Setting Up the Pantry, Part Two: The Baking Pantry
If a well-stocked pantry is the backbone of the kitchen, then baking is its soul. Our fondest kitchen memories often come from baking day, its labors or its output, often both. Every baker sends their specialty out of the kitchen and into waiting hands and mouths. From bake sale to county fair, from Christmas cookies to stollen, from warm bread slathered with butter to layer cake blanketed with frosting, each baker has their specialties - and every baker knows that preparedness is the key to great baking.
As with the basic pantry, with a well-stocked baking pantry one is always ready to bake. Once the pantry is stocked, it becomes easier to stay on top of keeping it replenished. Knowing what we have on hand, we know what we are running low on and jot it on our shopping list. A well-stocked baking pantry encourages us to woolgather ideas for baking projects for events or seasons upcoming. Anticipation is one of the great treats of baking, and that applies to the baker as well as the eater.
As we build baking into the rhythm of our days, the gentle concentration that baking requires becomes a respite from our busy days. By their very nature, baked goods require patience and focus: measurement must be exact, technique must be respected, task cannot be rushed. There is a lesson to learn from the dough as it rises, from the cake as it bakes. It is the simple, vital lesson of patience; the sweetness and substance that are the reward of effort.
Here is Urban Home Blog's Guide to Stocking the Baking Pantry. Though this guide is more comprehensive than most lists and guides on Urban Home Blog, it is still a guide, and none of these recommendations is a compensated endorsement.
Urban Pantry, Part Two: The Baking Pantry
This guide is organized according to area of concentration, which are shelf goods for baking and, with the few exceptions noted below, not refrigerated or frozen foods. There is some cross-over between basic pantry goods and the baking pantry; click here for Urban Home Blog's guide to stocking the basic pantry.
INGREDIENTS
Flour
1 box table salt
1 canister cream of tartar
Specialty
Compressed cake yeast. Buy as needed and store in the refrigerator until used but not beyond the expiration date.
Sourdough starter. Set aside according to the recipe and store in a glass jar in the refrigerator.
Basic
1 5-pound bag granulated sugar
1 1 lb. box or bag dark brown sugar
1 1 lb. box or bag light brown sugar
1 1 lb. box or bag confectioner’s sugar
1 jar Grade A pure maple syrup, light, medium or dark amber according to household preference
1 bottle light corn syrup
1 jar honey, such as clover, orange blossom or thistle
1 jar unsulphured molasses
Nice to Have
1 1 lb. box or bag superfine sugar
Cinnamon sugar. Click here for Urban Home Blog's recipe for cinnamon sugar.
Vanilla sugar. Click here for Urban Home Blog's recipe for vanilla sugar.
Simple syrup. Click here for Urban Home Blog's recipe for simple syrup.
Specialty
Demerara, maple, sanding sugar, etc. Buy in small quantities as needed.
Click here for Urban Home Blog's complete list of herbs and spices.
Basic
1 bottle pure vanilla extract. Click here for Urban Home Blog's recipe for vanilla extract.
1 bottle almond extract
1 jar or pouch vanilla beans
1 jar ground cinnamon
1 jar whole cloves
1 jar whole nutmegs
1 jar allspice berries
1 jar apple pie spice. Click here for Urban Home Blog's recipe for apple pie spice.
1 jar pumpkin pie spice. Click here for Urban Home Blog's recipe for pumpkin pie spice.
1 set liquid food coloring in red, yellow, blue and green
1 box birthday candles
Nice to have
1 bottle lemon extract
1 bottle orange flower water
1 bottle mint extract
1 bottle Swedish bitters
1 jar ground cardamom
1 jar ground mace
Specialty
Candymaking extracts such as banana, anise, cinnamon, coconut, black walnut, etc. Buy as needed for use in specific recipes.
Baking decoration supplies such as fondant powder, coloring paste, finishing dust, etc. Buy as needed for use in specific projects.
Basic
2 4-ounce bars semi-sweet baking chocolate
2 4-ounce bars unsweetened baking chocolate
1 8-ounce drum unsweetened cocoa
2 bags milk chocolate chips
1 supply unsalted peanuts
1 supply walnuts
1 supply hazelnuts
1 supply almonds
1 supply pine nuts
Nice to have
1 bar or disk Mexican chocolate
1 bag white chocolate chips
1 bag butterscotch chips
1 supply pistachios
1 jar macadamia nuts
For the baking pantry, preserved fruit refers to that which has been macerated in sugar, alcohol or another preserving agent for use in baking. Click here for Urban Home Blog's guide to dried fruits for the pantry and jams, jellies and preserves for the pantry.
Basic
1 supply mixed glacé
1 jar preserved cherries. Click here for Urban Home Blog's recipe for preserved cherries.
Nice to have
1 supply glacéed pineapple
1 supply crystallized ginger
1 supply candied citrus peel, such as orange, lemon, tangerine, grapefruit or a mixture
Mixing and Measuring
Basic
1 set graduated mixing bowls, medium, large and very large
1 set small mixing bowls
As with the basic pantry, with a well-stocked baking pantry one is always ready to bake. Once the pantry is stocked, it becomes easier to stay on top of keeping it replenished. Knowing what we have on hand, we know what we are running low on and jot it on our shopping list. A well-stocked baking pantry encourages us to woolgather ideas for baking projects for events or seasons upcoming. Anticipation is one of the great treats of baking, and that applies to the baker as well as the eater.
As we build baking into the rhythm of our days, the gentle concentration that baking requires becomes a respite from our busy days. By their very nature, baked goods require patience and focus: measurement must be exact, technique must be respected, task cannot be rushed. There is a lesson to learn from the dough as it rises, from the cake as it bakes. It is the simple, vital lesson of patience; the sweetness and substance that are the reward of effort.
Here is Urban Home Blog's Guide to Stocking the Baking Pantry. Though this guide is more comprehensive than most lists and guides on Urban Home Blog, it is still a guide, and none of these recommendations is a compensated endorsement.
Urban Pantry, Part Two: The Baking Pantry
This guide is organized according to area of concentration, which are shelf goods for baking and, with the few exceptions noted below, not refrigerated or frozen foods. There is some cross-over between basic pantry goods and the baking pantry; click here for Urban Home Blog's guide to stocking the basic pantry.
INGREDIENTS
Flour
Basic
1 1 lb. bag unbleached white flour
1 box cake flour
Nice to Have
1 bag bread flour
Specialty
Whole wheat, rye, durum, barley, rice, buckwheat, etc. Buy in small quantities as needed.
Rising agents cause baked goods to acquire volume during cooking. Yeast is a fungus that feeds on sugars both pure and those released from glutens. In a dough, as the yeast feeds, it releases gasses that in turn causes the dough to rise, and as the yeast advances through the dough it is working the dough to create texture. Baking soda and baking powder are chemicals that cause baked goods to rise by creating bubbles of carbon dioxide. In recipes, baking powder and baking soda are not interchangeable, so both belong in the baking pantry. Baking soda is so useful for the home that extra boxes are recommended.
Basic
1 can baking powder
1 1 lb. bag unbleached white flour
1 box cake flour
Nice to Have
1 bag bread flour
Specialty
Whole wheat, rye, durum, barley, rice, buckwheat, etc. Buy in small quantities as needed.
- Store flour in its bag in a plastic keeper with a tight-fitting lid. We like Stay Fresh flour containers. Write the date purchased on a note card stored with the keeper. If there is an expiration date noted on the packaging, note that on the note card. As a rule, don't buy more flour than you will use in a six week period, planning ahead for heavy baking times.
- It is unavoidable that flour will occasionally evidence an infestation of grain weevils. Don't panic; it doesn't mean that the kitchen is unclean. In almost any instance, grains or grain products that evidence weevils were infested at time of purchase. This can include an infestation of eggs, which is why the flour looked fine when you opened it. You can freeze your flour for three days after purchase to reduce the chance of weevil eggs, if any, hatching. Always check the flour before using it; if the flour has tiny brown moving specks in it, it has weevils. In that case, throw the bag of flour into the trash. Bag up the trash and get it out of the kitchen immediately. Wash the keeper thoroughly with soap and water. Email the grocery where you obtained the flour with the date of purchase and receipt number if available, to learn if they will replace the item with one from a different manufacturer or process run.
Rising agents cause baked goods to acquire volume during cooking. Yeast is a fungus that feeds on sugars both pure and those released from glutens. In a dough, as the yeast feeds, it releases gasses that in turn causes the dough to rise, and as the yeast advances through the dough it is working the dough to create texture. Baking soda and baking powder are chemicals that cause baked goods to rise by creating bubbles of carbon dioxide. In recipes, baking powder and baking soda are not interchangeable, so both belong in the baking pantry. Baking soda is so useful for the home that extra boxes are recommended.
Basic
1 can baking powder
2 – 4 boxes baking soda
1 3-pack envelope dry yeast1 box table salt
1 canister cream of tartar
Specialty
Compressed cake yeast. Buy as needed and store in the refrigerator until used but not beyond the expiration date.
Sourdough starter. Set aside according to the recipe and store in a glass jar in the refrigerator.
- Leavening agents need to be proofed periodically. To proof baking powder or baking soda, put one teaspoon of powder/soda into a bowl. Pour 1/4 cup hot water into the bowl. Stir the solution. If the solution bubbles, the powder/soda is active and suitable for baking. If the solution remains inert, the powder/soda has expired and is not suitable for usage and should be discarded.
- Proofing yeast is part of the process for cooking with yeast, and so instructions for proofing yeast should be included in any recipe which requires using yeast. To proof yeast, fill a bowl with ¼ cup lukewarm (105 - 110 degrees F) water or milk. Add 2 tablespoons flour and 1 teaspoon sugar to the warm water/milk. Introduce the yeast into the solution. If the solution foams and expands, the yeast is active and suitable for baking. If the solution remains inert, the yeast has expired and is not suitable for usage and should be discarded.
- Baking powder and baking soda are not interchangeable; you cannot substitute one for another in a recipe. However, you can make baking powder if you have active baking soda. To make baking powder, mix 4 teaspoons cream of tartar with 2 teaspoons baking soda and store in glass jar with a tight-fitting lid.
Basic
1 5-pound bag granulated sugar
1 1 lb. box or bag dark brown sugar
1 1 lb. box or bag light brown sugar
1 1 lb. box or bag confectioner’s sugar
1 jar Grade A pure maple syrup, light, medium or dark amber according to household preference
1 bottle light corn syrup
1 jar honey, such as clover, orange blossom or thistle
1 jar unsulphured molasses
Nice to Have
1 1 lb. box or bag superfine sugar
Cinnamon sugar. Click here for Urban Home Blog's recipe for cinnamon sugar.
Vanilla sugar. Click here for Urban Home Blog's recipe for vanilla sugar.
Simple syrup. Click here for Urban Home Blog's recipe for simple syrup.
Specialty
Demerara, maple, sanding sugar, etc. Buy in small quantities as needed.
- Decant granulated sugar into a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. We like Williams-Sonoma glass jars with ceramic lids. Write the date purchased on a note card stored with the jar. If there is an expiration date noted on the packaging, note that on the note card.
- Brown sugars clump as they age or in humid conditions. Unless the clumps have crystallized, the clumps will typically break up upon mixing. To prevent clumping, store brown sugar in terra cotta containers with tight-fitting lids, or in plastic containers with tight-fitting lids and including a terra cotta sugar disk. We like these containers, and these sugar disks.
- Store syrups, honey and molasses on a ceramic plate or tile. Wipe the bottle with a clean damp cloth after every usage, taking care to clean the mouth of the bottle without touching the interior of the bottle with the cloth or your hands.
Click here for Urban Home Blog's complete list of herbs and spices.
Basic
1 bottle pure vanilla extract. Click here for Urban Home Blog's recipe for vanilla extract.
1 bottle almond extract
1 jar or pouch vanilla beans
1 jar ground cinnamon
1 jar whole cloves
1 jar whole nutmegs
1 jar allspice berries
1 jar apple pie spice. Click here for Urban Home Blog's recipe for apple pie spice.
1 jar pumpkin pie spice. Click here for Urban Home Blog's recipe for pumpkin pie spice.
1 set liquid food coloring in red, yellow, blue and green
1 box birthday candles
Nice to have
1 bottle lemon extract
1 bottle orange flower water
1 bottle mint extract
1 bottle Swedish bitters
1 jar ground cardamom
1 jar ground mace
Specialty
Candymaking extracts such as banana, anise, cinnamon, coconut, black walnut, etc. Buy as needed for use in specific recipes.
Baking decoration supplies such as fondant powder, coloring paste, finishing dust, etc. Buy as needed for use in specific projects.
- Though adjusted for concentration of flavor, candymaking extracts are suspensions of flavor in alcohol. That is why it is recommended to make your own vanilla extract using the infused vodka method, which results in a remarkably pure flavor. Outside of some specific dishes, it is not necessary to use liquor flavored extracts such as rum- or brandy-. Just use the real thing from the home bar.
- Baking decoration supplies accumulate but often don't have a long shelf life. Store cake decorating supplies, including specialized tools if any used to apply them, in a clean food safe plastic tub with a tight-fitting lid. Keep an index card in the tub, noted with the date each item was purchased and what it was used for.
Basic
2 4-ounce bars semi-sweet baking chocolate
2 4-ounce bars unsweetened baking chocolate
1 8-ounce drum unsweetened cocoa
2 bags milk chocolate chips
1 supply unsalted peanuts
1 supply walnuts
1 supply hazelnuts
1 supply almonds
1 supply pine nuts
Nice to have
1 bar or disk Mexican chocolate
1 bag white chocolate chips
1 bag butterscotch chips
1 supply pistachios
1 jar macadamia nuts
- Chocolate is sensitive to environment. It can pick up odors as well as react to atmospheric conditions such as humidity. To protect your chocolate, store bars of baking and Mexican chocolate together in their original wrapping in a square glass jar with a tight-fitting lid, and decant chocolate chips into a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Write the date purchased for each on a note card stored with the jar. If there is an expiration date noted on the packaging, note that on the note card.
- When opened, chocolate ideally appears smooth with consistent coloring and chocolate’s signature aroma. Chocolate that exhibits a white or gray film is exhibiting fat bloom, meaning that the fats in the chocolate have separated from the chocolate mass. Chocolate that exhibits crystallization is exhibiting sugar bloom, meaning that the sugars in the chocolate have separated from the chocolate mass. Chocolate that evidences bloom is not necessarily unfit to cook with, and in fact some chocolate improves with age and will exhibit bloom as part of that. To test baking chocolate, first assess if it is exhibiting any off odor. If it is, the chocolate is probably unfit to cook with. If the chocolate is exhibiting bloom but no off odor, it is probably fine to cook with, but if you’re still unsure – nibble a corner!
- As a rule, nutmeats last a long time on the shelf, but they are sensitive to contaminants, especially fungi. This is why it’s especially important to store whole or chopped nuts for cooking in glass jars with tight-fitting lids, away from sources of cold and humidity.
For the baking pantry, preserved fruit refers to that which has been macerated in sugar, alcohol or another preserving agent for use in baking. Click here for Urban Home Blog's guide to dried fruits for the pantry and jams, jellies and preserves for the pantry.
Basic
1 supply mixed glacé
1 jar preserved cherries. Click here for Urban Home Blog's recipe for preserved cherries.
Nice to have
1 supply glacéed pineapple
1 supply crystallized ginger
1 supply candied citrus peel, such as orange, lemon, tangerine, grapefruit or a mixture
- Store glacé, preserved cherries and crystallized ginger each in their own Mason jar in the refrigerator.
- To crystallize ginger, peel ½ pound fresh ginger and safely use a sharp paring knife to cut the ginger into thin coins. Measure 2 cups sugar into a non-reactive saucepan; use a wire whisk to add 2 cups water to the sugar. Measure 1 teaspoon light corn syrup into the mixture. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking constantly, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is thick and clear. Gently add the ginger coins to the hot syrup and stir gently until the mixture comes to a boil. Cover the pan, turn off the heat, and let the mixture sit overnight. The next morning, drain the mixture in a colander. Fill a pint Mason jar with ½ cup granulated sugar. Add the drained candied ginger to the jar. Put the lid on the jar and shake until the ginger is coated with the sugar. Store the ginger in the refrigerator, adding a tablespoon or two of sugar every so often.
- To candy citrus peel, wash a grapefruit, two large naval oranges, three to four lemons, three to four tangerines, or a mixture of the four with produce cleaner. Safely use a sharp knife to excise the peel in long thin strips; do your best just to get the peel and none of the bitter white pith underneath. Follow the instructions above for crystallizing ginger.
Mixing and Measuring
Basic
1 set graduated mixing bowls, medium, large and very large
1 set small mixing bowls
1 glass measuring cup with a spout, 2 cup
1 set graduated measuring cups, ¼, 1/3, ½ and 1 cup
2 sets measuring spoons, 1/8, ¼, ½, and 1 teaspoon and ½ and 1 tablespoon
1 set measuring scoops, ¼ and ½ cups
1 set wire-mesh sifters, small, medium, large and very large
1 set graduated measuring cups, ¼, 1/3, ½ and 1 cup
2 sets measuring spoons, 1/8, ¼, ½, and 1 teaspoon and ½ and 1 tablespoon
1 set measuring scoops, ¼ and ½ cups
1 set wire-mesh sifters, small, medium, large and very large
1 wooden bread board
1 supply silicon spatulas in various sizes
1 supply offset spatulas in various sizes
Nice to Have
Spares of any of the basics
Specialty
1 supply silicon spatulas in various sizes
1 supply offset spatulas in various sizes
Nice to Have
Spares of any of the basics
Specialty
2 packages cheesecloth
1 package unbleached white muslin
Many recipes are written using the metric system, so measuring vessels marked with metric measures are always a good find.
Bakeware
Basic
1 sheet cake pan with cover, 12 x 9 x 3
1 package unbleached white muslin
Many recipes are written using the metric system, so measuring vessels marked with metric measures are always a good find.
Bakeware
Basic
1 sheet cake pan with cover, 12 x 9 x 3
2 round cake pans, 9 x 2
2 square cake pans, 9 x 9 or 8 x 8 or one of each
2 loaf pans, 9 x 5 x 3
1 six-cup muffin tin
2 tin pie pans, 8- or 9-inch
1 deep dish ceramic pie pan, 9- or 10-inch
1 set stackable baking racks
1 pizza stone
Nice to Have
1 springform cake pan, 9 or 10 x 2
1 jelly roll pan, 15 x 10 x 1
1 fluted tart pan with removable sides, 9- or 10-inch
1 set custard cups
Specialty
Popover tins, bundt pans, soufflé dishes, Silpat baking mats, etc. Buy as needed for specific recipes.
It is always necessary to balance what equipment to keep in the kitchen with the room there is to store it. It’s stating the obvious, but choose kitchen equipment carefully, with an eye towards usability and balanced against what you are willing to pay in return for usage. Click here for Urban Home Blog's Guide to Kitchen Electrics.
Basic
1 5-Speed hand mixer with extra beaters
1 stick mixer
1 safe-blade spice- or coffee grinder
1 spice funnel
2 square cake pans, 9 x 9 or 8 x 8 or one of each
2 loaf pans, 9 x 5 x 3
1 six-cup muffin tin
2 tin pie pans, 8- or 9-inch
1 deep dish ceramic pie pan, 9- or 10-inch
1 set stackable baking racks
1 pizza stone
Nice to Have
1 springform cake pan, 9 or 10 x 2
1 jelly roll pan, 15 x 10 x 1
1 fluted tart pan with removable sides, 9- or 10-inch
1 set custard cups
Specialty
Popover tins, bundt pans, soufflé dishes, Silpat baking mats, etc. Buy as needed for specific recipes.
- Cookie sheets see much action that they become difficult to keep clean. It is not recommended to buy durable cookie sheets but to use the disposable aluminum kind available in the baking aisle of the grocery store.
It is always necessary to balance what equipment to keep in the kitchen with the room there is to store it. It’s stating the obvious, but choose kitchen equipment carefully, with an eye towards usability and balanced against what you are willing to pay in return for usage. Click here for Urban Home Blog's Guide to Kitchen Electrics.
Basic
1 5-Speed hand mixer with extra beaters
1 stick mixer
1 safe-blade spice- or coffee grinder
1 spice funnel
1 rolling pin
2 wire-cut pastry blenders
2 bench scrapers
2 pastry wheels
1 pizza cutter
Cookie cutters in household favorite shapes
Nice to Have
2 bench scrapers
2 pastry wheels
1 pizza cutter
Cookie cutters in household favorite shapes
Nice to Have
1 stand mixer with extra bowls and a breadmaking hook
1 large or extra large wooden rolling board
1 muslin rolling cloth
1 timer, battery-operated or manual
1 encyclopedic baking book, such as Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook or the Better Homes and Gardens New Baking Book.
Specialty
Double boiler, candy thermometer, cookie press, pastry bag and nozzles, nut chopper, etc. Buy as needed, investing in good pieces as determined by usability balanced against what you are willing to pay.
1 large or extra large wooden rolling board
1 muslin rolling cloth
1 timer, battery-operated or manual
1 encyclopedic baking book, such as Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook or the Better Homes and Gardens New Baking Book.
Specialty
Double boiler, candy thermometer, cookie press, pastry bag and nozzles, nut chopper, etc. Buy as needed, investing in good pieces as determined by usability balanced against what you are willing to pay.
- Kitchen tools have a way of accumulating; it is impossible to account for every possibility here. As you acquire kitchen tools, try to sequester them by usage rather than in a jumble in a drawer. One way to do this is to make bags from used tea towels. Fold a clean inside-out towel in half and then stitch the two halves together down opposing edges, leaving 1/2 inch unsewn at the matched bottom edges of the towel where it now forms the opening. Fold the opening down and stitch along the opening to form a channel, leaving one edge open. Attach a large safety pin to a long length of string or ribbon and use the pin to guide the string/ribbon through the channel. Turn the bag right-side out, remove the safety pin from the tie, and use the bag for storage.
- Baking recipes have a way of accumulating, especially printouts, clippings and heirlooms. Gather all of your recipes into a box, and scan or transcribe the most important of them – especially the heirlooms – onto the hard drive of the computer. Once they are transcribed and taking their condition into consideration, consider preserving heirloom recipes in memory boxes or on memory pages.
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