French baking is known for its rich and comforting flavors, its delicate textures that compliment one another, and its simple but high-quality, fresh ingredients. Most traditional French baked goods rely on a few essential ingredients to create yummy mm-mm-mm goodness.
There are a few ingredients you can keep in your pantry to facilitate your French baking endeavors. In this guide, we’ll go over some of the most important ingredients commonly used in French baking and how they affect your results.
Flour
No surprise here – flour is one of the most important ingredients in French baking. It often provides the very base, the structure of your dish. The French have a wide variety of flours that differ from flours in other countries, and they yield different results.
For starter recipes like brioche, cakes, and cookies, all purpose flour will do just fine. Bread flour can also be useful for recipes that require more elastic doughs.
Measuring flour accurately is key to avoid dry or dense baked goods, the amount listed in the recipe is always the amount to be used !
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Butter !
The holy grail of French baking. Alas, the French do not shy away from generous amounts of butter as it provides richness, flavor, and softness.
Using a high quality butter can noticeably improve the final flavor of your baked goods. Unsalted butter is best as it allows you to control the salt content of your recipes yourself.
Eggs
Eggs bring your mixtures together, without them, your goods will have a harder time holding themselves together. They also contribute to the color, the texture, and to a little bit of taste in your pastries.
Before starting your recipe, keep your eggs at room temperature for ideal results.
Yeast
The French folk often use live active yeast to allow their doughs to rise and develop texture.
Active dry yeast and instant yeast are the best options for home bakers in the United States. Following proper rising times will guarantee optimal results, regardless of the yeast you are using.
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Sugar
Besides adding sugary goodness, sugar also significantly affects texture, moisture, and browning of your baked goods.
French recipes use moderate amounts of sugar to create balance in desserts without making them overly sweet. Sugar is used to bring out the flavors of other ingredients, and is not used as the star of the show.
Chocolate
Chocolate of all colors, smoothnesses, and kinds are use in French desserts such as mousse, cakes , and pastries. A high quality chocolate will always produce better flavor and texture.
Dark chocolate (60%-70%) is especially popular amongst the French and their baking trends because of its rich and slightly bitter taste.
Vanilla
Vanilla is simple yet tangy, and can greatly improve the flavor of your baked goods. Vanilla extract of vanilla powder is most often used to add warmth and depth to desserts.
Final thoughts
No need for crazy fancy and complicated ingredients to practice French baking. Simple, high quality basics go a long way to create rich flavor and texture.
Having these essential ingredients in your kitchen keeps your prepared to whip up a little French goody on the go with confidence.
As you keep on practicing, you’ll be able to decide for yourself which ingredients and flavors you prefer most.
