A little baking know-how.

Get to know your ingredients, your tools, and your own two hands.

Learn a little. Bake a little better.

34 guides

Baking Basics

How to Measure Flour With a Scale or Measuring Cups

Follow the recipe’s flour weight, or fluff, spoon and level a dry measuring cup without packing it down.

Cut butter into small pieces, check its texture, and know what to do if it melts before you start creaming.

Cakes

Learn how to interpret a cake's appearance, spring-back, toothpick and temperature, especially when the signs seem to disagree.

Choose dough or baked-cookie freezing, package portions, label them clearly, and follow recipe-specific thawing and baking instructions.

Diagnose cookies that spread too much. Check the recipe, butter, measurements, chilling, baking sheet and oven before changing the remaining dough.

Breakfast Baking

Explore ten breakfast baking recipes with flavor notes, matching images and links to the full BeginnerBakes recipes.

Pies and Tarts

Explore ten pie, tart and galette recipes with flavor notes, matching images and links to the full BeginnerBakes recipes.

Fruit Bakes

Explore ten fruit-filled baking recipes with flavor notes, matching images and links to the full BeginnerBakes recipes.