A lot of Canadians have been digging into the fantastical world of baking to pass the time throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the easiest things to bake is bread. Without the correct tools on-hand, however, things suddenly aren’t so easy.
Upgrade your baking essentials. The difference high-quality baking supplies make is sizeable. Baking the best loaf of bread you want, there are some basic necessities to get regardless of whether you’re a hobbyist or a dedicated baker.
Kitchen Scale
The first thing to look for is a kitchen scale. A scale will help you measure everything more accurately than any measuring spoon or cup can. Baking a loaf of bread is a science. Your measurements on flour, water, and anything else you’re putting in must absolutely be accurate.
Digital Kitchen Timer
Making bread from scratch, time also counts for a lot. Undercook it and your bread will end up anything but bread. It’ll be a complete mess. Overcook it and you’ll ruin the loaf. It takes a kitchen timer and an eye to get it right.
Non-Stick Loaf Pan
You want to be able to lift the bread out from your pan very easily. For this to happen, a high-quality non-stick loaf pan should be used. For traditional bread, a loaf pan is strongly recommended. More rustic breads can be made with a dutch oven or baking stone. That said, the majority of households don’t have access to these. This makes a non-stick loaf pan the opportune way to bake bread.
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Measuring cups and measuring spoons aren’t just for making bread. They can be used for anything in the kitchen. Though you can bake bread without measuring spoons, having them means you can add additional ingredients to your loaf. Add toppings or get some unique ingredients right into the loaf.
What About Baking Ingredients?
Outside of these baking tools, there’s also the matter of essential bread-baking ingredients. Nationwide shortages of things like yeast, for example, have made this difficult. If you aren’t having the best luck finding the right ingredients for your best bread recipe, here are some substitutes.
- If you’re out of sugar, use honey or maple syrup.
- If you’re out of butter, use olive oil, coconut oil, or margarine.
- If you’re out of eggs, use applesauce or pureed bananas and reduce the sugar in your baking recipe.
- If you’re out of flour, unfortunately, there’s no substitute for flour.
Catch these COVID-19 baking supplies and more from Living.ca. We work hard to ensure Canadians have what they need throughout the countrywide economic shutdown to keep themselves baking and happy. Visit Living.ca.
Featured photo by Anjeli Lundblad on Unsplash
