Before her sticky buns sent the pastry world (and Bobby Flay) spinning, Joanne Chang graduated from Harvard with a degree in applied mathematics and economics. Now, as the owner of Boston’s Myers+Chang restaurant and the ever-expanding Flour Bakery + Cafe, the renowned baker regularly puts her education to good use. “I spent a lot of time studying math and economics,” she says, “trying to follow a line of reasoning to get from point A to point B. In baking, you do the same thing: gather a disparate set of ingredients and meticulously combine them together in a methodical way to get you from a set of raw materials to a birthday cake.”

Chang’s new cookbook, Baking with Less Sugar: Recipes for Desserts Using Natural Sweeteners and Little-to-No White Sugar, displays her penchant for problem solving by incorporating alternatives to white sugar, including chocolate, honey, and maple syrup. 

Of the inspiration to write the book, Chang says, “I started it because my husband is a bit sensitive to lots of sugar. I wanted to create pastries and treats for him that didn’t result in sugar lows and headaches.”

“What I love about baking with less white sugar,” she continues, “is all of the flavor you get in your desserts. You really taste everything in it—the oatmeal cookie has tons of oat flavor, the gingersnaps are sharply gingery and molasses-y, the carrot cake tastes like carrots and raisins and pineapple.”

Chang's Essential Baking Tools

By Chang’s side as she created the book’s recipes was her trusty KitchenAid mixer, a tried-and-true model she’s owned since she started baking at home in 1992. “I can’t imagine baking without it,” she says.

Below, you’ll find five other baking tools Chang can’t cook without, along with her thoughts on why they’re so important for home bakers.

Smartphone

“These days, there's so much online to take advantage of: recipes, pictures, ideas, information. I'm on mine searching around all the time.”

Oven Thermometer

“Never bake until you know your oven is actually at the temperature it says it is at.”

Kitchen Scale

“If you don't have one, get one now! It will change your baking forever. You'll have fewer mistakes and greater success.”

Offset Spatula

“It's an extension of your hand. You’ll use it to not only finish off cakes, but also to move things, pick up items, clean your station, and more.”

And, Of Course, a Stand Mixer

“Stand mixers allow you to do so much more in the kitchen: meringues, buttercreams, cake batters, bread doughs …”