Okay, so I’ve been meaning to get my baking pantry in order. You know, really know what I have and what I need. So I decided to do a deep dive and came up with a list of 25 essential baking ingredients. Here’s how I went about it:
The Initial Brain Dump
First, I just grabbed a notepad and started listing everything I could think of that I regularly use. Flour, sugar, butter… the usual suspects. I jotted down everything that came to mind, no matter how obvious it seemed.
Categorizing Like a Pro (Almost)
Then, I tried to get a little organized. I divided my list into rough categories: dry stuff, wet stuff, and things that make baked goods rise. I wrote each item from my list and divided it into its category.
- Dry Goods: Flour (all-purpose, bread, cake), sugars (granulated, brown, powdered), baking powder, baking soda, salt, cornstarch, cocoa powder.
- Wet Goods/Fats: Butter, eggs, milk, oil (vegetable, canola), vanilla extract, sour cream, buttermilk.
- Leavening Agents/Spices/Add-ins: Yeast, cinnamon, nutmeg, chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruits.
Filling in the Gaps
Once I had my basic categories, I started thinking about the things I don’t always have on hand but often need for specific recipes. That’s when things like buttermilk, different types of flour, and various extracts came into play.
Checking My Stash
Next, the fun part (not really). I went through my actual pantry and compared it to my list. I took note of what I was low on, what I was completely out of, and what I surprisingly had a ton of. I marked any that I was getting low on.
The Final 25
After all that, I narrowed it down to 25 ingredients that I felt were truly essential for my baking needs. Here’s the final rundown:
- All-Purpose Flour
- Bread Flour
- Cake Flour
- Granulated Sugar
- Brown Sugar (light and dark)
- Powdered Sugar
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Cornstarch
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- Butter (unsalted)
- Eggs
- Milk
- Vegetable Oil
- Canola Oil
- Vanilla Extract
- Active Dry Yeast
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Chocolate Chips (semi-sweet)
- Nuts (walnuts or pecans, usually)
- Dried Fruits (raisins or cranberries)
- Sour Cream or plain Yogurt
- Buttermilk
The list I just wrote should cover most of my baking adventures.
It was simple to just note and write the categories as I thought of them.
It might seem like a lot, but having these staples on hand makes it so much easier to whip something up on a whim. Plus, it saves me those last-minute trips to the store! Wish I thought of it sooner, but now that I organized and wrote it all down, I don’t need to do this again for a long while.
