<h1><span class="material-symbols-outlined">join_right</span>How I make keeping a dough journal easy.</h1> %% Category::<h1><span class="material-symbols-outlined">join_right</span> </h1> %% Added: Fri, Mar 28th 2025 ## What I do step by step. I will have already decided which dough I want to make, and it either falls into one of two categories. 1. I am making a batch of pizza dough to enjoy throughout the week for pure pizza enjoyment. 2. I am making a batch of dough that I am currently testing out for a YouTube video Either way, at least from now on, the process is the same. I open up the appropriate recipe, and detail all of the ingredients. They might be one or two entries already present from the last batch. For example, if I decided that I would lower the yeast during the testing of the last batch. Next step is to add the ingredient list into a table in the column after the previous batch so that I can glance at the differences between the two formulas. Once I have enough data on this site, every journal should have a table with the last five entries, with the last one being the one I am working on presently. After I have entered in a brief statement of what it is I am looking at learning about, or improving the recipe at hand, and randomly generated a name and image for it, I will proceed to gather all the ingredients together and start to log each action. Each entry will be time stamped, with the first one containing the date and all subsequent entries the time only is logged, unless the day has changed, in which case the date will be logged again at the first entry that day. Here is an empty ingredient list. | Ingredient | Dough before last | Last dough | Dough I am working on | | | ----------- | ----------------- | ---------- | --------------------- | --- | | Flour | | | | | | Water | | | | | | Starter | | | | | | Barley M | | | | | | Diastatic M | | | | | | VW Gluten | | | | | | Coconut Oil | | | | | | Salt | | | | | | I.D.Y | | | | | | *pectin* | | | | | | Hydration | | | | | ## What gets logged. Everything, basically. Anything I am thinking in general, but there are some things that *must* be logged. This data is usually essential to understanding the way the fermentation process works. Having the time stamps allows me to see at easily how long it has been between each step, but there are metrics that need to be taken independently of procedure, for example, temperatures and consistencies. Therefore another table is required. Again, this table follows the same format as the last, with the current batch the right most column and the column to it's left, the previous batch. Of course, these tables might all look different according to the dough they point to. Here is the bulk fermentation table template. #### Bulk Stats: | Method | Dough before last | Last dough | Dough I am working on | | | --------------- | ----------------- | ---------- | --------------------- | --- | | Sponge (room) | | | | | | Sponge (Fridge) | | | | | | Ice Jacket | | | | | | Mix Method | | | | | | Fat Added @ | | | | | | Salt Added @ | | | | | | Post Addition | | | | | | Total Mix Time | | | | | | F.D.T | | | | | | Rest | | | | | #### Notes: ## Each doughball gets it's own log. Then of course the batch as a whole gets split into whatever amount is usual for the batch in question. What this number is dictates the column count in the next table. This table is called the "methods for each" table. In reality, it's just as important, if not more so, to log what each ball goes through from this point. From the moment it goes into the fridge for a cold ferment (if appropriate), to the moment it goes onto the cooling rack and subsequently my mouth. This table is more of a fluid table than the others, as there may be things that I am logging and others I don't really want to focus on at present, and of course, individual preparations vary depending on the archetype of pizza being made. Here is the table I use for each doughball. #### Individual Stats: | Number | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | | ------------------- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Cold Ferment Hrs | | | | | | | Bench Ferment Hrs | | | | | | | Defrosted? | | | | | | | Quick | | | | | | | Overnight | | | | | | | Oven Pre Heat Hrs | | | | | | | Oven temp in F | | | | | | | Sauce in grams | | | | | | | Sauce temp | | | | | | | Cheese in g | | | | | | | Other toppings in g | | | | | | | Steam? | | | | | | | Which Steel? | | | | | | | Rating Taste | | | | | | | Rating Texture | | | | | | | Rating Color | | | | | | | | | | | | | #### Notes: This table will more than likely be the one that evolves the most over time as I come up with new ways to document the dough making process and find new criteria that I want to examine. ## Time to reflect. An arbitrary number score will be assigned to each of the final products with whatever thoughts I might have had during the making and eating of each and the log for a single pizza is now complete. If there is something that I believe I need to read up on, or any ideas I have for future recipes, I will create a task where appropriate. This seems like a lot of shit to be doing every time you make a pizza, but it's really easy if you have the right tools. in the next section I will detail mine. # Templates, templates, templates. This whole process is made infinitely easier, dare I say it, more enjoyable through the power of a single note taking application that I use. So much so, that talking into a voice recorder would probably require more effort. ## Obsidian. The app is free, your data is stored locally, or encrypted as is the case with their optional sync service, is lightweight and ridiculously powerful when you learn a little bit about it. The page you are reading now sits in the app and as soon as I finish writing this sentence, with a keyboard shortcut, I can immediately publish to my site with all links and dynamic tables updated instantly. Due to the fact that it uses open file formats and has an open API, obsidian allows for a slew of community plugins that, if you encounter a workflow bottleneck that you'd like to solve, probably has a solution for. Probably the most useful and a core functionality for the most part, are templates. Stored in a separate folder to the rest of your notes, these can be anything from an entire document with prompts, to a single line of data. This is how I easily add tables to journals and it's also the way timekeeping is made easy. With the stroke of a keyboard shortcut I can open a premade journal with all the headings, tags, links, today's date and add the current time and date to the top line. Every time there is a new event, the time and date can be added to each log with a shortcut, and this can all be done whether I am on my phone, tablet or desktop. ## Plugged in. I have plugins that generate the random names, plugins that facilitate task management within the app itself, therefore mitigating the unreliability of never looking at your task manager. There are plugins that allow me to use macros to add notes, with predefined templates to folders of my choosing. You can set up databases in the form of dataview tables that dynamically change whenever new notes and tasks are created that contain any of the sources it is looking for, allowing for makeshift dashboards showing you things you need to do and notes and projects you are working on. There's even a plugin that allows me to perform mathematic equations as I write in the note, so I can calculate hydration percentages without needing to leave the app and open a calculator. The things that pertain to me outside of simply dough journaling, like research and script writing for the channel, all exist alongside and are linked in someway to each other through the use of wiki and external links, tags and databases. Meaning that if I am working on a journal, I can quickly write a todo list, create reference notes, annotate applicable PDFs and write notes that might further explain what is going on during the dough making process. Although you are only seeing a small section of my total obsidian vault here on this site, with enough time, you'll be able to see just how magically everything connects. ## Different strokes. Of course you can see how much I like obsidian, but you might already have a way of taking notes that you prefer or too invested in to migrate from. I do hope however that I have given you enough food for thought here to be able to implement these ideas regardless of which app you choose to dough journal in. ## Why naming dough batches is helpful. I decided to name each new batch with a randomly generated first and last name, and an A.I image(please forgive me , I simply don't have time to illustrate everything,) this gives the the batch something for my brain to associate with it other than just incrementing version numbers or something boring like that. Association is one of the best ways to harness the power of human memory, but it also somehow makes the whole process that bit more fun and enjoyable also. This might sound soppy as F!@ck, but giving an "identity" to the dough really brings it life. It is after all, a living thing. We already lend human like attributes to objects in the world and pizza is no different. I routinely find myself referring to pizzas with adjectives like "isn't she bubbly" or "check this crispy bastard out". These are obviously just examples. You get the picture. See what I did there? You are much more likely to remember how you felt about something when you can put a name to it. [[How I make keeping a dough journal easy#What I do step by step.|Read this article from the beginning ]]