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    Baking 101

    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!

    Recipe Scaling Calculator + Ebook

    Recipe scaling calculator and ebook promotional banner.

    Learn how to calculate pan volumes, conversion factors and scale recipes, and use the workbook to do the math for you with this awesome bundle about scaling recipes!

    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.

    • Spreading whipped cream over pastry cream and berries in a bowl to make trifle.
      How to Make Whipped Cream
    • 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

    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.

    • A bowl of smooth, cooked sweet potato purée ready for baking.
      How to Make Sweet Potato Purée for Pies
    • Working butter into flour with fingertips.
      Perfect Pie Crust by Hand
    • A perfect slice of rhubarb pie, ready to be served.
      How To Make a Lattice Pie Crust
    • Baking a pie on the bottom oven rack position.
      Oven rack position

    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
    • 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
    • Pre-shaping bread dough to make a sourdough boule in a Dutch oven.
      Baking with yeast

    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 →

    Primary Sidebar

    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

    Join the Community

    If you enjoy the free content on this website or have questions, consider joining the Bake School Community!

    Easter Treats

    • 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 upside down cake sliced to serve it.
      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

    Berry Baking

    • Milk crumbs on a Momofuku Milk Bar style cake-layers of blackberry curd, almond cake, and almond frosting
      Blackberry almond cake — Milk Bar style
    • raspberry amaretti semifreddo slice
      Almond raspberry semifreddo
    • Vanilla cardamom tapioca pudding with strawberries
      Homemade tapioca pudding recipe with fresh strawberries
    • A pan of baked honey blueberry muffins with streusel topping.
      Honey blueberry muffins
    • A plate of raspberry financiers.
      Raspberry Financiers
    • Honey-kissed-strawberry-rhubarb crumbles
      Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble With Honey

    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!

    Baking conversions

    Buy the baking conversion charts NOW!

    As seen on

    Logos of online and offline publications that featured the Bake School and Janice Lawandi.

    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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