Fact: I love to bake.
Fact: My favorite time to bake is on Saturday mornings when everyone is still asleep.
Fact: I like to keep a well-stocked baker’s pantry just in case I have a spur of the moment craving to bake.
On my counter sits this beautiful glass dome under which I keep most of these baked goods. There is hardly a day that goes by where I don’t have a tasty treat under it. The latest treat that I had under the dome were Strawberry Scones. The last scone was gobbled up yesterday which means that I can’t wait to create a delicious baked good tomorrow morning to display under the dome.
Thankfully, I’m anal retentive when it comes to my baker’s pantry so whenever I do have a spur-of-the-moment, I-need-to-bake-or-else-I’ll-go-nuts mood hit me, I’m prepared for it. The list below is a little thing I like to call the “Baker’s Pantry Grocery List.” If you develop a system to keep many of these ingredients in your pantry at all times, you’ll take less trips to the grocery store and you’ll be able to create delicious desserts using items that you already have in your kitchen.
Baker’s Pantry Grocery List
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Butter (salted and unsalted)
- Buttermilk
- Cake Flour
- Chocolate (baking squares, chips, cocoa powder, etc.)
- Coconut
- Cornstarch
- Cream Cheese
- Cream of Tartar
- Eggs
- Extracts (primarily vanilla extract but could also have almond, lemon, peppermint, etc.)
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Lemon Juice
- Milk (fresh or powdered)
- Non-Stick Spray
- Nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts, etc.)
- Rolled Oats
- Salt
- Shortening
- Sour Cream
- Spices (allspice, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, etc.)
- Sugars (granulated, brown and powdered/confectioners’)
- Vegetable Oil
- Yeast (active dry or rapid rise)
What baking ingredients do you usually keep in your baker’s pantry? Also, if I’m missing any key ingredients, please let me know and I’ll add them to the list!
Great list – very thorough. I was racking my brain to think of anything to add, but I couldn't think of a thing.
I love to bake in the morning on the weekends too! The house is quiet, with a nice breeze coming in through the window…so therapeutic. :-) Great list!
I love baking in the early morning too! When the light is just starting to come in, it's perfect! This is a great list of baking essentials!
I couldn't think of anything off the top of my head to add to the list!
Just found this post and your blog – love it! The only thing I would add to this list is peanut butter. How else are you supposed to spontaneously whip up a batch of peanut butter cookies? :)
Cinnamon… a lot of recipes call for cinnamon and nothing is worse than stale cinnamon. :)
I agree about cinnamon and might add nutmeg and the like. I also keep molasses because I add it to regular sugar to make brown sugar if I need it. If I start baking more often maybe I will buy brown sugar instead of making it someday.