When you are a kid, you are aware of “the cupboard” existence. It’s always somewhere high up, out of your reach, but when a grown-up walks into the kitchen, opens that cupboard, and starts getting all sorts of dry baking ingredients packed in bags and boxes out of it, you know that something good is going to be made. 

All of us have different ways in the kitchen and prefer this to that ingredient. We made a list of essential baking ingredients that covers up the staples of every pastry you would want to bake, and it goes with everyone. We’ve added up a few more things that are nice to have on your hand but are not necessary on every occasion. If you follow up on our baking ingredients list, you will be well-equipped for every baking journey and won’t miss out on the basics.

Basic Baking Ingredients

The Dough in the Hand of the Chef on a Dark Black Wood Background.

  1. Buying the Right Flour

Every baking list starts with buying flour. 

  • All-Purpose Flour

With this type of flour, you can bake everything, from cookies, pies and bread to pizza. It is an essential baking ingredient in every pantry, whether you are a beginner or a professional baker. It has about 10g more or less protein in the quantity of 100 grams and can be bleached as well as unbleached.

  • Self-Rising Flour

Slightly lower in proteins, self-rising flour contains a mixture of regular flour, baking powder, and salt. It is mostly used when making pancakes and quick loaves of bread, but you can also run into a recipe for cupcakes that require using this type of flour.

  • Cornmeal

Cornmeal is a baking ingredient made from milled, dried corn. It has a grainy texture in oppose to corn flour that is smoother and silkier. Pastries made using cornmeal are cornbread, pancakes, or cupcakes. It doesn’t contain gluten thus, it is great for everyone who is suffering from gluten intolerance. 

  1. Sugar and Spices
  • Sugar

Inevitable in our baking ingredients list is sugar. White sugar is the most commonly used element in baking all sorts of pastries. It can be granulated or in powder. 

Brown sugar can be dark or light brown. It is known as refined sugar, and it contains more moisture than the regular, white sugar, which gives the dishes a special kind of chewiness. Brown sugar brings out the caramel flavor in desserts like cakes and cookies.

  • Spices
  • Cinnamon

This widely used spice is a part of savory and sweet dishes in a great number of cuisines. You can use cinnamon sticks as well as ground cinnamon for that special aroma and flavor to your pastries. The most known are the cinnamon rolls served for breakfast, dinner, or as a dessert.

  • Star Anise

Whole, or in powder, star anise is great for spicing up sweet dishes like pies or muffins. It has a licorice flavor and goes well with fruit taste treats.

  • Granulated Garlic

With its distinctive taste and smell, garlic is an unavoidable spice in baking or cooking. Granulated garlic is a top match when used with olive oil, especially if you love to prepare Italian bread like focaccia, garlic bread, or grissini breadsticks. Even though it’s a dry baking ingredient, it can also be used for making sauces and marinades.

  • Paprika

Smoked Spanish paprika or pimento is made from smoked and dried peppers. The flavor can vary from hot, medium-hot to mild. It has a specific sweet, smoky taste. Paprika gives your dishes unique color and flavor and is most commonly used in making savory dishes.

  1. Leaveners

Leaveners can be natural, chemical, and mechanical. They are used for increasing the volume of baked and cooked food. Leaveners can also make the food texture airy and light. 

  • Baking Soda and Baking Powder

These baking ingredients belong to a group of chemical leaveners. The way they make the food “grow” is by creating a chemical reaction when combined with ingredients containing moisture and acids. These leaveners also react to heat.

  • Yeast

Yeast can be instant, fresh, and dry. No matter the type, the effect is the same, and the only thing that slightly differs is the food flavor. Yeast is a single-celled microorganism related to fungi.

  1. Salt

Next on the list of dry baking ingredients is salt. Salt is a part of nearly every dish, cooked or baked. It highlights flavors. When used in making desserts, salt reduces the bitterness of dark chocolate or cocoa powder and makes room for sweetness to come forward. Adding a pinch of salt to the bread dough makes the flat taste full. 

  1. Cocoa Powder

Responsible for rich, chocolate flavors in cakes and pies, the cocoa powder gives a recognizable and luscious taste to all treats. Cocoa powder is unsweetened and can be used as a substitute for chocolate when making cupcakes or muffins. It also adds up a beautiful, dark color to all dishes. 

Other Baking Ingredients

Baking Cooking Ingredients Flour Eggs Rolling Pin Butter And Kitchen Textile On Bright Grey Concrete Background.

Although the following ingredients are not something you can store in your pantry, baking without these is unimaginable. 

  • Butter

 Butter adds flavor to baked goods. Besides making the food delicious, it also provides the structure for cookies, cupcakes, pastries, and pies. It’s not necessary to always add it into the dough; it also can be used for coating the pastry, giving it a goldish color and crispness when baked. The best way to store butter is by keeping it in the refrigerator. When cooled down, it gets hard and stiff, so the general advice is to leave it on a counter until it’s softened before using it for baking. 

  • Eggs

Eggs are typically used in every baked dish, pastries, and fillings too. Egg yolk is used more often than the whole egg. Eggs should be kept in dark and cold places, such as the refrigerator or the storage room.  

  • Milk

In baking, milk is used for creating a softer texture and also hydrating the mixtures of dry ingredients. If you like making dishes following recipes that contain milk, the smartest way of storing it is by using non-fat, dry milk, which also has a longer shelf life. 

How to Store Your Dry Baking Ingredients

The easiest way of keeping the baking ingredients safe and sound is to store them in airtight bags and boxes in areas that are dark, dry, and cool. All the listed ingredients have a long shelf life if kept in places without humidity. 

Which baking ingredients do you like to use the most? Do you have your way of storing the baking components? We at Medina Baking & Powder Products always have the best offers when it comes to baking essentials to stock your pantry with. From oils, raisings, dry baking essentials to nuts and seeds, we provide the best quality.