Healthy Home Baking Ingredients
Start finding out ingredients about home-baking
Baking Basics for Beginners: Equipment and Recipes
Before anything is mixed, whipped or baked, you are going to need a quick tool check to make sure you are adequately equipped to take on any tart, bun, or cake. The great thing about baking is we all have our own style and our own methods, meaning the utensils we use, and favour vary from person to person. While different recipes may require different tools, I have compiled a list of the utensils that I tend to use the most when baking. While you may feel you will not ever need so me pieces of equipment, I think this list is a good place to start.
Baking Utensils to Get you Started
- Cake tin
- Baking Trays
- Food mixer
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring jug
- Mixing bowls
- Pastry Brush
- Sieve
- Rolling Pin
- Skewer
- Zester
- Scales
- Spatula
- Whisk
- Hand mixer
- Palette Knife
Once you have all these items acquired, you will be filled with confidence and motivation to take on any recipe!
Healthy Recipes
It is easy to associate baking with junk food and sugar as we naturally think of chocolate brownies and mars bar squares. This was me when I first started baking! Although there is nothing wrong with these foods every now and again, it is nice to be able to have some healthy alternatives that allow you to keep up the fun of baking without the guilt of stuffing your face after. While there are thousands of recipes for cakes and brownies out there, I thought I would share some more unique and healthy recipes that are easy for a baker of any standard to follow. When I first started baking, I was quite intimidated by large lists of ingredients and by recipes with a lot of steps. More steps = more chance of something going wrong! If you are just starting out and looking to ease your way into the world of baking, I would advise following simple and straightforward recipes. The two recipes below are two of my personal favourites and are so easy to follow so I would recommend having a look to get your baking career off to a great and healthy start.
Orange, Oat, and Sultana Cookies
Ingredients
- 100g butterat room temperature
- 1 egg
- 50g mashed ripe banana
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 100g light soft brown sugar
- ½ tsp grated orange zest
- 100g wholemeal flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 100g rolled oats
- 25g desiccated coconut
- 50g chopped walnut
- 75g sultana or dark chocolate chips
Method
- STEP 1
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Cream the butter and sugar together until well blended and smooth. Gradually beat in the banana, vanilla extract and egg. Add the zest. Mix well with a wooden spoon until thoroughly blended.
- STEP 2
In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, baking powder, oats, coconut, walnuts and sultanas or chocolate chips. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet and mix thoroughly until a thick dough is formed. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Drop heaped tbsps onto the sheet, leaving a 5cm (2in) space around each one, and press down lightly. Bake for 15-20 mins until lightly browned.
Healthy Banana Bread
Ingredients
- low-fat spread, for the tin, plus extra to serve
- 140g wholemeal flour
- 100g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 300g mashed bananafrom overripe black bananas
- 4 tbsp agave syrup
- 3 large eggs,beaten with a fork
- 150ml pot low-fat natural yogurt
- 25g chopped pecanor walnuts (optional)
Method
- STEP 1
Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin with baking parchment (allow it to come 2cm above top of tin). Mix the flours, bicarb, baking powder and a pinch of salt in a large bowl.
- STEP 2
Mix the bananas, syrup, eggs and yogurt. Quickly stir into dry ingredients, then gently scrape into the tin and scatter with nuts, if using. Bake for 1 hr 10 mins-1 hr 15 mins or until a skewer comes out clean.
- STEP 3
Cool in tin on a wire rack. Eat warm or at room temperature, with low-fat spread.
Feel like reading more? Check out the links below for more great baking tips and ideas
http://ucd-5469086.hs-sites.com/en/home-baking-ingredients
http://ucd-5469086.hs-sites.com/en/staying-fit-during-tough-times
http://ucd-5469086.hs-sites.com/en/three-affordable-and-healthy-bakes-to-get-you-through-lockdown
Thanks for reading and I hope you now feel a bit more confident in the kitchen! Be sure to drop a comment down below with any questions or feedback!
