How to learn baking by a non-expert for non-experts

Right, so I've just gotten out of my baby stages of baking.  I personally had several questions throughout my learning process.  You probably have some too if you're looking at this forum.  I thought it would be helpful for newer bakers to get some quick answers from a person who has had to ask the same questions they may have.  This is a simple, no frills post.  This is for United States, and it does not attempt to retread old ground that has likely been covered before with other guides.  I'm not going to tell you what scale to get, or what book will best help you on your bread-making journey (to whatever destination that may be).  Like I said, I am no expert.  Hopefully, that's why this guide will be helpful.

1. How hard is baking?

Making decent bread is not rocket science.  But just because humans have been making bread since the dawn of writing doesn't make it easy.  Making good bread is an art that will take experience. Books will help you get the basis to perform the techniques correctly and how to identify mistakes...to a degree.  But you really can only learn baking by doing it.  My suggestion is to read a bit until you feel comfortable trying a recipe or two (NOT hard ones.  You are not going to make perfect croissants on your first day as a baker.)  In the past, baking was primarily done by "feel" and this is still by far the most cost-effective way of doing so for the home baker.  

You need to understand that we have been baking bread since at least the beginning of written civilization.  Without science.  A biochemistry degree will not make you bake bread better (although it might heighten your entertainment concerning sourdough starters.  Some people seem pretty attached to them...I haven't tried it yet.  Yet.)

2. How time-consuming is this hobby?

As much or as little as you like.  There are "five minute" bread recipes (and books) that basically allow you (with a little practice) to make bread with five minutes of work (...and about 2 hours of rising, 40-90 minutes of proofing, and 35 minutes in the oven not including a prebake time.  These don't require your attention except to start each stage.)

Most of baking times in recipes consist of waiting for dough to rise.  However, batch fermenting, proofing, and shaping can all take varying amounts of time depending on the composition of the particular recipe.  I've heard of bread recipes that take three or more days to execute.  Since nobody is paying me money to do it, I'm not making those right now.

Also, you will improve and get more efficient with time.  If you fail at making a loaf, the only person that will notice is likely you.  Even if the results are not edible, the ingredients and recipe will still be there the next day.  Do not get discouraged.  You will absolutely learn more from your failures than your successes.  Stopping because it's "too hard" is the one major mistake you can make!

3. How money-consuming is this hobby?

Not at all.  It is, per pound, cheaper to make bread than actually buy it .  Anecdotally, a loaf of bread costs around $3.79 in my neck of the woods.  5 pounds of good unbleached flour (which can probably make roughly 7 pounds total of dough) is $3.69. I can promise you that the bread you buy from the store does not weigh five pounds.  It will also taste like cardboard after you have tried your own successful bread.

4. I've seen some baking books with a lot of science.  Do I need to know about baking science, and why?

There is science that supports what you are doing, and it has been studied extensively by commercial bakeries and professionals.  That may be you some day, but there's a long way to that point.  In the meantime, the science you need to know consists of this: how to read your recipe, and how to "read" your bread.  Know temperature, weights, elevation, humidity.  Rely on the recipe and this site for anything else until you get your "bread" legs.

 5. What equipment do I need to start baking?

You will need five things.  Everything else should be bought on a project basis ('I need a pastry brush for this project!'):

a. A recipe you want to make and the ingredients for it (The recipe is free and the ingredients should be obvious.  See most websites, and this one in particular.)

b. Something to heat the bread up in.  For leavened breads, that's (mostly) an oven.  While you don't need a Rolls Royce of ovens, it should be decent.  Oddly, electrical appears to be more recommended than gas due to the venting required in a gas oven (steam is frequently used to help increase the volume and crustiness of a bread).  For leavened breads, it should be able to reach 450 degrees.  An oven thermometer may be required for this, but do not purchase it until you have seen results.  If your oven does not work respectably (always a possibility), you have two basic options.  The cheaper one is to get a cast dutch oven.  Starting out, don't get enameled.  Enameled can absolutely work, but you will have to determine which ones can work and which ones won't (potentially risking health as the coating melts off the walls and evaporates into your bread!) and regular cast iron doesn't require determining whether the thing can withstand 450+ degrees.  It can.  Get a dutch oven without a knob, such as a combo cooker.  Like all things that live in your kitchen, it should be multipurpose and be usable for more than one thing.  Mine is used for baking, but that's its side gig.  Although it was bought for bread-making, my wife has commandeered it for stock, stews, and general cooking.  Your second option for a smaller oven is to get a small portable toaster oven.  I don't know enough about this to answer any questions, sorry.  This website and others, however, will have information.

c. A kitchen scale and a kitchen thermometer.  These can be gotten fairly cheaply.  Research your thermometer carefully.  It is your lifeline.  As an aside, you do not require a specialist scale for yeast and salt when starting out.  Stick to the small measuring spoons for a bit.  You'll know when it's needed.

d. Mixing bowls, measuring spoons, and a wooden spoon.  I am not a fan of consumer culture, and the dutch whisks just aren't necessary starting out.  You could probably mix with your hands, but a wooden spoon really is a better instrument.  You should be able to find these around your kitchen (and if not, you really should.)

e. Something to slash dough with.  The tool of choice is known as a lame (lahm).  In case you haven't figured it out yet, bakers are practical, which in today's society generally translates to "cheap" (both commercial and amateur bakers generally agree on that point.  We like to spend as little money as possible.)  A lame is a safety razor with (sometimes) a handle. It can, understandably, be dangerous.  My personal recommendation is, like all things in your kitchen, the bread slasher should be a multitasker.  In this case, I chose the bread knife as my slashing instrument of choice.  It will slash basic patterns and cut your bread when it's cooled.  Later on, if you feel like you need a bit more precision (or a burning desire for the much-vaunted "ears") you can get a lame.  By getting a lame, I mean go out and  buy a pack of safety razors.  Stop at a chinese joint on the way home and save the chopsticks.  Thread the razor blade through the thin end of one of the chopsticks.  You now have a lame.  Alternatively, you can find professional models.  Above all however, be safe and don't be stupid with sharp objects.  This especially includes razor blades.  You don't want to leave razors (or bits of razors...) in the dough.  

There's one tool I haven't mentioned, and that's because I'm conflicted on it.  Bench knives.  Really, this tool is actually two versions of the same tool that do different things but share common characteristics.  One type is made of a soft plastic.  It acts like a "hand" in your baking.  It can gently coax high hydration dough out of bowls and containers.  It is gentle and thorough, kind of like a much shorter rubber spatula.  The other version is a metal bench knife that is more common for professionals.  It is used to work with high hydration doughs that will fall apart if not handled correctly as well as use on oven surfaces.  It is also effective for processing large quantities of dough.  Both can divide dough, strip flour from a surface, and shovel dough into other things.  However, neither is required to make bread, which is what stops me from putting it on my list of tools you need.  It gets honorable mention, though.  I have a large, plastic one that I am not in love with, but it works and is useful to me.  

6. What book would you recommend for a beginner?

The books your local library has and this website.  That's it. Most of the time in your new hobby should be spent with the dough. 

I doubt this answer will satisfy some readers, however (it wouldn't have satisfied me starting out), so I'll give a more in-depth answer.  You don't know what type of book you knead (hah!) to get yet.  You don't know whether you prefer baking sourdoughs, white wheat peasant loaves, pullman loaves, rye bread, etc.  However, if you've been at it a bit and think you want to keep doing it, you may want to get a good quality general baking book to start with on baking for reference.  That would include not just leavened loaves (which are the main focus of this site) but things like cookies, pies, etc.  Don't get me wrong, I love a good loaf.  But honestly. when you tell people you want to bake, are they going to want: (1) an amazing pain de campagne; or (2) an amazing apple pie?  My money is on *2) in the US.  I can also promise you that your friends will probably not consider you a good baker if you fail the apple pie test, regardless of your skill with pain de campagne.

Again, I will recommend trying before you buy a book through your library.  This site has good recommendations for books to look for, so look for them in your local library.  If you want to get into the more theoretical side of baking or just want to see some pretty pictures and/or what's possible, I have a simple and free suggestion.  Use one an e-book trial from a place like Amazon.  I was able to get a 7-day trial of Hamelman's Bread book, and it totally changed my view on baking!  It was some of the best money I have never spent. 

Above all, pay attention to this site.  It will guide you.  No, it's not a religion.  But it's been around a while, and I have received very helpful responses and learned a ton by reading this site.  I'm a skeptic by nature.  This site is objectively the most helpful tool I have to learn about bread.

7. Any other tips?

Youtube.  King arthur flour website.  This website's handbook.  Use a thermometer.  Use a scale.  Be patient with yourself.  Don't spend money if you can avoid it.  Don't worry if the dough is sticky unless it shouldn't be.  Know your humidity and how to adjust for it.  Know your elevation and how to adjust for it.

That's it, really.  Good luck!