Baked foods are crucial in birthday parties, weddings, and other events. You can make cakes, chocolate cookies, or bread, depending on your preference. Again, baking helps you enjoy a great breakfast with your family.
However, it can be frustrating if you can’t bake because you lack the essential ingredients or need an emergency shopping in between baking. Thus, here are the perfect baking ingredients you need to stock in your pantry.
Flour
Not all flours are perfect for baking. That’s why you need all-purpose flour which is light and elastic to form perfect structures. This flour has proteins, and a mild flavor and easily forms gluten after binding with liquids. Gluten helps you to bake in various shapes, such as breads, cupcakes, and pie dough.
All flours should be kept at room temperature in tightly sealed containers to avoid contamination. Again, always check the expiry date when purchasing and before baking. Besides all-purpose flour, other essential baking flours include:
- Cake flour
- Soy flour
- White whole wheat flour
- Bread flour
- Self-rising flour
- Cornstarch
- Whole wheat flour
- Cornmeal
Spices
Spices bring out the flavor in all baked foods. However, you need to combine different flavors at specific weights to ensure you achieve the taste you desire. Some spices act as leaveners, making your baked foods good for dessert. Some must-have spices in your pantry include;
- Cinnamon
- Ground cloves Nutmeg
- Ginger
- Allspice
- Cream of tartar
- Espresso powder
- Cayenne pepper
- Vanilla beans
Leaveners
Biological liveners, such as yeast are the best for baking. They have a single-celled organism that reacts with other ingredients, such as sugar to produce ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide. In turn, your dough rises to make perfect baked foods. However, rising stops during baking because the heat kills the yeast. Other leavening alternatives include:
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
Salt
Table salt is a must-have if you plan to bake. The benefits of table salt are that it dissolves easily and enhances the flavor of your bread, muffins, or cakes. In addition, it isn’t overpowering, instead, it reacts well with the yeast and prevents the dough from fast-rising.
As a result, salt helps you achieve the desired shapes in your baking. Again, as your purchase, the salt, shop bulk sprinkles because you may need them during baking. The best salts to offer a great finish in baking include;
- Sea salt
- Kosher salt
- Flaky sea salt
Sugars
Sugars give a sweet flavor and determine how well your baked foods taste. They attract water and prevent excessive gluten formation that could harden your dough. Thus, sugars ensure the dough is moist and soft.
White granulated sugar is an essential ingredient. On the other hand, you can use brown sugar, in which white sugar is mixed with molasses. You can also use powdered sugar, which prevents the clumping of the dough.
Other sweeteners to use apart from sugar include;
- Corn syrup
- Honey
- Coarse sugar
- Molasses
- Purple maple syrup
Dairy
Dairy products have fat that thickens the dough and keeps it moist. They also bring out the texture to prevent your baking from becoming dry. However, dairy products are many, and you have choices whether you’re a vegan or love a dairy-free diet.
Eggs are a must-have in your baking recipe. Another dairy product is milk if you need a whole flavor and more fat, though not suitable for all recipes. Alternatively, you can use unsalted butter if you need to control the salt in your baking.
Other dairy products essential for baking include;
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Buttermilk
- Evaporated milk
- Cream cheese
- Canned coconut cream
- Sour cream
- Heavy cream
Extracts and Flavorings
Extracts have concentrated tastes that have your desired tastes. They are more concentrated because they are extracted from natural plants.
One common flavoring is pure vanilla extract. It adds richness to baked products because of its pureness. There’s no imitation in this product, and that’s why it’s a common ingredient. Also, you can shop bulky sprinkles to add to your vanilla cake.
Nice-to-have extracts and flavorings include;
- Whole vanilla beans
- Almond extract
- Anise oil
- Rum extract
- Peppermint extract
- Vanilla bean paste
- Lemon extract
Cocoa Powder
If you need a concentrated flavor in baking, use natural unsweetened cocoa powder. It’s absorbent and ensures the dough isn’t excessively soft. However, you need to use the right amount because too much cocoa powder can make your cake dry.
Cocoa powder is dark and gives your baking a rich taste. Also, it ensures your baked foods aren’t overly sweet but gives them the desired flavor.
The best cocoa powder is;
- Dutch-process cocoa powder
Fats
Adding fats to your baking has many benefits. Fats add flavor, softness, richness, and the right amount of moisture. In addition, they help in leavening, ensuring your dough has fewer glutens and more nutrients.
Vegetable oil is a good fat for your baking. It gives a perfect flavor to your cake, bread, and muffins. Another great fat is unsalted butter, which brings out a great finish.
Other fats to add to your shopping list include;
- Lard
- Vegetable shortening
- Coconut oil
Chocolate
To bake sweet, flavored, and soft foods, consider adding chocolate. Using chocolate makes it easy to make the dough and brings out your desired shape. There are several kinds of chocolates including;
- Unsweetened
- Bittersweet
- Semi-sweet
- Milk
Add-Ins
These are extra ingredients that you need to get the perfect color, taste, and flavor on your bread, banana cake, carrot cake, or muffins. Must-have add-ins as you shop bulk sprinkles include;
- Unsweetened, or shredded coconut
- Peanut butter
- Graham crackers
- Butterscotch chips
- Semisweet, dark, and white chocolate bars
- Nuts such as cashews, pecans, and walnuts
- Food coloring
- Large and mini marshmallows
- Toffee bits
- Traditional rolled oats
- Powdered gelatin
- Canned pumpkin
- Dried fruits such as blueberries, dates, and apricots
Final Thoughts
Baking is fun when you have the right ingredients in your pantry. The above guide helps you have all essential ingredients in your shopping list to avoid frustrations during the baking process. If you lack one of the above ingredients, ensure to add them to your next grocery shopping list.
