Baking
For the hobby baker, a pantry overflowing with the basic ingredients and cupboards stocked with the right equipment are both vital to make a baking experience truly enjoyable. So, the next time you want to coop yourself up in the kitchen and whip up a two-layer white cake or a dozen chocolate chip muffins at a moment's whim, you'll be prepared.
But
don't think stocking your pantry and cupboards will
break the bank; just keeping the right things will do.
For baking equipment, a muffin tin, cookie pan, square or rectangular pyrex dishes, a whisk or hand mixer, spatula, measuring cup and spoons, mixing bowls and palette knife will do. For disposable equipment, an ample supply of waxed/parchment paper and paper muffin cup linings should be kept at hand, as they make removing your creation from the baking dish much easier (as well as the washing up!)
Now, on to the pantry.
Aside from things that are not solely for the purpose of baking, such as salt (used commonly to flavour and react with baking powder to produce carbon dioxide, which makes baked goods rise) and baking soda (a popular air freshener and abrasive cleaner) a few other ingredients should also be included. Recommended are baking powder, real vanilla essence or vanilla bean pods, and good baker's chocolate or cocoa to minimize last minute trips to the grocery store. Fresh fruit in season is great, but frozen fruit is a good substitute.
Quality is key here. Shelling out a few more bucks for premium ingredients will take your baked creations from good to heavenly.
And last but not least, is flour.
Let's face it. Without flour, baking is not baking. But there are so many types of that powdery stuff, so the following are brief descriptions for each.
Cake Flour
Cake flour is "softer" than all-purpose and bread flour. You'll find that this type of flour is smooth, because it has a lower protein content at 6-8%. Gluten doesn't develop as easily, which is what you need for cakes that are perfectly fluffy and light.
Pastry Flour
While cake flour is bleached, pastry flour isn't. Use this flour for pies, tarts, and biscuits that don't need as much gluten. With the right amount of fat, crusts will be flaky and biscuits light.
Self-Rising Flour
This type of flour is simply a soft flour (one with a low protein content) that contains baking powder and salt to activate it. It is commonly used for baked goods that require baking powder to rise, but has a short shelf life. We recommend simply using regular cake or all-purpose flour and add the baking powder and salt. This might not be as convenient, but is could save you money in the long run.
All-Purpose Flour
Probably the most popularly used. It is a mixture of flour with high and low protein contents, which can be used for making bread, cake or pastries. It generally has 8-12% protein, whether bleached or unbleached (avoiding bleached flour is highly recommended due to the use of chemicals during the bleaching process)
If you're a hobby baker who likes to bake an array of goods, stocking your pantry with All-Purpose Flour is your best bet.
Bread Flour
Bread flour is used for - you guessed it - bread. Because it has a high protein content, normally at 12-14%, it is called "hard". It develops gluten very easily when handled, which is necessary for good rising and structure of a loaf (that's why kneading is vital when making bread).
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