While I don’t think you need a million ingredients to bake gourmet-level goods, I do think there are a few that are worth always having on hand. Quality over quantity is definitely true when it comes to baking; you can make so many things with only a handful of ingredients. It’s the ratios and techniques that turn the same flour, butter, and sugar into puff pastry, cake, cookies, or bread, so it’s worth it to spend a little extra money on certain (not all) higher-quality items. This is a list of things I always keep in my kitchen that I trust to make a real difference in my recipes.
1. Grass-Fed European Butter
You’ve probably found yourself staring at seemingly endless choices of butter on your grocery store shelves, wondering why anyone would reach for the higher-priced European-style butter instead of the good ole’ American stuff. Butter is butter, right? Actually, not all butter is created equal, and the price tag on European-style butter is for more than just that fancy, metallic wrapping (although it is pretty eye-catching, right?) or the importation costs.
European butters have different laws than we do in the states for how butter is churned, butterfat content required, and standards of milk used, which impacts the quality of the final product. These regulations result in a creamier, darker yellow butter that is well-worth the extra bucks for better texture in your better texture in your baked goods, richer flavor in any use, and more health benefits all-around.
2. Flakey Sea Salt
There’s honestly nothing I wouldn’t put this on. Sprinkled on top of cookies before baking, on top of brownies right out of the oven, and on literally any savory dish. Of course, you could use regular sea salt anywhere flakey salt is called for, but the effect will not be the same. The flakes add more than just a salty flavor; the crispy texture is so satisfying. Fine seal salt and even course sea salt will dissolve while baking or when sprinkled on top of something hot, so you won’t get that isolated extra saltiness that you do from a bite with a salt flake in it.
Salt brings out the flavors of food, even in sweets! And so many sweets can benefit from the addition of sea salt flakes. It may seem like a frivolous purchase, but the $7 box is probably not going to break the bank, and I assure you it’ll pay for itself in the form of joy.
3. Whole Milk
I think I can be considered a real adult now because I always have whole milk in my fridge. Cow milk! With all the fat! It’s what I put in my coffee and matcha, but I mostly use it for baking. We already know my kitchen is never without flour or butter, and with the addition of milk, it’s easy to whip up so many things: biscuits for dinner, pancakes for breakfast, snack muffins, an egg wash for pastries or bread, or a quick powdered sugar icing.
I contemplated putting buttermilk on this list because it is one item that adds so much in terms of moisture and texture to baked goods, but I will admit I don’t always have it. Milk can pretty much be used anywhere buttermilk is called for, though, and there are also hacks now to make buttermilk by adding a tablespoon of lemon juice to one cup of milk. I’ve never tried it, but point proven: Milk has a multitude of uses in baking! I prefer to buy organic, grass-fed milk for the health benefits.
4. Whole Milk Yogurt
I love to have yogurt on its own for breakfast or a snack, but it’s also a slept-on addition to baked goods. You might’ve seen a cake recipe that calls for sour cream, claiming it to be the secret to more moist and rich cake. Sour cream disgusts me, so no, you will not find that dollop of Daisy in any of my recipes and certainly not in my fridge. Yogurt can do all that sour cream can do but better, in my opinion—and without tasting like baby vomit. It results in very soft, very rich pancakes and muffins, and every time I experiment with it in a baking recipe, I’m pleasantly surprised. Again, I always buy organic—Costco has a double pack of organic, grass-fed whole milk yogurt for a great price.
5. Real Honey
The syrupy stuff in the bear bottle is no match for real, preferably raw, honey. The flavor is so unique, and it pairs perfectly with dairy, namely butter. Sometimes I use it in a batter, but usually, I top muffins and toast with butter, honey, and flakey salt. Minus the butter, I also put these things in yogurt. As you can tell, all these things work very well together!