Baking for Beginners: Starting Your Latest Hobby
When quarantine first started, I lived in an area that didn’t have the pastry shops I loved back home and I was looking for comfort in my solitude. So, I turned to baking to fulfill that part of my culinary palate. When I first started there were plenty of issues like being disappointed by deflated cakes and broken curds. Through that trial and error, I now have the knowledge to prevent them from happening (as often).
Beginner bakers, here are tips to get you started on your journey to impress yourself, friends, and family with baked goods!
You have the ability to make all of these baked goods. Photos by Mary Wang.
Buy the Right Equipment
Like most hobbies, you need some basic tools to get started and set yourself up for success. You don’t need anything fancy like a stand mixer! That comes later if you want to make a more serious commitment to baking. If you’re on a tight budget, I recommend checking your local thrift store or Facebook Marketplace for items like baking pans. Here is what I recommend you have:
Mixing bowls
Whisk
Measuring cups and spoons
Handmixer
Baking sheets
Silicone spatula
Parchment
8 in. round baking pan
Adding more to your arsenal? Get these items:
Bench scraper
Kitchen scale
Silicone baking sheets
2-cup glass measuring cup
Get acquainted with basic techniques
In recipes, there will be terms like folding, creaming, double broiler, etc. Go find and watch a video that shows you what that technique is. As descriptive as written instructions can be, “cream butter and sugar for three minutes” is less important than what the result should look like. For the longest time, I wasn’t creaming my ingredients correctly until I saw a video showing how pale and fluffy the butter and sugar should look. I recommend watching YouTubers like Joshua Weissman, Binging with Babish, or Claire Saffitz to learn techniques or get inspiration for potential bakes.
Don’t substitute or change amounts
When I say this—I mean it! Don’t change the amount or substitute ingredients in a recipe! I know it’s tempting to put in less sugar because you think 2 cups is too much, but the author tested the recipe using varying quantities and got the best results with that amount. Perhaps, the recipe calls for bread flour and you only have all-purpose flour, don’t substitute it. While their appearance is similar, they have different gluten and protein contents which changes the texture. If you make any of these changes and the baked goods come out weird, you cannot blame the author because it’s not their recipe. After you follow the recipe exactly and you understand the structural differences between ingredients, then you can put your own spin on it to make it your own.
Find people to share your new hobby with
One of the best things about baking is being able to share the fruits of your labor. Gifting baked goods to your friends and family will motivate you to bake more and they can also give you feedback to keep improving your skills. It’ll also prevent you from getting stuck with 30 chocolate chip cookies.
Other Tips for Success
Unless the recipe says that certain ingredients should be cold, let refrigerated items like eggs, milk, and butter to come up to room temperature. Everything mixes better when they are the same temperature.
From an aesthetic and flavor perspective, I’m anti-chocolate chips. Chips have a high percentage of cocoa butter solids, so they don’t melt well. I prefer buying chocolate chunks or chopping chocolate bars as an easy way to upgrade baked goods.
If a recipe batch is too much for you to eat, you can freeze and bake it later. I always know that I’m 20 minutes away from having a chocolate chip cookie and I’m better for it. Here’s a guide from The New York Times on how to freeze different types of baked goods.
Ready to get baking? Here’s an elevated chocolate chip cookie recipe that only requires basic supplies. Your friends will be impressed by your use of brown butter.