How to Get Started If You've Never Baked Before
Baking is a worthwhile hobby to get involved in.
Why? Well, it’s therapeutic, it’s an excellent way to give thoughtful gifts, and you always get something tasty out of it! It can be a little intimidating if you’ve never baked before, or if you already consider yourself to be bad in the kitchen… But the good news is, anyone can learn!
Here’s how to get started if you’ve never baked before, from what you need to buy, to some sneak tricks to help you get off on the right foot. Even if you’re not really planning on becoming a baker… Who knows, maybe the big will bite on May 17th!
Essential Tools
Like any productive hobby, baking is much easier and more successful when you have the right tools! Here are the ones we recommend investing in upfront. They’ll make your learning journey a lot more fun and reduce your chances of flops!
● Digital scale: We recommend these over the usual measuring spoons and cups, because it’s much more accurate.
● Different sized mixing bowls: You’ll need a few of these so you can mix up various things at once.
● Sieve: Sifts out clumps in dry ingredients, making them easier to mix.
● Electric mixer: : You can mix by hand, but this will save you a bunch of time and effort!
● Baking pans: We recommend a few different sizes so you can make different things.
● A rolling pin: An essential for rolling out pastry!
● Pastry brush: Handy for egg washing or glazing.
● Spatulas: To scrape stuff out of mixing bowls and into pans.
● Cooling rack: Somewhere for your baked goods to cool off, preventing them from getting soggy bottoms.
● Parchment paper: Non-stick baking paper that you can line baking trays with so your treats don’t get stuck. Alternative: baking spray.
● Oven thermometer: Handy tool to make sure your oven is at the right temperature. Optional, but useful!
Baking Techniques
Learning a few specific techniques can help you to become a better baker in a very short period of time.Here’s what you should focus on upfront.
● Accurate measuring: While experienced bakers can estimate fairly accurately, precise measuring is your key to baking stuff that doesn’t flop! This is why we recommend a measuring scale rather than spoons and cups—you can get it exactly right, to the gram.
● Whisking eggs: You have to beat eggs until they’re foamy and light in colour. This gives them enough time to get air into the mixture, which makes your baked goods light, fluffy, and structured.
● Creaming sugar and butter: It’s a common mistake to stop before you should when doing this! The mixture needs to be light and fluffy, and there should be no clumps.
● Sifting dry ingredients: You’ll need to use your sieve for this. With a bit of practice, you’ll be able to quickly sift dry ingredients so there’s no clumps or lumps in them.
● Folding ingredients together: This is a very important technique in which you mix light, fluffy ingredients (like egg whites) into heavier mixtures without ruining them. YouTube is your friend!
● Toothpick test: Insert a toothpick into the middle of one of the baked goods. If it comes
out clean, it’s done! If not, it still needs a bit.
● Decorating: This takes some time and creativity to get right. Practice makes perfect!
' Get these techniques and skills right, and you’ll already be on track to being a good baker! '
Basic Ingredients for Baking
No matter what you want to bake, you need to have some essentials in your cupboard. Stock up on these basic baking ingredients so you’ll always be ready.
● Flour: Almost no baking can be done without it!
● Sugar and salt: Most common flavouring agents.
● Eggs: Binding agent that adds structure.
● Oil/Butter: Add moisture and richness.
● Baking powder/baking soda: Leavening agents.
If you’ve got these, you can bake something! To add a bit extra, you can use things like vanilla
essence, cocoa powder, nuts, or other flavour-filled ingredients. This is where the fun and
creativity comes in!
Baking Techniques
Learning a few specific techniques can help you to become a better baker in a very short period of time.Here’s what you should focus on upfront. Get these techniques and skills right, and you’ll already be on track to being a good baker!
● Accurate measuring: While experienced bakers can estimate fairly accurately, precise measuring is your key to baking stuff that doesn’t flop! This is why we recommend a measuring scale rather than spoons and cups—you can get it exactly right, to the gram.
● Whisking eggs: You have to beat eggs until they’re foamy and light in colour. This gives them enough time to get air into the mixture, which makes your baked goods light, fluffy, and structured.
● Creaming sugar and butter: It’s a common mistake to stop before you should when doing this! The mixture needs to be light and fluffy, and there should be no clumps.
● Sifting dry ingredients: You’ll need to use your sieve for this. With a bit of practice, you’ll be able to quickly sift dry ingredients so there’s no clumps or lumps in them.
● Folding ingredients together: This is a very important technique in which you mix light, fluffy ingredients (like egg whites) into heavier mixtures without ruining them. YouTube is your friend!
● Toothpick test: Insert a toothpick into the middle of one of the baked goods. If it comes out clean, it’s done! If not, it still needs a bit.
● Decorating: This takes some time and creativity to get right. Practice makes perfect!
Tips and Tricks
Learning a few specific techniques can help you to become a better baker in a very short period of time.Here’s what you should focus on upfront. Get these techniques and skills right, and you’ll already be on track to being a good baker!
Avoid Cheap Ingredients
Cheap ingredients (or worse, expired ingredients) can change the texture and the flavour of your baked goods. That beautiful, tasty cake you were thinking of could end up being dry and bland… So rather stick to fresh, good quality ingredients for your recipes.
Pay attention to expiry dates and make sure you use the ingredients before then. You’ll save yourself a lot of frustration and waste if you keep track of this!
Always Measure Accurately
Getting lazy with your measurements could turn your recipe into a flop… So take your time here! Again, this is why we recommend a kitchen scale rather than any other measuring tools.
Read carefully and do the necessary calculations (converting from ounces to grams, halving a recipe, etc). Don’t rush—this is the place you’re most likely to get things wrong and ruin your entire recipe.
Use Room-Temp Ingredients
Ingredients that come out of the fridge—like butter, eggs, and milk—don’t combine as nicely when they’re cold. Take them out of the fridge in advance so they can warm up to room temperature before you use them. Your final result will be better in texture!
Preheat the Oven
You don’t want to put anything into a cold oven to start cooking. Preheating your oven means it’ll already be at its required temperature, so your goods will bake through nice and evenly. 15 to 20 minutes should be enough time to preheat it, but it’s worth checking your specific oven.
Don’t Overmix
Overmixing your ingredients is another easy mistake to make! Mixing too much can cause your baked goods to be dry and chewy. You want to mix until your ingredients are just combined. It takes some time to figure out the right touch and the right consistency.
Let Them Cool
Allow your goods to cool off in the baking tray for a few minutes. You can remove them more easily without them breaking when they aren’t piping hot! Transfer them to a cooling rack—don’t use a flat surface, or the bottoms will get soggy!
Keep Baking!
Baking is a skill that you get better at the more you do it. Don’t expect your first attempts to be perfect… But the more you bake, the better you’ll get. The kitchen may just become your therapy room, your space of relaxation, and where you go to get away from it all.
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