My Top 10 Baking Resources for Beginners
Like so many, when the world shut down in 2020, I started baking. However, having been lucky enough to secure a large amount of “tame" yeast shortly before pandemic, quarantine, R-naught, and supply shortage became part of my daily vocabulary, I did not join the masses who mastered the art of sourdough.
This lack of artistry with wild yeast, I should clarify, was not for lack of trying. I tried so very many times. I lost count of how many times I threw away Mason jars cakes in sludgy brown slime because the culture I created had resorted to auto-cannibalism thanks to my neglect. Once - and this pains me to admit - I was forced to dispose of a gorgeous King Arthur Flour ceramic sourdough crock because I had forgotten about it to the point it sprouted bluish purple blotches of mold.
After the solemn send-offs of a few unnamed starters came those of Eustacia, Doughby-Wan Kenobi, Jon Favdough, and Doughby Ziegler. Eventually, I accepted that as a working mom of two kids in diapers, newly working from home under duress, during a global pandemic, that perhaps this wasn’t the ideal time to cultivate an intricate ecosystem that required steadfast devotion. At least, not while I still had my little brown glass jars of Fleischmann's instant and active dry yeast, which had quickly become coveted commodities.
Sourdough failures aside, I did eventually throw myself into baking. I was swiftly seduced by the feeling of ordinary ingredients, some of which had sat dormant in my pantry for years, transform into something beautiful with a bit of kneading and heat. The process was cathartic and alchemical, and I quickly developed a dependency on the feeling of enriched dough, sticky and smooth, coming together between the motion of my fingers. It carried me through the darkest year and a half I’ve yet to experience and left me with an unending yen for the smell of yeast blooming in warm milk and the soft poof of tangy, fermented air that rushes out of a risen dough when deflated. I have a fever, and the only prescription is more kneading.
While I am technically self-taught - that's what they’d call me if I ever found my way onto a Food Network cooking competition, after all - baking is not something that just came to me. I am an acolyte of the internet baking gods.
The holiday season is upon us, that time of year when people often bemoan their lack of skill when it comes to baking. If you are one of those people - if you have ever uttered “I can’t bake” or “I wish I could bake bread, but I don’t have XYZ fancypants equipment” - this list is for you! You can do it.
Image: King Arthur Baking Co.
Formerly King Arthur Flour, King Arthur Baking Company is a great resource for techniques, technical help via articles and demonstration videos, specialty baking supplies and ingredients, and of course - flour. I became a fan of King Arthur first and foremost through their wide variety of flours. I quickly discovered and made use of their excellent recipes, all of which are available online for free. The company has been around since 1790, only uses GMO-free wheat grown and milled in the United States, is employee-owned, and is registered as a B Corp. I’ve also found my bakes are significantly better when I use King Arthur flour.
No, if you’re wondering, this is not a sponsored post. I just really love this company and its products and recipes that much. Whether you only scroll through their free recipes, browse their online baking guides, or go all-in like I have and order a ton of specialty flours and other ingredients, perusing their website is well worth it.
2. Food52
Image: Food52
Food52 is like if social media met Food Network met Amazon, but in the best imaginable way. It’s an online community that is part publication, part enthusiast forum, and part online store. Just by visiting a single website, you can access articles, recipes, and other content created by food professionals; ask for assistance and be helped by both community members and professionals; and purchase any cookware you may need along the way. While this site isn’t baking-specific, and has plenty of general cooking information as well, it’s a simple one-stop-shop and great for a newcomer to the baking world who feels overwhelmed at the prospect of navigating a bunch of different sites at once.
3. Edible Theology
Image: Edible Theology
Edible Theology is, as you may have guessed, for the more spiritually inclined aspiring baker, but even if you are not a person of faith there is plenty of knowledge to glean here. Headed up by gastronomist and theologian Kendall Vanderslice, Edible Theology is a multimedia research project centered around the role of food - and more specifically, baking - in spiritual formation. In addition to different baking/liturgical combination curriculums available for purchase, Edible Theology offers both free and paid online communities and a great podcast, Kitchen Meditations.
4. Bon Appétit
Image: Bon Appétit
I almost didn’t include Bon Appétit in this list, given the scandal(s) that came to light last year. However, in the interest of being honest, I did find BA (both the magazine and the YouTube channel) incredibly helpful in honing my skills as a baker prior to the allegations that led to the former Editor-in-Chief resigning. While I can’t in good conscience recommend a subscription to either at this time, I will say that their BA’s best buttermilk biscuits and Salty Buckwheat Chocolate Chunk Cookies recipes are repeat favorites in the Ard kitchen.
5. Bake It Up A Notch
Image: Food52
Okay, so maybe this is kind of a cheat since it’s technically part of number 2 on this list, but I came to Food52’s website and Erin McDowell’s “Bake It Up a Notch” video series on YouTube via different paths, so I’ll allow it. Erin Jeanne McDowell is a whimsical food artist, literally everything she touches is pure magic. I have watched almost all of the baking tutorials posted on this YouTube channel. Some of them are quite lengthy, we’re talking 2+ hours, and they’re all available for FREE. It’s like having access to several MasterClasses. She goes over everything from puff pastry to cake decorating to every single type of pie you can fathom. I can’t recommend these videos, and any of her other content/recipes, enough.
6. Claire Saffitz x Dessert Person
Image: Dessert Person
On this YouTube series, Claire bakes through her recently published cookbook (also called Dessert Person). She also hosts other bakers and cooks who showcase their own recipes. Despite the name, she explores all types of baked goods, not just desserts. If you’re someone who enjoys a more complex flavor profile when it comes to dessert, if you don’t mind a little savory tossed in with your sweet, Claire’s desserts may hit the spot. Without exception, everything I’ve baked from her has been adulty in a way other dessert recipes just aren’t. Some of my favorites that I’ve made more than once include Almond Butter Banana Bread, Poppy Seed Almond Cake, Confetti Cake, and Oat and Pecan Brittle Cookies.
7. Apt. 2B Baking Co.
Image: Apt. 2B Baking Co.
Apt. 2B Baking Co. is a great website with beginner-friendly recipes. The website is run by baker and food stylist Yossy Arefi, whose recently published cookbook Snacking Cakes quickly became a favorite for me because the whole point of the book is to provide quick and easy cake recipes that are not too sweet, not too complicated, and can mostly be made using a single bowl. She has other, non-cake recipes on the website, which I definitely recommend checking out.
8. The Great British Bake Off
Image: The Great British Bake Off
This may seem like a joke, but I’m incredibly serious - I have learned so much about technique and skill from simply watching the fantastic competitors bake their way through 10 episodes of a glutenful gauntlet. Not much more to add, other than if you haven’t watched it - you should! (U.S. readers, please note that the American title is The Great British Baking Show and is exclusively available on Netflix.)
9. Basics with Babish (Andrew Rea)
Image: Basics with Babish
I’ve learned so much about cooking in general, but especially baking, from watching Andrew Rea’s videos. He’s informative, witty, endlessly experimental, and never afraid to keep it real (aka show you how many tries it took for him to get something right, in excruciating, self-deprecating detail). He’s a genuinely great human and I’ve been a fan ever since I randomly stumbled upon his recipe for Chocolate Oasis Pie from his Pies from Waitress series on Binging with Babish, which I promptly baked and brought to work for a Pi Day celebration/contest. While I didn’t win, the person who was blind-judging the competition said “this is a very adult dessert, it would taste amazing with a full-bodied red wine.” Which, if I’m being honest, I’m taking as a secret win.
10. Yourself
Image: Jen Theodore on Unsplash
Yep. I’m going the cheesy route for number 10. The ultimate resource for your baking journey is going to be YOU. You’re going to need to commit to trying new things, making (and learning from) many mistakes, and simply showing up to the kitchen with an open mind and eager hands. If you can do that, you’ll be going places before you know it.
