Baking is a lot of fun, but it can get annoying if you have to go shopping for every single recipe; these essential baking ingredients will help your trips to the store become less frequent.
There are some ingredients that can be found in almost every. single. recipe. you make. For newer bakers, it can be hard to distinguish which ones are more common than others.
This list should provide you with some idea of the most essential baking ingredients to keep in your house at all times.
Even if you don’t specifically use them for baking, they will come in handy for many other recipes.
This post is about the essential baking ingredients that every baker should know about and have in their kitchen.
Now, on to…
The Essentials:
Flour-
First and foremost, flour is the most important ingredient to have in your home if you are constantly baking or making goods.
Even if you don’t bake very much, flour is used in many recipes whether they are baked goods or not. (i.e. gravy and salad dressing)
They are the main structure of any baked good and help with the process of expansion. Flour also helps make goods have a fluffy texture and hold their shape.
There are many types of flour depending on what the recipe calls for or your particular allergy requirements, but they all work in almost identical ways.
Baking soda-
Baking soda is another key ingredient to properly activating your baked goods.
While it doesn’t do much on its own, baking soda reacts with other ingredients to create a unique chemical reaction.
It reacts to create carbon dioxide bubbles that help the baked goods rise and creates a light and airy texture.
Baking soda adds a crispy look to baked goods and without it, the food would be very dense.
Baking powder-
Although they have similar names, baking powder, and baking soda are not the same.
Baking powder is only used in recipes that do not contain acidic ingredients like buttermilk. It also is not as strong as baking soda.
Baking powder can be used as a substitute for baking soda if the situation calls for it, however, the portions will not be the same.
Vanilla extract-
While vanilla extract isn’t really necessary the most recipes, almost all recipes include it in their list of ingredients.
And although it smells good, the vanilla extract does not have a great taste. It mainly enhances the flavors of other ingredients like sugar and milk.
The most crucial role it plays in most recipes is masking the smell of raw eggs. this is why all recipes that use raw eggs will have some amount of vanilla extract in them.
So, in terms of whether or not you absolutely need vanilla extract, you don’t.
It is just good to have around because many recipes you will make require vanilla extract; without it, the original flavor is changed.
Cornstarch-
Cornstarch can be used alone or paired with flour to soften the harsh proteins in the flour.
It helps to create a crispy, crumbly finish on desserts like pie and shortbread recipes.
Cornstarch typically absorbs moisture which is why it can give a crispy texture, and this works really well with deep-fried pastries.
When trying to thicken a paste-like pie filling, it will create that dense consistency.
A lesser-known substitute for cornstarch is potato starch. (Which you shouldn’t need because cornstarch is on this essential baking ingredients list.)
Eggs-
Whether you bake or not, eggs are an absolute necessity to keep in your house.
They are used in so many different recipes and meals, and eggs are a great source of protein as well.
In terms of baking, eggs add moisture and texture to baked goods like muffins and cakes.
They thicken the batter and create a supportive structure for the other ingredients as it rises in the oven.
Another way to think about the role of eggs is that they add moisture and glue to stick everything together.
Without eggs, your baked goods would be dry and flat. However, if you have limitations due to allergies, or a diet, there are other alternatives.
Recipes that contain eggs can be replaced with applesauce, mashed banana, tofu, and much more.
Milk-
Milk is another super important ingredient to have in your kitchen at all times whether you bake or not.
It adds proteins and encourages a delectable brown color in baked goods. Milk is the basis for a batch of strong batter.
Once again, there are also many alternatives to milk that will contribute in the same way.
A couple of good options are lactose-free milk, oat milk, almond milk, and half-and-half. (The last one is specifically for only recipes.)
Butter-
Butter not only adds deliciousness to baked goods but it also gives a rich taste no matter how much is added.
It provides a little bit of structure, and a little tenderness as well. Without butter, your baked goods would be dry and crumbly, and possibly very tough.
The main purpose of butter is to provide most of the flavor, so it takes the spot as one of the most essential baking ingredients.
Unsalted butter creates an even richer flavor, and the high-fat content is what gives texture to baked goods.
Butter is an important ingredient to have even if you are not constantly baking because it can be used in recipes for many other recipes.
Depending on the temperature you use, your baked goods can change in taste and structure too!
It covers breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert!
Water-
Hopefully, if you’re baking you have running water in your house, but even if you don’t, getting gallons of water from the grocery store will do the same job.
Water mainly adds hydration back into the gluten and starch molecules. Some recipes use water to dissolve ingredients like salt, so it also plays an important role in that.
Using water may also help control the temperature and consistency of the dough while it is baking.
While it is not always used in recipes, water is good to have on hand in case you need it and is used in many other dinner recipes.
Salt-
In all honesty, I don’t think I have ever made a recipe that has not asked for salt. But, add too much, and the baked good becomes way too salty, even if it’s only half of a teaspoon more.
Salt controls the growth of yeast in bread baking, and can strengthen the dough as well. Similarly in regular baking, salt affects the tenderness of the consistency of a baked good.
In cake and other goods baking, salt just helps to balance the flavors so the baked goods are not too sweet but not too salty. It enhances the other ingredients and flavors to make a delicious treat!
Sugar-
Believe it or not, the purpose of sugar goes beyond making something sweeter when baking. Sugar also keeps things moist and soft.
A bond is created between water and sugar that allows it to lock in moisture and keep baked goods from drying out too quickly.
Without it, the result will be drier and crumbly, and their shelf life will be much, much shorter.
Cooking spray-
Although not an ingredient that you would add to your recipe, cooking spray is super important in the baking process.
There have been so many times that I have forgotten or put not enough cooking spray on my pan, and the end result is not pretty.
Cooking spray is essential if you don’t want your baked goods to stick to the pan when you take them out.
If you prefer not to use cooking spray, there are other alternatives like butter that act in the same way.
Similarly, if you have any allergies, there are other ingredients you can use as a replacement for almost all of the ones listed above.
If you are new to baking and haven’t had much time to familiarize yourself with several recipes, the more you bake, the more you will see common ingredients in the things you make.
Need a starter recipe? The Best Flourless Muffins Of 2023 is a super quick and simple recipe that is great for beginners!
You can find it here:
This is just a general list of all different types of recipes, and if you go into one niche of baking there may be different types of common ingredients.
And there you have it! The twelve essential baking ingredients that you can stock your kitchen with!
These ingredients will be super helpful to buy ahead of time so you can make more recipes at home without having to go to the store first.
This list truly is a time saver and will help you too if you like to or are getting into cooking and baking a lot at home.
If you stick to this list, make sure to replenish the stock when needed, as very commonly used ingredients, they can run out quickly.
Nice list of strenghts