Building a Basic Baking Pantry (Part I: Ingredients)

So you want to start baking but aren’t exactly sure which ingredients you should keep on hand? I hope that this guide will serve as a good starting point for you. I will first outline the ingredients and tools that are great to have for your basic baking needs, followed by the ingredients and tools you will need if you hope to move to more advanced recipes and baking endeavors. 

Ingredients (Beginner)
In the Refrigerator:
♦ Unsalted Butter
♦ Whole Milk
♦ Sour Cream (or Yogurt)
♦ Eggs (If you know that you will be baking a lot, it would be prudent to buy your eggs in bulk)
♦ Cream Cheese 

Advanced Additions:
♦ Buttermilk
♦ Heavy Cream
♦ Active Dry Yeast

In the Pantry:
♦  Non-stick spray with flour
♦  All-purpose flour
♦  Granulated sugar
♦  Brown sugar
♦  Powdered sugar
♦  Baking powder
♦  Baking soda
♦  Table salt (I prefer Kosher, however regular salt will do)
♦  Cocoa powder, unsweetened (Fry's is the most typical in Canada)
♦  Cornstarch
♦  Canola oil
♦  Vegetable shortening (i.e. Crisco)
♦  Corn syrup
♦  Peanut butter
♦  Graham crackers (premade Graham cracker crumbs for lazy bakers like me!)
♦  Vanilla extract (pure not artificial)
♦  Ground cinnamon
♦  Chocolate chips (Milk, Semi-Sweet, White, Mini, Collect them all!!!)
♦  Bakers chocolate (of all varieties, see above!)
♦  Old-fashioned rolled oats
♦  Assorted nuts (walnuts, almonds and pecans are used most often)
♦  Shredded coconut
♦  Raisins and other dried fruit (cranberries, apricots, figs, etc.)
♦  Food coloring (liquid and gel paste) for coloring icing or cookies
♦  Sprinkles, nonpareils, and candies for decorating cookies and cupcakes

Advanced Additions:
♦ Sweetened Condensed Milk
♦ Meringue Powder
♦ Espresso Powder
♦ Molasses 
♦ Vanilla Beans

Building a Basic Baking Pantry (Part II: Equipment)

Now that we have your pantry stocked with plenty of ingredients it’s time to identify the equipment needed to start your baking journey. For practical purposes I have only included things in this first list that I feel someone would really truly need to get started baking. I will add the advanced additions below the basic list as I did for the ingredients.

Equipment (Beginner)
Electrics:
♦ Hand Mixer (I have this Cuisinart Model, but any hand mixer will do)

Advanced Additions:
♦ Stand Mixer (I use the KitchenAid Artisan 5-Quart and it's fabulous!)
♦ Food Processor (I use the Cuisinart 11-cup)

Pans: 
♦ Two 9-inch Round Cake Pans (standard for any layer cake)
♦ 9x13-inch Rectangular Baking Pan (pyrex or non-stick, it doesn't really matter)
♦ 8-inch Square Baking Pan
♦ Muffin/Cupcake Pan
♦ Cookie Sheets (at least two)
♦ Bundt Pan
♦ 9-inch Pie Plate

Tools/Utensils/Gadgets
♦ Oven Thermometer
♦ Mixing Bowl Set
♦ Liquid Measuring Cups
♦ Dry Measuring Cups
♦ Measuring Spoons
♦ Rubber Spatula
♦ Muffin/Cupcake Liners
♦ Rolling Pin
♦ Cooling Rack
♦ Whisk
♦ Pastry Blender
♦ Cake Tester

Advanced Additions:
♦ Kitchen Scale
♦ Pastry Bags and Decorating Tips
♦ Nonstick Baking Mat (Silpat)
♦ Candy Thermometer