Have you ever searched for an ingredient you thought you had, only to find out it wasn’t where you thought it was or that the ingredient had expired? Or do you feel overwhelmed every time you open your cupboard door, as things fall out in disarray? Or would you simply like to have a dedicated space for baking to support your passion (or curiosity) for baking? If so, this post is for you, as I share my baking cupboard organization tips and step by step instructions for creating an organized cupboard or pantry. I also share my complete ingredient list of baking pantry essentials.
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Our kitchen
When we first built our home 11 years ago, I knew I wanted to have a cupboard dedicated to baking. We were lucky enough to be able to expand the kitchen island to allow for a double cupboard for baking supplies. Other additions I made to the island included an outlet for the food processor or mixer, a bookshelf on one end for my cookbooks and mixing bowls, and a bank of drawers for utensils, tools, and things like parchment paper. Having a dedicated space for baking means that I can easily find my baking ingredients, and can keep a large number of ingredients on hand so that I’m always prepared to bake whatever strikes my fancy. Having it all in the island means that I can do all my baking prep at the island and keep it separate from other food prep going on in the kitchen.
Step 1- Decide on baking cupboard location
You may want to keep the current location or maybe you’ve decided to move your baking supplies to another area. Consider how often you bake and how accessible you want these items to be compared to other items in your kitchen. I bake bread almost daily, so I give a high priority to having a good location for my baking staples. Click here to see my no-fail French-style crusty bread recipe.
Step 2- Empty and prepare your cupboard
Place all your baking ingredients and any other related items (tools and supplies like parchment paper) on the counter. Wash the interior of the cupboard with a dishcloth and hot soapy water. Make any necessary repairs, including tightening door hinges if necessary.
Step 3- Sort through existing baking supplies
Throw away anything that has expired, is no longer fresh, or that you know you will never use again. Please be mindful to compost food items and recycle plastic containers if these services are available in your area.
Step 4- Make a list of every food item you would like to store in your baking cupboard
This is a wishlist that includes baking essentials like flour, salt and sugar, as well as ingredients you normally use in baking or plan to use more often. Here, I share my complete list of baking ingredient essentials. Don’t feel you need all of these items in your pantry, rather, consider the things you plan to bake most often.
Baking ingredient essentials
Flours
- All-purpose flour
- Bread flour
- Cake flour
- Whole-wheat flour or multi-grain flour
- Self-rising flour
- Gluten-free flours
Sugars
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar (dark brown, golden yellow)
- Demerara sugar
- Icing sugar
- Other sweeteners (Stevia, etc.)
Powders
- Salt (table salt, sea salt, finishing salts)
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Cornstarch
- Cream of tartar
- Powdered milk
- Cocoa powder
- Spices (I keep these in a separate drawer)
Other essentials
- Raisins
- Cranberries
- Other dried fruit (blueberries, apricots, apples, dates, currants)
- Nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds, peanuts)
- Chocolate chips or chunks (white chocolate, caramel, milk chocolate, semi-sweet, dark chocolate)
- Chocolate baking bars (white, milk, semi-sweet, dark, unsweetened)
- Mini marshmallows
- Dried coconut
- Oats
- Cornmeal
- Wheat germ
- Flaxseed, chia seed, hemp seed
- Baker’s yeast (traditional, quick rise, bread machine)
- Cupcake sprinkles
Wet Ingredients
- Molasses
- Maple syrup
- Honey
- Vanilla extract
- White vinegar
- Oil (vegetable, canola, coconut, olive, specialty oils)
- Shortening or lard
- Condensed milk (regular and sweetened)
- Peanut butter
- Food colouring
Non-food baking essentials
- Paper muffin wrappers
- Parchment paper
- Plastic wrap
- Foil
Step 5- Determine your storage needs
Determine if you will be purchasing new storage containers; if so, use your food item list to determine how many canisters of each size will be needed.
Extra-large sizes are suitable for flour, large sizes are good for sugar and oats, medium sizes are good for raisins and chocolate chips, and smaller sizes are good for baking soda, baking powder, and spices. Some items are best kept in their original containers, like vinegar, vanilla, and baker’s yeast. These items can be neatly contained within a clear storage bin.
What to look for in storage canisters:
- Clear
- Square or rectangular-shaped to save space
- Lids that form an airtight seal
- Quality and durability
- A stackable system
- A system that has a variety of different sizes
- Aesthetically pleasing
- Price and availability in large sets
I used a basic Rubbermaid set for about a decade before I was able to upgrade to the OXO Good Grips POP Canister set.
Step 6- Purchase canisters, labels, storage bins, and baking ingredients
Canister sets can be purchased at stores like Walmart or you can purchase online or at specialty kitchen or organization shops. Make sure to give your new canisters a good washing and allow them to dry completely before filling them with ingredients.
Pre-made label sets can be found online at sites like Amazon and custom made sets can be found on handmade sites like Etsy. Alternatively, you could purchase a label maker and create your own labels. My adorable chalkboard baking labels were ordered from Talented Kitchen.
Storage bins help contain items that you want to leave in their original containers, such as vanilla, molasses, baker’s yeast, etc. I like clear, shallow bins for easy access and visibility. The Container Store is a great place to shop for these items.
I typically purchase my baking ingredients from our local grocery store, but if you have unusual ingredients on your baking list, you may need to go to a specialty store or shop online.
Step 7- Complete your baking cupboard
Fill your new canisters with your baking ingredients. I recommend adding labels as you go to avoid ingredient confusion. We had several days where the new canisters were filled but the labels hadn’t arrived yet, and my son accidentally put large spoonfuls of salt on something he had intended to douse with sugar. We did have a talk afterwards about healthy food toppings and choices!
Place all your filled canisters and storage bins in the cupboard. I chose to place my tallest canisters at the back, medium canisters in the middle, and shortest canisters at the front. It’s also important to consider how often you use particular items. Your most-used items may warrant a spot at the front of the cupboard.
Step 8- Consider storing related items, like cake decorating supplies, bakeware, tools, and recipes, in your baking cupboard
After I completed my baking cupboard makeover (and took the photos), I realized that I had a whole shelf of extra space to utilize. I decided that I’m going to keep a couple of my most used baking tools and appliances on this lower shelf. This includes my cake decorating supplies, cookie-cutter collection, and my food processor.
Step 9 – Bake something delicious, often!
Thank you for reading my post, baking cupboard organization tips. If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy my post A Quick and Easy Linen Closet Refresh.
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