Affordable quarantine baking tips for new bakers

Since the start of the circuit breaker, many people have taken up baking as a way to pass the time. With more time on your hands and many recipes and instructional videos easily accessible, why not give it a shot?

With this in mind, we've identified ways to get the most out of your new hobby without breaking the bank.

Finding affordable baking supplies

The baking craze has become such a phenomenon that many retailers are running low on baking supplies, much to the despair of many home-bound folks who are eager to try out their latest recipes.

Thankfully, many online vendors can fulfil your baking supply needs. For example, you can often find products in stock from speciality vendors like Bake King or Bake With Yen. Additionally, it is worth considering purchasing directly from suppliers such as Redman.

Of course, other sites such as Amazon and Giant tend to carry a wide range of baking products. In general, we have found that online vendors charge about $3.00 per kilogram for self-rising flour.

In some cases, it is possible to save by buying in bulk. However, we recommend that you try your hand at a few recipes before purchasing a large amount of flour that you may end up wasting ingredients and money.

You can further trim your bill by making purchases with the right credit card. For example, some cards earn elevated rates from online purchases or offer discounts at specific vendors.

Easy-to-follow recipes

As you're likely aware, there is no shortage of great recipes. One easy way to find tried and true recipes is to consult your family and friends.

If you'd rather branch out and try something new, you'll be able to find a plethora of recipes with some quick online research. Many sites even cater to new bakers, with recipes with short ingredient lists and fewer complicated steps.

If you need more recipes to select from, check out Cherienoms, Nonya-Kueh and Miss Tam Chiak. These Singaporean blog sites feature many easy-to-follow recipes for local and international pastries.

For those who enjoy a bit of a challenge, All Recipes contains home recipes contributed by cooks from all over the world. The site also features reviews listed at the end of every recipe, which offer useful tips that will help to make the baking process easier.

Handy baking tools

As you begin to make more, you may be interested in using a number of baking tools, which simplify some of the more labour intensive tasks.

For example, a stand mixer automates the repetitive tasks of mixing, stirring, whisking and beating. This can be incredibly useful, especially when you are busy with other steps in the recipe.

However, some stand mixers can also be relatively expensive. For example, some of the most popular mixers cost several hundred dollars.

For this reason, we recommend that new bakers consider whether they expect to continue this hobby following the quarantine period. If not, it may not be prudent to spend so much money on an appliance. On the other hand, it might be worth considering one of the cheaper models available.

In addition to proper mixing, new bakers will soon realise the importance of precise measurements. For example, the ratio between water and flour in each dough is key to finding the desired texture and taste. Experienced bakers often use digital scales to ensure consistency in their baked goods.

The cost of digital scales can differ significantly, yet their primary function remains the same. For instance, the Sencor and Leifheit digital scales may not look as sophisticated as the Soehnle Vita cost significantly less.

Therefore, it is always worth considering whether the higher price tags really fit your budget and usage level.

Bake your way through circuit breaker

With so much time on your hands during the circuit breaker period, exploring creative outlets can be a good way to lift your spirits.

Hopefully, this article allows you to pursue your passion projects in an affordable manner. In general, we recommend that new bakers make an effort to compare prices across different online shops in order to save money.

Additionally, it helps to be practical and take a long-term perspective before investing in expensive kitchen appliances. Happy baking!

This article was first published in ValueChampion.