kg flour, 1.4 kg water = 70% hydration.

Straight dough mixes all ingredients at once; sponge and poolish pre-ferments ferment 12-16 h and raise dough pH acidity, improving flavour and keeping quality.

Desired dough temperature (DDT) = (water temp × n) − (room temp + flour temp + friction factor + pre-ferment temp) for n = number of temperatures counted; water temperature is the adjustable variable.

Windowpane test: a small dough piece stretched thin shows translucent membrane without tearing = gluten fully developed; use for enriched and lean doughs alike.

Autolyse (flour + water only, 20-60 min) hydrates flour and shortens final mix; add salt after autolyse because salt tightens gluten and inhibits hydration.

Lean dough bulk fermentation at 24-26 °C typically runs 60-120 min with one fold; enriched dough with >10% sugar and >10% fat ferments slower and needs 2-3 h.

Scoring depth 1-2 cm at a 30-45° angle controls the bake's expansion point; under-proofed dough tears along the score, over-proofed dough collapses.

Oven spring depends on residual yeast activity, gas retention and steam; first 10-15 min at 230-250 °C with steam produces maximum volume and crust colour.

Lamination ratio: dough-to-butter weight ratio typically 3:1 to 4:1; a single book fold triples layers, a letter fold triples as well - track total layer count as 3^n for n folds.

Butter plasticity matters more than temperature alone: butter should be 13-16 °C and pliable, matching dough firmness; cold, brittle butter fractures layers and causes tearing.

Rest laminated dough 30-60 min at 4 °C between folds so gluten relaxes and butter re-chills; skip rests and the butter melts into the dough, killing layer separation.

Croissant proof at 24-27 °C, 75-80% RH, 60-90 min; butter must not exceed ~28 °C or it leaks out and the lamination fails.

Pâte sucrée (sablé method): butter and sugar creamed, egg added, flour last; pâte brisée uses cold butter rubbed into flour for flakiness; pâte à choux is cooked twice (panade then bake).

Choux paste: water, butter, flour cooked to a panade that films the pan, then eggs added until the batter forms a V-shaped ribbon; bake at 180-200 °C without opening the door for the first 15 min.

Puff pastry relies on steam and butter's water content (~16%) for lift; a full puff with 6 single turns yields 729 theoretical layers - beyond ~1,000 layers layers merge and lift drops.

Chill laminated sheets 20-30 min before cutting; a sharp, straight-down cut with a hot knife prevents layer sealing and ensures even rise.

High-ratio cake: sugar weight exceeds flour weight; requires emulsified shortening and gives a fine, moist crumb with strong structural tolerance to high liquid.

Creaming method: butter and sugar beaten to pale, fluffy state (incorporates air); reverse creaming (dry ingredients + fat first) produces a tighter, more even crumb and less doming.

Egg foam cakes (génoise, sponge) rely on whipped egg protein for structure; fold flour in gently, and bake immediately because the foam collapses as it stands.

Génoise: whole eggs + sugar warmed to ~40 °C, whipped to ribbon stage, flour folded in, baked at 190-200 °C; no chemical leavener is needed.

Torte assembly: split layers, syrup (imbibage) at 20-30% of layer weight, fill, chill to set before final coating; refrigeration firms buttercream and prevents sliding.

Buttercream types: Swiss (egg whites + sugar syrup at 118-121 °C), Italian (syrup at 115-118 °C poured into whipped whites), French (egg yolks + syrup), German (custard base).

Ganache: chocolate-to-cream ratio determines texture - 1:1 for glaze/glaze, 1.5:1 for filling, 2:1 for truffle; cool to 30-32 °C for glazing.

Sugar work: caramel starts at ~160-170 °C; above 180 °C it darkens and turns bitter; add glucose or acid to limit crystallisation.

Flour protein: bread flour 11.5-13.5%, all-purpose 9-11%, cake flour 7-9%; higher protein = more gluten potential and water absorption.

Water absorption rises with protein content, damaged starch and pentosans; a 1% protein increase typically adds ~1-1.5% absorption.

Salt at 1.8-2.2% of flour strengthens gluten, controls fermentation and flavour; below 1.5% dough is slack and ferments too fast, above 2.5% inhibits yeast.

Sugar above 10% (baker's %) draws water osmotically and slows yeast; use osmotolerant yeast or increase yeast by 0.5-1% for sweet doughs.

Fat shortens gluten strands and tenderises; in bread, fat above 3-5% reduces volume unless mixing is extended to develop gluten.

Egg proteins coagulate at 62-70 °C (yolk) and 70-80 °C (white); custards set by coagulation and must be pulled below 85 °C to avoid curdling.

Starch gelatinises at 60-70 °C in the presence of water; retrogradation on cooling causes staling - fat, sugar and emulsifiers slow it.

pH matters: sourdough at pH 3.8-4.5 improves gluten extensibility and mould resistance; alkaline conditions (pH > 8) accelerate Maillard browning.

Yeast activity roughly doubles per 10 °C rise between 5 and 35 °C (Q10 rule); above 50 °C yeast dies, below 4 °C activity is near-dormant.

Fermentation products: CO2 for lift, ethanol and organic acids for flavour, and proteolytic enzymes that weaken gluten during long bulk.

Punch-down (degassing) redistributes yeast, equalises dough temperature and tightens gluten; typical at 60-70% of bulk fermentation time.

Proofing test: a light finger press springs back slowly and completely = ready; springs back fast = under-proofed; leaves a dent = over-proofed.

Final proof typically 30-60 °C at 75-85% RH; high humidity prevents skin formation; too much humidity makes a sticky, weak crust.

Maillard browning begins ~140-150 °C; caramelisation of sugars starts ~160-170 °C; crust colour is driven by both plus residual sugars and amino acids.

Steam in the first 8-12 min keeps the surface moist and elastic, allowing oven spring; dry heat later sets the crust and drives colour.

Cool bread on a rack to 30-35 °C core temperature; cutting hot bread drives moisture out and gives a gummy crumb.

Danger zone 5-63 °C; keep high-risk foods out of it, and limit cumulative time in the zone to 2 h (4 h absolute maximum).

Custard, cream and egg-based fillings are high-risk: cool rapidly from 63 °C to 5 °C within 90 min and hold at ≤5 °C until service.

Hand-washing: warm water, soap, 20 s minimum, drying with single-use towels; required after toilet, raw egg handling, waste and breaks.

Allergen cross-contact control: dedicated utensils, colour-coded boards, separate storage, and cleaning validated between allergen and non-allergen runs.

EU 14 allergens include cereals containing gluten, eggs, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, sesame, mustard, celery, fish, crustaceans, molluscs, lupin and sulphites >10 mg/kg.

Sesame and sulphites are often missed in bakery audits; check seed toppings, sauces and dried fruit for sulphite declarations.

Cleaning: food-contact surfaces sanitised with a food-safe sanitiser at label concentration and contact time; two-stage clean (detergent then sanitiser) for raw-egg equipment.

Traceability: batch records must link raw material lots to finished product lots within 4 h of a recall request.

Plan backward from delivery: bake time + cooling + packing + dispatch buffer; a 2 h cooling window for bread, 4-6 h for iced cakes.

Oven loading: batch by bake temperature and time; mixing doughs of different temperatures in one oven creates uneven bakes - group by profile.

Deck oven: load from the back, rotate at 60-70% of bake time; convection oven: reduce temperature 15-20 °C versus deck to compensate for fan-driven heat.

Proofing cabinet calibration check monthly: verify temperature (±1 °C) and RH (±5%) with a calibrated hygrometer.

Mixer capacity: spiral mixers should not exceed 70-80% bowl volume; overloading raises friction and DDT beyond target.

Preventive maintenance: scales calibrated quarterly, thermometers monthly, dough sheeters and laminators checked for roller gap and belt tension weekly.

Labour planning: a croissant line typically needs 1 laminator operator per 20-25 kg dough per shift; plan production peaks around morning and lunch demand.

Batch sizing: keep dough batches ≤ 30 kg for hand-shaping stations to avoid over-proofing before shaping is complete.

Food cost % = food cost ÷ selling price × 100; bakery target typically 25-35% depending on product.

Portion cost = (pack price ÷ pack weight) × portion weight; include trim and waste yield, e.g., 10% waste means divide by 0.90.

Menu pricing: price = portion cost ÷ target food cost %; add labour and overhead separately if using contribution margin pricing.

Yield testing: weigh dough before and after shaping/baking; bake loss for bread is typically 10-15%, croissants 15-20%.

Inventory turnover = cost of goods sold ÷ average inventory value; low turnover of perishables signals over-ordering and waste.

FIFO rotation: label with receipt date, use oldest first; check use-by dates daily and record any discards for waste reporting.

Waste log categories: overproduction, spoilage, trim, quality rejects; weekly review of the top category drives the biggest cost reduction.

Break-even units = fixed costs ÷ (price − variable cost per unit); use it to decide whether a new product line is viable.

Display rule: fill shelves from the back, face labels forward, and keep the front row full; empty gaps reduce perceived freshness.

Lighting colour temperature 2700-3000 K flatters bread crusts and warm pastry tones; cool white light makes crusts look grey.

Allergen information must be available at the point of sale and in writing when a customer asks; staff must be able to name the 14 regulated allergens.

Cross-selling rule: pair a bread with butter or a pastry with coffee at the till; a good pairing suggestion raises average basket value without discounting.

Shelf life labelling: fresh bread sold as baked-today should be marked with a date and time; cream-filled products carry a shorter use-by than the base pastry.

Complaint handling: listen, acknowledge, resolve within policy (replace/refund), record the batch code and root cause for the production team.

Packaging: greaseproof paper or breathable bags for crusty bread; sealed bags soften crusts. Cream products need sealed, labelled containers kept chilled.

Sampling and tasting notes: describe flavour (e.g., 'nutty, 20% wholemeal') and texture in staff-facing cards so counter staff can answer confidently.