Baking Tips Every New Baker Should Know
If you love pastries and sweets, you are likely fascinated by the beauty of baking. There is something about the smell of freshly baked bread and the sparkling colors of pastries that make people smile. And if you want to try your hand at baking, you must equip yourself with a bit of knowledge of the tools, ingredients and the process baked goods go through before splurging your money on new tools and pantry stocks.
We know you must be so excited about your new baking adventure and we want to help you get the best experience possible.
Keep reading for our 10 baking tips every new baker should know.
Shopping for ingredients
Know the basics
When you go inside a baking supply store or even shopping online it can be overwhelming to see a wide variety of ingredients with different flavors or types. It is either you buy the wrong ingredient or buy excessively. When you are buying supplies we suggest that you first stock on the basics: All-purpose flour, eggs, full cream milk, unsalted butter, granulated white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, baking soda, and baking powder. These are the basic ingredients that could be used in different recipes.
Pick a recipe
Now after you secure those basics, it is important to start with 1 recipe. Focusing on 1 recipe will help you determine the additional ingredients you will need. If you’re going to start with a cookie you will need chocolate chips. If you want to make bread you will need yeast and bread flour.
Shopping for new tools
Just like with the ingredients it is daunting and exciting to buy new tools for your new hobby. But it is important to know that even though you might be willing to splurge on new tools, you should be focusing on things that will matter most to your baking.
Picking an oven
The most important tool in the oven, you should be considering if you would like to buy an electric oven or a gas-type oven. Cost and space are the factors you have to consider. An electric oven will be cheaper at first but you should also consider the electric consumption later on. It is also good if you do not have much space for a full-sized oven. And if you are still not sure if you will last with your baking hobby, trying it out first with an electric oven would be a good option.
Basic tools
When shopping for the basic tools you must consider the size of your oven so you can buy the right pan size. It is good to have 1 flat/cookie sheet, 1 brownie pan, and 1 round pan. While the nonstick variant seems enticing, it easily chips away and rusts, so we recommend you buy an aluminum one because you would still need to grease your pans whatever type they are. Some of the other tools you will need to buy are:
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Flour sifter
- Mixing bowl
- Whisk/electric mixer
- Spatula
- Bread knife
- Parchment paper and nonstick spray
Knowing the procedures
There are plenty of ways and methods you can try out in baking. While there is no one way of doing things in the kitchen, there are always guidelines that you can follow for a breezy baking experience
Know the rules before you break them
They say that baking is much like chemistry, you have to be precise with the measurements and timing to ensure that it will turn out as you expected. But bakers, in general, are curious creatures, experimenting is one of the things that excites a new baker. But before you go wild on that cocoa powder, or before you pull your cheesecake out too early, you should research the basic rules of baking before you start adjusting the measurements and the timing.
Mise-en-place
The word mise-en-place is French for “putting in place”. This is the first step in baking in which you will have to prepare and measure out all the ingredients to be used in a recipe before actually starting to bake. This will ensure that you have the complete ingredients and you will not miss a step on the procedure once you start.
For more baking essentials, check out our top 5 kitchen timers and best cookie presses!
