Grab This Gear to Upgrade Your Pastry Baking Experience

If you’ve ever wanted to dive into the elegant, delicate world of pastry baking, you’ll need the right supplies to do it. We’ve got all your must-haves right here!

You don’t have to be a professional cook to learn to bake beautiful pies, tarts, macarons, eclairs, and other pastries, but you do have to have the right equipment. Before you take your baking game to the next level, make sure you’ve got these items to help you master new skills along the way.

A Silicone Baking Mat with Guides

A silicone baking sheet is helpful for nonstick baking of any kind, but the Angadona Silicone Macaron Baking Mat Set comes with a twist that pastry bakers will appreciate. Instead of just a plain mat, these silicone sheets have guide markings for making those tricky macarons.

In addition to the markings on the mats themselves, they come with a set of piping bags and tips, which work for making macarons but also can be transferred to other types of piping and pastry.

A Reliable Baking Sheet

All the fancy bonus equipment won’t do any good without a reliable set of baking sheets. That’s where the Nordic Ware Baker’s Half Sheet comes in.

These sturdy baking sheets are made from natural aluminum and distribute heat evenly, which is crucial when baking delicate, temperature-sensitive pastries. Plus, they have raised edges—no worries about individual pieces sliding off when you’re taking them out of the oven!

A French Rolling Pin

French rolling pins are a little different than the styles you might be used to, but they can make a big difference when working with any type of pastry that needs rolling out.

The KARRYYOUNG French Rolling Pin is a tapered, handle-less French wooden rolling pin, with three different wood options. This design provides individual bakers with greater control, which is crucial when rolling out things like pastry dough—more specific control can make the difference for not overworking the dough. It’s even easier to clean, since it’s all one solid wood piece!

A Tart Pan

If you’re getting into pastries, you’ll probably be getting into baking tarts at some point. As you might suspect, those thin, delicate desserts will need a special pan to get them just right.

For a properly shaped, well-cooked crust, you’ll want the Wilton Excelle Elite Non-Stick Tart Pan. It’s durable, has the signature ridged edges of a tart pan, and has a removable bottom for getting those delicate pastries out of the pan—no worries about breaking the crust during the removal process! As a bonus, the pan comes in two different round sizes as well as a rectangle, for all your tart creativity.

A Pastry Dough Scraper

When working with dough, especially delicate or sticky doughs that are sensitive to handling, use a pastry scraper like the MS WGO Pro Dough Pastry Scraper to ensure the best quality dough.

Using a pastry scraper helps to keep the heat of your hands away from the dough itself, while also scraping up all the bits left on the counter or pastry mat. Plus, it doubles as a cutter or scorer, allowing you to make any necessary slices on top of pie crusts, buns, and other baked goods. This model even comes with a ruler to help measure out uniform slices!

A Pastry Brush

For brushing on egg wash, softened butter, or other fillings, you need a good pastry brush. It’s a small touch, but one that really can help to make your pastries look and feel (and even taste!) more professionally done.

The OXO Good Grips Natural Pastry Brush is an easy-to-grip brush for all your pastry needs. It’s made with natural boar bristles that hold up better than synthetics, with a well-sealed brush head to avoid food particles getting down inside the structure of the brush.

A Pastry Blender

A good pastry blender is key to properly mixing many pastry doughs. Unlike other methods of combining ingredients, a pastry blender cuts the fats and dry ingredients (and liquids) together without overworking the dough.

The Spring Chef Dough Blender features five well-spaced blades and an easy handle, making it easy even for novices to use it to cut together pastry dough. Use it to make any number of doughs, from pastry dough to biscuits and more.

Cookbooks with Recipes and Methods

If you’re diving into the world of pastry baking, having great recipes and tips is crucial to getting it right. Look for cookbooks that combine delicious recipes with step-by-step explanations of how to make the basics. Pastry often involves several variations on a handful of techniques, so it’s helpful to have cookbooks that focus on mastery of those techniques to start with.

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Pastry baking can feel a little intimidating at first, but it doesn’t have to be, especially with these supplies in your corner. Whether you want to expand your existing baking knowledge overall or you’re looking to master a particular treat, these books and tools will help you feel comfortable with the complexities of pastry in no time!