How should I organize myself when I bake ? If you don’t know how to start register your recipes, or you simply want to change your organization, I give you all my personal techniques to prioritize and structure your processes for pastry making.
In this article, I will address two current topics : recipes notebook & backward scheduling. In my opinion, these two subjects are key points to achieve a recipe. If you don't feel that you need notebook or scheduling, perhaps the process is smooth and natural for you. You’re probably used to bake the same recipes.
First, let’s talk about notebook and recipes.
YOUR NOTEBOOK & RECIPES
Depending on your habits and preferences, there are many ways to keep a notebook. If you have absolutely no idea how to organize yourself or you want to completely rethink your organization, I give you all my methodology to be able to set up a process in your likeness. Of course I will give you some examples so you can pre-fill your notebook.
There are several things that are common in a notebook, it is up to you to follow or not my indications. Without further ado, here is my method:
I suggest everyone to answer these questions before starting:
What is my process when I start a recipe ? How do I prepare myself ? How is the process unfolding? How do I clean up ?
Since I've been baking, am I used to follow a recipe or do I trust my gut feeling?
If I follow a recipe, am I used to look it up on the internet ? to write it down on a piece of paper ?
Do I have personal habits that I want to keep?
Have I tested other ways of doing things ?
Do I want to change the way I organize myself?
Once you've answered these questions, it will be easier for you to make your own choices:
STEP 1: Choose your medium
Depending on how you prepare and work, you may not have the same medium.
the notebook: is especially useful for people who like to write by hand, create new recipes, sketch new creations, take notes, and don't necessarily want to have recipes in a specific order, but fill it out as you go along.
the binder: is mainly used by people with a very specific organization. The binder is also very useful for people who don't want to damage or stain their recipes, as the paper is protected into plasticised sections, you will find it easier to handle them during preparation.
the tablet/computer/smartphone: is useful for people who simply want to retrieve recipes from the internet, or for people who like to follow video recipes. The advantage is that you can also have a fairly free organization, while keeping your recipes in an orderly way in a file kept for this purpose.
STEP 2: Determine the content
Logically, a recipe book is supposed to gather all your recipes. However, it’s up to you to add any type of information to it. I list here all the relevant information to put in a recipes notebook.
technical data sheets: concerning a technique, or a special ingredient when its use is specific.
recipes: with the ingredients, quantities, and detailed process. Ingredients are usually listed in order of use.
sketches: with the composition, the structure, textures, visuals. Very useful content when you want to create your own recipes or revisit a classic.
STEP 3: Organize the content
There are several ways to organize your 'notebook'.
Present your recipes chronologically. There is no particular logic, you complete your notebook as you discover/create new recipes.
Define recipe categories: to give you an example, you can define the following categories: classics, entremets, choux, elaborate pieces, pies, techniques, viennoiseries, breads.
Sort your content by type of content: recipes, sketches, techniques, etc.
Now that you know how to be organized, you can clearly manage without any problems in setting up your own notebook. It should looks like you and be adapted to your way of working.
Don't forget to start your recipe book as soon as possible. Do it in your own image ! I encourage you to test as many way of sorting as possible, and to be creative.
Write down in it all the recipes you make, the small details that seem important to you, the progress if you wish, your impressions after tasting and ideas to improve them, revisit them, make them lighter...
Within a few years, you will be surprised by the number of recipes you will have made.
Now let's move onto scheduling.
SCHEDULING
Scheduling is very useful, especially when you pass an exam or just for a competition. It’s a personal planning to organize your day and the preparations to be made. It's the art of spread over a period of time the preparations and interspersing them intelligently to optimize your time.
The goal is to have organized processes and to master the different preparation times (rising, resting, cooking, etc.) in order to be able to finish preparations in a given time.
It is important to know that there is no right answer, you can have a completely different scheduling from others and do very well in your organization. Scheduling needs to be personalized.
I strongly recommend you to start by trying to build your own scheduling without reading my method. I think it's the best way to take full advantage of this article.
Once your schedule is created, you can use this method to adapt it to your own schedule.
The scheduling sheet is an empty table to be completed where each column represents one of the preparations to be made.
STEP 1 : Dissect your preparations
Estimate how long each preparation will take. Take time to step back, to avoid getting lost in the beginning. During this first step, you could ask yourself :
Does my mixture/dough need to rise ? to cool down?
Does my mixture need to rest in the fridge ?
Do final touches require a fairly long time?
STEP 2 : Get your table ready to fill in
I suggest you to define a legend with color codes for each class:
Black : Making tasks
Blue : Cooling slot time
Green : Rising time
Red : Baking time
It is very important to find your way around in time, which is why you should dedicate a column to hours (you will be able to put the main steps of your day in it) . Usually, we indicate step’s timing with arrows for each cooling, rising and baking steps. Be careful : don’t use this code for "making tasks". Because those tasks are, in fact, a set of tasks.
STEP 3 : Fill in the table
First, complete your grid hatching the slots where you will not be able to prepare a mixture or something else.
Put the name of each preparation in its column. One column should represent the preparation of a pastry.
Second, be careful not to put two “making tasks” slots at the same time. But don't worry about superimposing "cooling", "pushing" or "baking" tasks, because these are steps that do not require any intervention.
Make sure that you do not leave any dead time if you have a deadline.
Finally, check that you do not forget any step. Check that for each preparation, all the steps indicated on your data sheet appear on your scheduling table. There is nothing worse than realizing in the middle of the day that you have forgotten a step in your schedule !
Don't forget to indicate the rising and cooking times in the boxes, as well as temperatures.
PERSONAL TIPS
TIPS 1 // If you are taking a break or going to lunch, I suggest you not to use this time as baking time. You should not have any baking in progress during the meal. It's the best way to miss out on your recipe.
TIPS 2 // If you manage to arrange all the baking tasks in the morning, you can devote the afternoon for assembly and final touches.
TIPS 3 //Start by programming the viennoiserie doughs, then classic doughs as shortbread, then the creams and finally the assembly.
TIPS 4 // I recommend you to work using 15 minute’s time slots. However, all the tasks that do not even require 5 minutes (isolated one-off steps) such as buttering a mould, putting egg yolk on a dough... can be gathered in a 15-minute slot.
TIPS 5 // Generally, the boxes in the grid are small, so avoid unnecessary words. Use professional vocabulary and abbreviations (don't forget to add your abbreviations in the legend).
TIPS 6 // Fit all the last steps to complete the empty boxes in the grid. This last step makes each schedule unique. At this stage, there are no rules, it all depends on how you like to work and what you will come across.
Now that you have the right tools, it's up to you to make them your own and create your own organization. Do not hesitate to give me your feedback, I would be honored to see your scheduling !
Hope that I've inspired you, see you soon for new articles on The Paris-Best.
Lea from The Paris-Best
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