Here I have compiled my baking essentials that I recommend any first time or expert baker to stock! Each item comes with a brief explanation of the best ways to use it during baking! Have fun creating and even more fun tasting.
1. Flours
When one thinks baking, flour is one of the first and utmost important ingredients that comes to mind. There are a lot of varieties that are used in different baked goods but the most important to stock your cupboards are all-purpose and self-raising.
All-purpose/plain flour: this is used in most baking, for dough making and as a thickening agent
Self-raising flour: like all purpose but with added salt and baking soda to help cakes rise in general baking (but not to be used in recipes with yeast)
White/100% whole-wheat flour: can be used as a substitute for plain flour in 'heavier' baking such as breads
Bread flour: pretty much does what is said! Because of its high gluten content it is mostly used for bread making
Almond flour: this flour has a more nutty flavour and is a good gluten-free alternative for most baked goods! It is also higher in protein and lower in carbohydrate content
Cornflour: this type of flour is mostly used as a thickening agent and to make doughs and biscuits. It is also a gluten-free baking option
2. Sugars
Sugar is vital to baking, not just for adding colour and that sweet taste we all crave but also for ensuring a soft, firm and moist texture to cakes, cookies and brownies.When mixed with other baking ingredients sugar also has various functions including; leavening, providing 'food' for yeast and caramelisation.
Granulated Sugar: This is the most common form of highly-refined sugar and used in most baked goods (as well as sweetening teas and coffees)
Caster Sugar: Caster sugar is a finer form of granulated sugar and so is best for making 'smooth desserts' like mousses and also for syrups and custards.
Confectioners/Powdered/Icing Sugar: Icing sugar is essentially powdered granulated sugar most frequently used to make icings or sprinkled over cakes and desserts - it is very easily dissolved so make sure when you use as a topping that the baked goods are completely cooled!
Muscovado sugar: this sugar is very dark, feels quite sticky and has a rich, molasses flavour. It is best used for making gingerbreads, fruit cakes and even in cooking for marinades
Demerara sugar: Dark and with quite large grains, demerara sugar is most typically used as a sweetener in drinks and a topping for crumbles and cakes. (Top tips: roll your shortbread dough over some before baking to get a wonderful, sugary coating or mix with coconut flakes and cinnamon for the perfect apple crumble topping!)
3. Eggs
Writing this post at the moment makes me laugh as currently my great aunt in her tiny village in Portugal is having an 'egg crisis' because none of her new hens having been laying and she does not have enough eggs to make her sponge pudding! (Global warming step aside, these are clearly the real issues!) But, I do understand her point - eggs are one of the most handy ingredients to have around for cooking and baking! They enhance taste, bind ingredients, assist in rising and add volume (beaten eggs whites). Be sure to store them in the fridge so that they last longer but take them out a bit before you begin baking! To check if your eggs are still fresh use the float test!
4. Milk
We are living in an age of endless milk varieties - almond, lactose-free, coconut, buttermilk, semi-skimmed, 2%, condensed. Most recipes will call for normal, dairy milk, however other vegan-friendly and dairy-free alternatives can normally be substituted. Buttermilk is fantastic for making fluffy, tasty pancakes while condensed milk is extremely sweet and good in puddings and pie fillings. Tinned coconut milk becomes liquidised when heated and again is good for puddings and fillings. Usually milk alternatives like oat, almond and coconut can be directly substituted for dairy milk in recipes but beware as they will affect the taste and can also alter the end baking time and texture. If you are worried about the outcome, there are tons of tried and tested recipes that use dairy-free milks which you can try instead!
5. Salt
Salt has a variety of functions when baking! It can be used to balance taste (particularly in chocolate treats), controls rising and yeast fermentation and helps doughs maintain a good form and texture.
6. Vanilla Essence (and other favoruite extracts)
I like to think of vanilla essence as the 'salt of baking'. Just like when you cook you normally add salt to flavour a dish, in baking you can normally add some sort of extract and flavouring such as vanilla essence to add a desired flavour to a dish! From sponges and biscuits to buttercream icing - you really will notice the difference in those that have added flavour extracts and those that do not.
7. Baking Powder and Baking Soda
The big baking debate - what is the difference!?! Well it all comes down to acids and chemistry. Both are used for leavening but have different baking reactions. Baking Soda/ Bicarbonate of soda is used in recipes with acidic ingredients like lemon, vinegar, molasses or yoghurt. When combined with these acidic ingredients, the baking soda creates carbon dioxide and allows the dish to rise. Beware, too much will leave a bitter taste! Baking powder is not as strong as baking soda and is made from a mixture of baking soda and usually cream of tartar. Since it already contains an acid to enact the baking soda, it can be used in recipes without acidic ingredients. When it comes into contact with liquids it begins to work and leaven the baked goods. For this reason be sure to store it in a dry place!
8. Baking Chocolate
(White, Milk & Dark Chocolate Bars and Chips)
It's always great to have chocolate on hand as many dessert and baked goods will use it! You can melt it for brownies, use it as a glaze, in a ganache or for cookies and rocky roads! Make sure to use what the recipe calls for (chips or bars) and use baking chocolate, not generic bars as these are harder to melt properly and have added sweetness, milks and oils which affect the baking process.
9. Cocoa Powder
Just like chocolate, cocoa powder is a good ingredient to have around and is pretty versatile in the baked goods it can be used in! Normally, if a recipe calls for cocoa powder and chocolate it will use less flour but more rising agents and butters/oils in order to prevent the cocoa powder from drying out the end produce. It produces a great chocolatey taste and can even be used to make super rich hot chocolates!
10. Syrups – Examples: Honey, Golden, Treacle
The most obvious use for syrups is for their sweet taste but they are also important for darkening, binding and keeping baked goods and desserts moist. Honey can be used as an additional sweeter in recipes already containing sugar or as a sugar substitute. Maple syrup is a vegan-friendly ingredient that makes delicious toppings and sauces for puddings. Treacle is a very dark and sticky syrup with a strong flavour that works best with rich desserts, baked fruits and other spices, for example in ginger loaf, banana bread and apple tarts.
11. Oats
As an old lady at heart, I do love a good oatmeal cookie or oat and berry muffin! Aside from being essential in these oat based desserts, this ingredient is low in fat and packed with fibre and a butty taste. Oats can be substituted for flour in some recipes like pancakes (see my oat apple pancake recipe!). They are also the perfect ingredient for making cereal bars, flapjacks or for topping puddings and crumbles!
12. Baking Spices – Examples: Cinnamon, Ginger, Cream of Tartar
Spices are great to have on hand for when you want to add more exotic and exciting flavours to baked goods! Spices like cinnamon, allspice and ginger are perfect for Christmas and Autumn baking and leave your kitchen smelling like a baking paradise!
13. Oils – Examples: Vegetable Oil, Coconut Oil
Oils, like butter, quite simply provide essential fats and tastes to baking. They can also increase the moistness of cakes and are a good substitute in vegan baking. For example vegetable and coconut oil can normally substitute butter but be careful as some oils, like canola, are not a good substitute for solid fats!
14. Sprinkles and Food Colouring
These do not have any magical properties on baked goods like leavening or thickening but simply make baking exciting, colourful and pretty! A simple addition of sprinkles or a few drops of food colouring to cake batter or icing can make baking more fun and creative! As my friends little sister used to say - "muffins are undecorated, ugly cupcakes"
15. Greek Yoghurt
Like many other dairy products, greek yoghurt is a fantastic (acidic) baking ingredient which helps add taste and moisture. It also has many health benefits and my favourite ways to use it are in blueberry muffins, pancakes and sometimes in cream scones!
16. Fruits: Berries and Bananas
I adore all types of berries and am always looking for new ways to incorporate them into my baking! They really elevate baked goods and create a wonderful taste! You can use them for pies, crumbles, tarts and cheese cakes too! They really transform many baked goods - a simple vanilla cookie can become a cranberry and white chocolate cookie. They also make amazing syrups and can be used for cake decorating.
Bananas are also good to have around as they can be a healthy substitute for butter in baking (for example in banana pancakes) and they become the star of the show in goods like banana loaf and banoffie pie!
17. Citrus Fruits: Lemons, Oranges, Limes
Citrus fruits are important sources of acid and flavour when creating baked goods! Just like berries you can use them to completely transform simple baked goods - your vanilla cookie can become an orange delight!
18. Nuts, Flakes and Dried Fruit – Examples: Coconut and Almond Flakes, Raisins, Almonds, Pistachios
Speaking of elevating baking, what better way to add additional textures and taste than with nuts and dried fruits! These are great as they can be easily stored for a long time! You can also usually replace different types of nuts, flakes and dried fruits for your favourite ones, so if you can't stand walnuts, you could use pistachios instead!
19. Spreads – Examples: Nutella, Peanut Butter
As with many of the above ingredients, these are useful just to add some more excitement and flavour to baked goods! You don't always need to have them on hand but they are perfect additions to cakes, cereal bars and cookies!
20. Dried Yeast
It's aliveeeeee! Yes indeed, yeast is a live organism that converts 'food' (normally sugar) into alcohol and carbon dioxide and is essential when making things like bread, pizza or even cinnamon rolls. Dried yeast has a longer shelf life and is pretty easy to buy in most stores. You can also get fresh yeast but this is perishes very quickly - normally you can just go to your local supermarket bakery section and ask one of the bakers to give you some (for free!)
Send me all your baking treats and feel free to share you top baking tips too! Hope this post was useful and has inspired you to get cracking (pardon the egg pun!)
Natasha x
Comments