I hadn’t intended to write a two-part series on home baking for the “hungry intermittent enthusiast” (friend Stephanie’s words), but my last post extolling the virtues of foundational recipes prompted requests from both Stephanie and my niece Caroline to provide a list of the bare essential ingredients they should have on hand to satisfy those occasional, sudden urges to bake. On the surface, this would seem like a reasonable request…but oh contraire. It felt like they’d thrown down the gauntlet…like telling a hoarder to purge the contents of their home…or a chronic over-packer to fit a week’s worth of travel clothes into single piece of carry-on luggage. A small kitchen and lack of storage space has not deterred me in the least from perpetually stocking my pantry with probably three times more ingredients than the average home cook.
This is both an occupational hazard and personal obsession. I especially have FOMO when it comes to shopping for baking ingredients. Grocery Outlet has Guittard chocolate chips on sale for $1.99 a bag? Well, I better pick up 4 bags of each variety…just in case. I know I’ll kick myself for missing out…like when I get a huge chocolate chip cookie order a week later. It has happened. Nevertheless, for the benefit of those individuals like Stephanie and Caroline, who don’t have a propensity to hoard ingredients, I’ll call upon my “inner Marie Kondo” and attempt to strip down my list of pantry ingredients to the bare essentials–still plenty to spark joy in even the most intermittent of bakers.
Unbleached All-Purpose Flour:
Unless you’re a prolific baker, there’s really no reason to keep more than one kind of flour in your pantry. Really, “all-purpose” flour is just that. 5 lbs of a high quality unbleached all-purpose flour like Bob’s Red Mill (protein content around 11%) or King Arthur (11.7%) will work just fine for most baked goods. I’d recommend the latter for its higher protein content if you like baking bread occasionally. I know 5 lbs seems like a lot, but you can always extend its shelf-life beyond a year by freezing some it in an airtight container or vacuum-sealed bag–say half in the freezer and the other half in a cool dark place.
Cornstarch:
Every Asian cook has a box (or in Mom’s case a jar) in the cupboard. It’s used for thickening sauces, binding fillings, and coating meat, fish or vegetable for frying, among other things. In terms of baking, you can use it to thicken juices in fruit or lemon meringue pies, as well as make puddings or pastry cream. In cookies like shortbread, the addition of cornstarch creates a meltingly delicate texture. Substituting 2 tablespoons cornstarch per every cup of all-purpose flour mimics the lower protein content of cake flour. Simply sift the “cheater” flour three times to aerate and give it a finer texture. Because cornstarch is multipurpose it’s highly unlikely a box will languish indefinitely in your cupboard.
Baking Powder & Baking Soda:
Aside from yeast, most leavened baked goods contain either baking powder or baking soda or a combination of the two. They aren’t necessarily interchangeable, though in a pinch you can substitute baking powder by combining baking soda with an acid of some sort, like buttermilk, plain yogurt, lemon juice or vinegar, since baking powder is essentially a combination of bicarbonate, a weaker acid and a buffer (e.g. cornstarch). Both baking powder and baking soda, once opened, have an average shelf life of six months, so if you don’t bake that often it’s a good idea to label each container with your own “use by” date to remind yourself to buy a fresh one. A great way to repurpose inactive baking soda is to mix it with a little water and use it as a non-abrasive scrub for non-stick pans.
Kosher Salt:
The preferred brand is Diamond Crystal but if you can only find Morton’s (which is much saltier) reduce the amount by about half. Otherwise, use a good fine sea salt.
Granulated Sugar:
What can I say? With regards to baking, there’s no such thing as too much sugar…at least not in my book. So long as you store it in an airtight container in a cool dry place it can last for ages. For recipes that call for “super fine” sugar, you can just grind granulated sugar in a food processor or blender down to a finer consistency.
Powdered Sugar:
I’m almost tempted to say this is optional, but I haven’t found an easy hack or reliable substitute for it, like say brown sugar (see below). Besides a box isn’t going to break your budget or take up much space. I suggest either transferring it into an airtight container or put the whole box inside a ziploc bag to keep moisture out and prevent clumping.
Molasses:
You might be wondering why molasses? Well, for one thing a small bottle of molasses will last you a very long time–unless you’re baking lots of gingerbread that is. You can substitute brown sugar in a recipe by mixing 1-2 tablespoons of molasses with a cup of granulated sugar, so you don’t even have to keep brown sugar around if you don’t want to…or honey for that matter, unless honey is your go-to sweetener.
Cocoa Powder:
Do yourself a favor and buy the good stuff. It doesn’t necessarily have to be organic, but it should be a rich dark cocoa–like Hershey’s Special Dark, Guittard Cocoa Rouge (my fave), or Ghiradelli Majestic Premium. If stored in a cool, dark place the average shelf-life of cocoa powder is about three years. You may not always have solid baking chocolate on hand when you’re craving something chocolatey, but you can always find a recipe utilizing cocoa.
Bittersweet Chocolate:
For a chocaholic this would be considered a must-have pantry item. Personally, if I had to choose only one it would have to be extra dark or bittersweet chocolate (64% cacao), which I think is more versatile. The flavor is more pronounced, less sweet but not quite as intense as 70% cacao bittersweet chocolate. You can avoid having to chop up the chocolate by choosing a higher quality chocolate chip like Guittard Extra Dark, which melts smoother than cheaper brands that contain more additives and lecithin like Nestle.
Espresso Powder:
This is the secret ingredient for boosting the flavor of anything chocolate, among other things. The brand I’ve been using for the last 25 years is Medaglia D’oro, which is conveniently the most widely available. While instant coffee will also work, I prefer the concentrated flavor of espresso powder. Now if you have an espresso machine you can definitely forgo this pantry item. I like it for its versatility. You can use it dry or wet, or turn it into a thick paste.
Rolled Oats:
Even if you’re not in the habit of cooking oatmeal for breakfast, rolled oats should be still be a staple in your pantry. Aside from oatmeal cookies, you can make granola, streusel topping, energy bites, breakfast bars, or simply sprinkle some raw oats onto a loaf of quick bread for texture. You can also grind the oats into a flour for an easy gluten-free alternative to wheat flour.
Dry Active or Instant Yeast:
So long as you store unopened packets of dry active or instant yeast in the refrigerator they’ll last 2-4 months beyond the printed expiration date on the package. Once opened, if refrigerated, the yeast will last about 4-6 months regardless of expiration date. The difference between dry active and instant is that dry active should be hydrated in liquid (ideally lukewarm water) for about 5-10 mins. before use, whereas instant yeast can be added directly to the flour as is. The advantage of dry active is that because you have dissolve it in warm water first, you’ll be able to tell whether there is “proof” the yeast is viable and active before actually using it. Bear in mind, salt inhibits yeast activity, so if you’re using instant yeast make sure you add the yeast on the opposite side of the salt, then whisk all the dry ingredients together to evenly disperse the yeast.
Milk Powder:
This stuff comes in handy in so many ways, not the least of which is making instant milk. I add milk powder to a variety of baked goods, including deliciously fluffy Milk Bread. Milk powder is my favorite hack for producing soft, tender baked goods. Blended it with sugar, cocoa, and a pinch of sea salt and you’ve got yourself instant hot cocoa mix.
Vegetable (or Neutral) Oil:
Store it away from heat and light to keep it from going rancid too quickly. The average shelf life is about 8-12 months (depending on the variety). I like using a combination of butter and oil in my cakes and quick breads because oil aids in moisture retention.
Unsalted Butter:
Okay, EVERYTHING is better with butter. While butter isn’t exactly a “pantry” item, you can nevertheless stash a couple of pounds in the freezer (preferably in ziploc or vacuum sealed bag) just in case you feel the urge to bake.
Distilled White Vinegar:
This is the perfect, most neutral all-purpose “acid” you can have in your pantry. True, fresh lemon tastes and smells nicer, but not always available. Stir a little into whole milk to make instant buttermilk. A couple teaspoons folded into stiff whipped meringue before baking will give it a soft, delightfully chewy interior, contrasting the crisp, airy exterior–the hallmark of a classic pavlova. Like baking soda, it can also be used as a gentle, natural cleaning product. Mix some with water in a spray bottle and you’ve got a food-safe sanitizer.
Dry Spices/Herbs:
Spices and herbs do lose their potency over time, however you can always buy them in smaller quantities to avoid waste. For sweet and savory baking, I think these are foundational:
- Ground Cinnamon, Ginger, and Nutmeg are the trifecta of baking spices, the minimum of what you should have in your pantry. Granted, if you hate one or all of these particular spices, then by all means substitute with another warm spice, like Clove, Allspice, and/or Cardamom.
- Black and Cayenne Peppers have different heat profiles so I often like to use a combination of both.
- Garlic and Onion Powders inject instant flavor and can at times work better than fresh garlic and onion in baking.
- Thyme, Rosemary, Oregano, and Dill are a good start when it comes to dried herbs.
Unflavored Gelatin:
Though not technically an ingredient used specifically in baking, unflavored gelatin is used to set fillings, glazes, and desserts like mousse. as well as make confections like marshmallows. Kept in a jar or airtight container it can last years. To use, you merely have to hydrate or “bloom” the gelatin powder in cold water before melting it.
Extracts:
You really only need two main flavors–vanilla and almond, although I’d recommend also stocking peppermint and either lemon or orange. If you like Asian flavors, coconut, ube, and pandan are also wonderful to have handy. Otherwise, raid your bar for rum, bourbon, or whiskey for flavoring.
I think the above items truly are the bare essentials for stocking your baking pantry. I left off things like seeds, nuts, dried fruit, eggs, and most dairy because those are ingredients probably best purchased as desired or needed. You might have a variety of fruit in your freezer because you like making smoothies, in which case you’ve got the makings for banana bread or blueberry muffins. Similarly, if you keep a stash of raw nuts, seeds, and dried fruit for snacks, chop them up and put them in your cookies.
Here’s a simple pantry hack for Instant Hot Mocha.
Instant Hot Mocha
Yield: 2 servings
- 1 1/2 T. milk powder
- 1 T. powdered sugar
- 2 t. cocoa powder
- 1 t. espresso powder
- tiny pinch of Kosher or sea salt
Whisk together ingredients and divide evenly into 2 coffee mugs. Pour about 3/4 c. hot water into in each mug and stir.