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    Baking 101

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    Become a better baker with these baking 101 guides focused on techniques, baking science, tips and tricks, and ingredients.

    Baking conversion charts

    Before you begin, don't forget to get your copy of the baking conversion charts, which are essential for helping you convert any of your recipe volumes, weights, temperatures, and more.

    If you are a new baker, please visit the baking starter's guide to get a run-through of what you need to know before you start on your baking journey!

    Baking ingredients

    In order to tackle any baking projects, you need to fill your pantry with the basic baking ingredients from fats (butter and/or oil), eggs, flour, sugar, leavening agents and extracts.

    • A jar of active sourdough starter that has been fed and doubled in size.
      Sourdough starter
    • An open jar of homemade vanilla extract with vanilla beans poking up above the alcohol.
      How to make vanilla extract
    • A bowl of homemade vanilla sugar.
      How to make vanilla sugar
    • Small bowls of sixteen different sugars to show the difference in texture and colour of each of them.
      Sugar in baking

    See more baking ingredients →

    Baking tools

    Sure, you could make most baked goods by hand, without using any fancy tools, but some basic baking equipment will help you get the job done faster and better!

    • A stack of cake pans, one square and two rectangular loaf pans of different sizes.
      How to measure cake pan sizes
    • A bundt pan for baking bundt cakes.
      How to use a bundt pan
    • Gifts for bakers 2020 editions featuring caramels, cashew butter, and spices
      Gifts for bakers and foodies
    • A stack of bakeware including muffin pan and loaf pan and sheet pan
      Guide to baking pans and bakeware

    See more baking equipment →

    Baking techniques

    Baking is a craft that needs to be practiced over time. You will need to master a few baking techniques to become a better baker.

    • Baking a pie on the bottom oven rack position.
      Oven rack position
    • Shaggy pie dough on a piece of plastic wrap to gather it into a disk and wrap it to chill.
      Pie crust in a stand mixer
    • Transferring pie dough to a pie plate to make a pie crust.
      Pie crust in a food processor
    • The freezer plate test with a dollop of strawberry jam to show it wrinkles when it sets.
      The jam setting point and how to determine jam set

    See more baking techniques →

    Baking science

    Understanding baking powder versus baking soda is essential when you bake. If you learn the baking science, you will better understand what makes your recipes work and what goes wrong when they fail!

    • Homemade chocolate chip cookies that are too thick.
      Thick cookies and reasons cookies don't spread
    • Flat cookies that spread thin in the oven and merged together into one big cookie.
      Flat cookies and reasons they spread thin
    • Pre-shaping bread dough to make a sourdough boule in a Dutch oven.
      Baking with yeast
    • Why do we bake at 350 ºF?

    See more baking science →

    Baking books

    Here's a rundown of some of my favourite baking books over the years.

    • 2020 Gift Guide: Books on baking featuring covers of One Tin Bakes, The Pastry Chef's Guide, Dessert Person, and The Perfect Scoop
      Books on baking: 2020 edition
    • Baking with less sugar cookbook cover
      Baking with Less Sugar
    • A shelf of baking books in a library.
      Best science of baking books
    • Book cover of Oh Sweet Day! baking book with a gift box filled with a variety of homemade cookies
      Oh Sweet Day!—a baking book to get you in the spirit

    See more baking books →

    Baking conversions and vocabulary

    Working with baking recipes from different sources, you will have to master the vocabulary, baking abbreviations, as well as some French baking terms.

    • Baking abbreviations you need to know.
      Baking recipe abbreviations
    • Blind baked tart shells in a muffin pan with silicone liners and dried beans to illustrate baking vocabulary you need to know.
      Baking vocabulary
    • Fruit desserts, everything you can bake with summer's bounty featuring a blueberry rhubarb crisp on top and an apple cake on the bottom
      Fruit desserts
    • Collage with lemon meringue tart on top and a plate of croissants with marmalade on the bottom
      Dictionary of French baking terms and English translations

    See more baking conversions and vocabulary →

    How to bake quick video tutorials

    • How to make lime marmalade
    • How to poach pears
    • How to make pizza muffins without yeast
    • How to make a coffee banana smoothie
    • How to make sugar cookies with sprinkles
    • How to make an eggless chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting
    • How to get marmalade to set and the marmalade setting point
    • How to make maple cream sandwich cookies
    • How to make banana bread without baking soda

    See all the web stories →

    9 shares
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    This is a picture of Janice Lawandi

    Hi, I'm Janice! I am a baking-obsessed recipe developer with a PhD in Chemistry who writes about baking and the science of baking.

    More about me →

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    Eggless chocolate cake

    Chocolate layer cake with cream cheese frosting and chocolate sprinkles on a cake stand.
    Learn to make an eggless chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting!

    Bake with rhubarb

    • Strawberry jam with rhubarb smeared on a piece of toast on a plate.
      Strawberry rhubarb jam
    • Freshly baked rhubarb crumble ready to be served.
      Rhubarb crumble
    • Rhubarb raspberry upside down cake on a parchment lined round black tray, cut into a few slices with a cake lifter under a slice
      Rhubarb raspberry upside-down cake
    • Serving rhubarb muffins on plates with a side of butter.
      Rhubarb muffins with sour cream and streusel
    • Let's bake with rhubarb-best rhubarb recipes roundup
      What to bake with rhubarb
    • Bluebarb or blueberry rhubarb crumble with a marzipan oat crumble topping in a blue baking dish with a fluted edge
      Blueberry rhubarb crisp with marzipan crumble

    Bake with berries

    • Toast served with homemade strawberry jam and butter on a pink plate.
      Strawberry jam
    • Serving apple and blueberry crumble with scoops of vanilla ice cream on plates.
      Apple and blueberry crumble
    • A plate of blueberry scones served with butter.
      Scones with blueberries
    • A jar of homemade blueberry jam with a spoon.
      Blueberry jam
    • Slices of fruit tart served on black dessert plates.
      Fruit tart
    • Pavlova cake filled with whipped cream, lemon curd, and raspberries being served.
      Pavlova

    Baking conversions

    Buy the baking conversion charts NOW!

    How to poach pears

    Poached pears on an enamelware plate.
    This easy poached pears recipe is simple and you can use the poached fruit for salads, appetizers, and desserts!
    This is a picture of Janice Lawandi

    Hi, I'm Janice! I am a baking-obsessed recipe developer with a PhD in Chemistry who writes about baking and the science of baking.

    More about me →

    Give back

    If you enjoy the free content on this website, consider saying thank you!

    Eggless chocolate cake

    Chocolate layer cake with cream cheese frosting and chocolate sprinkles on a cake stand.
    Learn to make an eggless chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting!

    Bake with rhubarb

    • A perfect slice of rhubarb pie, ready to be served.
      Rhubarb pie without strawberries
    • Perfectly golden brown orange blossom rhubarb bostocks are made from frangipane and baked in the oven until golden brown
      Rhubarb bostock with frangipane & rhubarb jam
    • unmolding orange rhubarb cakes with cornmeal from mini loaf cake pan
      Mini orange cornmeal cakes with rhubarb
    • Multigrain waffles with roasted rhubarb | bakeschool.com
      Roasted rhubarb with multigrain waffles
    • Rhubarb pumpkin seed cake after baking | kitchenhealssoul.com
      Moist rhubarb cake
    • A plate of scones with rhubarb served with jam.
      Rhubarb scones

    Bake with berries

    • Framboisier cake
    • Three ice cream strawberry shortcakes on small dessert plates on white marble surface
      Ice cream strawberry shortcake
    • A raspberry shortcake with homemade biscuit, whipped cream, and berries on a pink plate with a fork with black matte handle
      Raspberry shortcake
    • A jar of homemade strawberry red currant jam with a spoonful on the side and the metal band
      Strawberry and red currant jam
    • A raspberry chocolate tart garnished with star-shaped cookies and fresh rapberries.
      Chocolate raspberry tart
    • A heart-shaped pan of raspberry brownies.
      Raspberry brownies

    Baking conversions

    Buy the baking conversion charts NOW!

    How to poach pears

    Poached pears on an enamelware plate.
    This easy poached pears recipe is simple and you can use the poached fruit for salads, appetizers, and desserts!

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