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- If you can't find baking staples like flour and yeast at the moment, or you're new to the world of baking, pre-assembled kits and subscriptions are a great option.
- They'll help you make delicious sourdough bread, cakes, cookies, scones, and more.
- All you need to supply are wet ingredients like eggs, water, and oil.
- Read more: The 11 baking tools every beginner needs, according to professional bakers
Across the country, people at home are discovering or re-discovering their favorite hobbies. For many of us, that means baking. The only problem is, baking is now so popular that basic pantry staples like flour and yeast are nearly always sold out at local and online grocery stores.
To get around this problem, you can try buying pre-made baking kits and baking subscriptions. Not only will they include basic dry ingredients that are currently hard to come by, but they'll also portion them out in exact amounts.
With clear instructions and no way of over- or under-measuring ingredients, these kits offer a great, approachable intro for anyone who may be intimidated by the world of baking.
Here are 15 baking kits and recurring subscriptions to make sweet treats and breads:
A colorful, sprinkle-filled take on a birthday cake
Flour Shop Rainbow Explosion Cake Kit
Check price at Williams SonomaYou've seen the pictures and videos of sprinkles cascading from the center of a tall rainbow cake — and now you can make your own with Williams Sonoma's exclusive kit, which comes in a fun bucket. Add 6-inch pans to this collection of ingredients (cake mix, sprinkles, food coloring, frosting mix) and you're ready to complete the ambitious baking challenge.
A subscription box full of creative ideas and clean ingredients
Foodstirs Subscription Kit
Check price at FoodstirsFoodstirs, a company co-founded by Sarah Michelle Gellar, sends you fun baking mixes and decorative fixings every other month. Each box revolves around a different theme, usually related to a holiday or season, and includes supplies, dry ingredients, and a kids' activity sheet. Foodstirs prides itself on making "junk-free" treats that are low on sugar and use organic, non-GMO ingredients.
You can buy a one-time kit, or subscribe to a 3-month plan to save a little money. If you're not interested in this month's theme, there are plenty more baking kits you can shop on the site.
A mix of gourmet and international ingredients to challenge your baking skills
Fikabröd Subscription Kit
Check price at Cratejoy"Fikabröd" are the treats eaten during the Swedish coffee break of "fika." The baking supplies in this monthly subscription box embody the same delightful spirit of the daily ritual, highlighting novel and interesting ingredients from various countries, as well as decorations and tools. Instead of making one single recipe from the kit, you can make many different recipes using each of the featured ingredients.
On Cratejoy, you can choose from month-to-month, 3-, 6-, or 12-month subscriptions.
Cookie mix from Thomas Keller's famous Bouchon Bakery
Bouchon Bakery Chocolate Chunk Cookie Mix
Check price at Williams SonomaBouchon Bakery sits just down the road from Thomas Keller's French Laundry restaurant and is renowned for its artisanal breads and French desserts. These soft, chewy cookies are so good that one reviewer said that they'll never go back to Toll House again.
Gourmet pound cake
Honey Orange & Olive Oil Loaf Mix
Check price at Sur La TableFresh and citrusy orange, sweet honey, and slightly bitter olive oil make a killer combination, especially in a light and moist pound cake. Sur La Table also offers other indulgent mixes, including Apple Cider Doughnuts and Belgian-Style Liege Waffles, to keep your oven busy after you finish off this loaf.
Cookie mixes in giftable mason jars
Kerber's Farm Cookie Mix Gift Box
Check price at Food52The beloved New York farm and specialty food shop offers two gift-ready cookie mixes packaged in reusable glass mason jars. Send them to your friend who appreciates artisanal, small-batch sweets.
A foolproof kit for cookie lovers
Fresh Baked Cookie Crate
Check price at CratejoyEvery month brings a new cookie, and it's always a twist on a traditional favorite, made with organic, gourmet ingredients. Previous boxes have featured salted caramel turtle cookies, carrot whoopie pies, and brown butter snickerdoodles. The kits also have $50 worth of cookie-themed gifts and surprises to fuel your love for sweets.
A subscription kit that will suit all skill levels
Mix Box by Homemade Bakers
Check price at CratejoyBakers of all levels can enjoy the variety that this subscription offers. Every box comes with a video tutorial, and enough ingredients to make 12-30 servings, depending on the specific recipe (next month's is Nutella Swirl Banana Muffins). Plus, if you don't like the current month's dessert option, you can swap it out for always-reliable Cinnamon Buns.
On Cratejoy, you can choose from month-to-month, 3-, 6-, or 12-month subscriptions.
Delicious cupcakes that remind of you summer campfires
S'mores Cupcakes Baking Box
Check price at King Arthur FlourYup, this 230-year-old flour company also has baking mixes so you can still make cupcakes if you can't snag a treasured bag of flour. Just like the classic campfire snack, you'll need some high heat to toast the marshmallow layer to a perfect golden-brown.
A baking kit geared towards kids
Baketivity Kids Baking DIY Activity Kit
Check price at AmazonBaketivity's kits are designed for kids ages 6 through 12, giving families the opportunity to enjoy the fun ritual of baking together. The recipes are simple and straightforward, and there are many to choose from (e.g. cake pops, bagels, granola bars). Who knows, you might have a budding baker on your hands.
Flourless chocolate cookies
Red Velvet NYC Flourless Chocolate Pecan Cookie Baking Kit
Check price at GoldbellyThe kit yields 28 rich and delicious gluten-free cookies, with nutty pecans and a bittersweet drizzle to balance out the sweetness. It comes in a nice box with a ribbon, so you can also send it to a loved one who needs a little pick-me-up.
Mixes that give you a crash course in bread-making
Bread Mix, Set of 3
Check price at Williams SonomaSince everyone and their mother is making bread from scratch right now (check out a basic recipe here), it's pretty difficult to find essentials like starter or yeast. These bread mixes (French, multigrain, parmesan garlic) let you cheat a little, but you'll still do enough kneading and shaping to make you feel proud of your final product. Each one makes a one-pound loaf and all you need are water and oil.
A mix-and-match bundle of pancake and scone mixes
Pick Four Baking Mixes
Check price at Harry & DavidYou can stock up on baking kits with Harry & David's Pick Four option, which includes scone and pancake mixes. With flavors like orange cranberry, maple cinnamon, and blueberry, you might find yourself looking forward to breakfast and tea time every day.
A kit perfect for making single-serving desserts
Get Baked Kit
Check price at Man CratesDespite the name, you can get this crate for anyone in your life, so long as they love baking. Not only do you get three different types of baking mixes, but you'll also get four sturdy and adorable ceramic dishes.
Mix for everyone's favorite bread
Sourdough Bread Mix
Check price at Nuts.comCurrently, only 25-pound bags of this mix are available, so either be prepared to make a lot of sourdough, or consider splitting the cost with a friend who also loves to bake. In order to make a crusty and delicious loaf of sourdough, you only need to add warm water and dry yeast.
Connie Chen Connie Chen is a former senior reporter on the Insider Reviews team, where she led coverage of home textiles, home entertaining, and food and drink. While at Insider, she specialized in all the things that enhance life at home, from the most comfortable bed sheets and fluffy pillows to cool online wine clubs and bartender-approved cocktail shakers. She combined rigorous testing methods, conversations with professionals, and active knowledge of the home and kitchen space to help readers get the most out of their money. When she's not changing duvet covers or washing towels twice a day for articles, she loves talking about and trying the newest snacks, drinks, and food gifts. You can see more of her testing process and other behind-the-scenes of being a product journalist on her Instagram @connayreviews. Connie joined Insider Reviews as an early member in 2017 and has also reported on products and services in the style, tech, fitness, travel, and e-learning spaces, with a particular interest and expertise in emerging startups. She has represented the team at CES and moderated panels on media business and the future of retail. Connie graduated from UC Berkeley with degrees in media studies and business administration, which help inform her perspective on and coverage of industry trends, as well as the competitive e-commerce landscape at large. Read some of her work: The 4 best cocktail shakers in 2021 The 7 best women's bathrobes in 2021 The 5 best wine openers and corkscrews we tested in 2021 The 5 best bed sheets we tested in 2021 The 5 best cordless vacuums we tested in 2021 12 direct-to-consumer kitchen startups that are changing the way we shop for cookware and knives 8 tableware startups changing the way we shop for dishes Even chefs experience cooking burnout — here's how they get re-inspired in the kitchen How businesses create successful virtual experiences 50 cookbooks from famous restaurants across the US that will help you recreate their best dishes at home Learn more about how our team of experts tests and reviews products at Insider here. Learn more about how we test kitchen products. Read more Read lessncG1vNJzZmivp6x7o8HSoqWeq6Oeu7S1w56pZ5ufonyowcidnKxnmKS6pnvBmqKippdiuKrA0maqrpqjmL%2BqvNOipqer