Baking Essentials

Hi Guys!

Today's blog post is all about the essentials needed when starting out with baking. They can be used to create cakes, biscuits and bread.

Baking Tins

There are four main tins you will need when starting out:

Baking Tray

This is potentially the oldest and most used piece of baking equipment in my collection. It is great for biscuit and has a raised edge making it easier to remove from the oven.

Loaf Tin

This is what I primarily use for making bread, but it can also be used for making loaf cakes such as banana loaf cake and maderia cake.

12 Hole Bun Tin

It generally makes anything from small bun and large muffins. They now come in a silicone material, which cools quickly and flexible allowing the contents to be removed easily. (Believe me they are on my wishlist!)

Cake Tin

It can be used to make lots of larger cakes for example a victoria sponge. It may be better to have two of them as it saves time when making a two tier cake. It has a loose base allowing cake to easily pop out when cooked.

Cooling Rack

A cooling rack is essential for transferring your baking goods onto to cool once baked. It prevents the bottom from going soggy. Mine is a Jane Asher one I found in Poundland and can be found here.

Cutters

I have collected these over the years from many places such as Ikea and different supermarkets. They can be used mainly for cutting out dough for biscuits, but can also be used for decorating with icing. 

It would possibly be a good idea to start off with these type of cutters as they can also be used for scones. Some similar can be found here. Also you can get some without the handle so they can be used on either sides for a soft edge, it can be found here.

Food Mixer

Not exactly essential you could just use a good old wooden spoon. However it does make baking a heck of a lot easier. Mine is one by Kenwood and one can be found here.

Measuring Spoons 

Measuring spoons (tsp and tbsp)

These make it easier to measure more accurately for small measurements. They can be found here.

Cup Measuring Spoons 

These are a life saver when using an American recipe as it saves all the time doing tricky conversions. They can be found here.

Utensils

Balloon Whisk

This can be used in order to whisk most things. Personally I use it to whisk eggs. Also it can be used for cooking as well as baking. A similar one can be found here.

Rolling Pin

Of course this is used  to roll out dough to the required depth. They can also be found without handles such as this one here. This is a similar one to mine as I have had mine for donkeys years.

Spoon

Most people use a wooden spoon and I used to, but I fancied a change. This silcone one I picked up in Homesense. It cleans very well, however it is more flexible than a wooden spoon therefore it may take some getting used to. A similar one can be found here.

Spatula

This is one of the first pieces of baking equipment that was ever truly mine and it has served me well. It ensures that little cake mix is left around the edge of the bowl. A similar one can be found here.

Sieve

This can be used sifting dry ingredients such as flour and sugar. One can be found here.

Palette Knife

It is a good way to apply icing before you get to grips with piping. It is perfect for beginners. Mine is the Mary Berry small palette knife and can be found here.

Mixing Bowl

It's probably good to have more than one mixing bowl for when a recipe has to be split into two. Mine was in my parents cupboard long before I was born proving it stands the test of time. It is from Mason Cash and can be found here.

Kitchen Scales

Helps to gain very accurate measurements to make for a more even bake. They can be found here. A more in depth description can be found in my last blog post, Christmas baking bits. 

Measuring Jug

This one is from Pyrex and allows liquid to be measured. I use it to pour egg into a mixture. It can be found here.

Apron

To help to stop your baking going all over your clothes. This one is from Tesco, but they can be found pretty much anywhere.

Storage

Last but not least is storage. I use the tins for biscuits and store cupcake in the cupcake case, which can be found here. These help to preserve your wonderful baking!

Please leave any tips and suggestions below!

Thanks for stopping by! :)