Baking resources guide
A guide for where to start, my favorite tools, recipes, resources and more!
Hey there!
My name is Anes and I’m currently learning how to bake while embracing the art of trying (even with all the mistakes, wins, and failures!). I’ve put together this guide to help other new and aspiring bakers since it can be overwhelming to know where to start and where to find help.
In this guide I’ll go over:
Recommended bakeware and kitchen tools
Beginner-friendly recipes that I love making
My favorite cookbooks, blogs, and learning resources
Tips for learning how to embrace the art of trying
This guide includes some affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Bakeware essentials
I just want to say don’t feel like you have to buy all of these items to get started! I slowly gathered these items as I began baking more and more recipes (I have like no kitchen storage now lol). Okay so let’s get started:
1. Baking Sheets
These are my go-to baking sheets from Nordic Ware made from aluminum which is great for conducting heat with even distribution. I started off with 1 full-size sheet and then found that having 2 is great for saving time (like if you want to bake all your cookies in one go!) but it’s definitely not required in most recipes.
2. Cooling rack
I didn’t realize how essential a cooling rack can be until I started baking cookies! Because the bakes will continue to cook on the baking sheet right out of the oven, having a cooling rack can be handy in getting that perfect texture that’s not too overbaked.
3. Kitchen scale
Measuring by weight instead of volume (cups) has been a game changer for me. Not only does it reduce the number of dishes (since you don’t need any measuring cups) but it gives the most accurate measurement which is important for lots of bakes like breads, macarons, cakes, etc!
I couldn’t find the exact baking scale that I use but I from my research I’ve found that Escali scales are generally well known for their accuracy!
4. Mixing bowls
Mise en place is so helpful for baking, which means placing out and measuring all your ingredients up-front before you do all the mixing and baking. That way, it’s less likely to forget an ingredient, and helps speed up the baking process too!
I use stackable/nested glass mixing bowls because it’s easier to show what’s going on inside for my videos but wide metal ones also work great. It’s definitely not mandatory to get a full set of 10 bowls that stack on top of each other, but I personally find it super helpful when measuring out all of my ingredients (especially the ones that only call for a small teaspoon!)
5. Oven thermometer
This was a game-changer for me. I didn’t realize that when you preheat your oven and it goes “beep beep!” it’s usually not at the temperature you set it to. For my conventional oven, it takes about 15-20 minutes to reach the actual temperature.
So I absolutely LOVE using an oven thermometer now to get a more accurate picture of how hot the oven really is—super important for bakes that require more precision!
6. Silicone spatula
I love going to my local T.J.Maxx to find silicone spatulas on a discount! These are super helpful in scraping down bowls, folding batters, and especially in making macarons (which I made for the first time in March!)
I find that spatulas with a thin edge on one side are nice for scraping down bowls but any sturdy spatula will do.
7. KitchenAid stand mixer (4.5 Quart)
Not all recipes require a stand mixer but I have found it to be a massive timesaver and convenience to have a stand mixer. It’s definitely an investment piece but it’s definitely worth the payoff when you’re mixing bread doughs or meringue that may take a while to mix.
I bought a 4.5 Quart and was a bit worried about the smaller size but so far it’s been working out great for all the recipes I’ve used it for.
Beginner-friendly recipes
As someone who’s relatively new to baking (I just started getting REALLY into it in December of 2024), finding recipes that are beginner friendly was super helpful in getting started with my baking journey. It’s definitely helped me ease into more challenging bakes and boost my confidence too!
Here’s a list (in no particular order):
Pumpkin bread by Sally’s Baking Addiction (video): So moist and soft. Just such a solid recipe that’s easy to whip up for a cozy bake.
Anzac biscuits by RecipeTin Eats (video): If you love a chewy cookie and coconut, you’re going to love this one!
Peasant bread by Alexandra Cooks blog (video): If you want a quick bread that you can make in less than half a day, this is a really good one! I baked it in a loaf tin instead of a glass bowl and it came out great.
Nankhatai by Swasthi’s Recipes (video): Crumbly goodness with beautiful aromas, this cookie is super simple and satisfying to make!
Favorite baking resources
Dessert Person by Claire Safftiz
My current favorite baking book! I love how she explains each step so thoroughly to really teach and guide you through the recipe. Lots of sensory descriptors for what things should look like which is super helpful as a beginner and has lots of recipe videos on her youtube channel too!
Understanding Baking: The Art and Science of Baking by Joseph Amendola, Nicole Rees, and Donald E. Lundberg
If you’re looking to understand more of the why’s and science behind baking, this is a great start. It goes over foundational information of different types of flour, chemistry of heat, eggs, fats, etc. and of course baked goods like breads, cakes, cookies, and more.
King Arthur Baking
For my baking bread series, I’ve used King Arthur Baking website a lot to learn about what kinds of breads are out there and great tips for bread baking too! I actually bought their sourdough starter which I’m currently feeding right now and it’s been super active and bubbly so far which is great!
Tips for embracing the art of trying
Before starting this journey, I’ve always told myself that baking just wasn’t for me. It’s too technical, too precise, and simply too hard! But in December 2024, I finally decided to give it a shot and get a bit more serious about it.
And it was definitely scary at first because there were so many things I didn’t know! So instead of putting pressure on myself to get it down perfectly, I just said, “Hey, why not just embrace the art of trying and have fun along the way?” I will probably make mistakes and fail at times (which sucks in the moment), but it’s a natural part of the learning process that I can learn to embrace instead of avoiding altogether!
So here’s a few tips that have helped me in this journey so far:
Taking on a growth mindset: As a perfectionist I often catch myself being self-critical when things don’t go right (like forgetting an entire step or ingredient!). Instead, shifting my focus to things that I’ve made progress on or have learned has been so so positive in encouraging me to keep going :)
Laughing along the way: Once I dropped an entire pan of uncooked soda bread onto my oven door and omg I was SHOOK. But after the initial shock had passed, I ended up laughing it off instead of blaming myself and my clumsiness! Reframing moments like these can make baking “disasters” just fun memories to look back on.
Tracking progress: I’ve made a few digital baking journal recaps of what I learned and how the bakes went which was actually really satisfying. It’s nice to jot down the progress in some way, whether it be a baking diary or even just a few notes for next time, because that way you can look back and say hey, I learned all that!
If you want more tips like these, I share recaps of tips and lessons learned (with all the mistakes and wins too!) from my bakes in my newsletter, Notes from the Oven. If you want to follow along for the ride and join the community, feel free to subscribe for more :)
This is such a great guide!