Home Bread Baking Log

Who this is for

Each bake written down, so the good ones can be repeated. Every loaf gets a line for flours, water, salt, yeast or starter, bulk and prove times, oven settings and how it turned out, and a separate table keeps track of starter feeds.

Home bakers working on a recipe until it comes out the same way twice, and anyone keeping a sourdough starter who wants a record of feeds and how it rose.

What this helps you track

• The flours, water, salt and leaven that went into each bake
• Bulk and prove times, and the oven temperature and time used
• How each loaf turned out, scored on your own scale
• Starter feeds, ratios and how much the starter rose

How to use it

1. Write your name and your starter's name and type, if you keep one.
2. Fill in a row for each bake as you go: the recipe, flours and weights, water, salt and yeast or starter.
3. Add the bulk and prove times and the oven temperature and time once they are known.
4. Score the result on whatever scale you like and note what you would change next time.
5. Log each starter feed in the lower table; page two carries on the bake log when page one fills.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

How do I work out hydration from the log?

Divide the water weight by the total flour weight and multiply by 100. Record flour weights in the flours column and water in grams so you can do this for any bake and compare doughs that felt different.

Does the log suggest times or temperatures?

No. Proving times depend on your kitchen, flour and leaven, and ovens vary. Record what you actually did and what came out, and the log becomes your own reference.

What should go in the starter feed ratio?

The proportions of starter, flour and water by weight, written however you prefer, for example as three numbers. Use the rise column to note how high it came and how long it took.

Can I use it for yeasted bread only?

Yes. Leave the starter table empty or use it for notes, and write the yeast type and amount in the yeast or starter column.