in my opinion, you don’t need fancy or expensive tools to make good sourdough bread. it’s possible to start with zero (or very few) tools — i proofed my first loaf in a salad bowl and baked it under a tin foil tent (heh, true story).
however, nice tools will help you bake at a higher quality more consistently. from the experience of slowly building my collection to where it is now, i’ve learned that certain tools can, and will, significantly elevate your bread game, while some are just nice to have.
i want to show you that you can get your basic sourdough toolkit cheaply and easily, all sourced from your local grocery store, stuff you already own, or amazon. my hope is to help you start your bread baking journey as a beginning baker.
note for transparency: this post does have affiliate links to products.
the essentials
1 | high protein flour
ok, ok, so this isn’t really a “tool”.
however, flour is arguably the most important thing to bread baking — and for obvious reasons. the main ingredient in bread is flour, so there’s really no hiding. pay close attention to the protein content when selecting flour: look for a higher protein content, which will mean better gluten development. aim for something close to 12-13% (your run of the mill all purpose flour probably sits around 10%).
this doesn’t mean you have to break the bank getting high quality flour. i’m a massive fan of king arthur flour for delivering on quality while keeping prices affordable, and recommend it to any beginning bread baker. to start, i’d recommend keeping a bag of all purpose flour, bread flour, and whole wheat flour on hand.
3 | kitchen thermometer
we use so few physical ingredients when making sourdough — flour, water, salt. the magic comes together when we view time and temperature as ingredients as well.
a thermometer will help measure and control temperature like a scale helps control proportions of physical ingredients. the fact that these intangible concepts have such a strong effect on the flavor profile, texture, and success of a loaf still completely blows my mind.
in the world of kitchen thermometers, the thermapen reigns supreme. i have the thermopop, which is its younger sibling. just as powerful, a little slower, but way way cheaper.
2 | kitchen scale
if you’re an avid baker, chances are you probably already have one of these. volume is a pretty unreliable, inconsistent form of measurement compared to weight because when we measure ingredients, we are also measuring some variable amount of air.
you can make do without a scale and approximate using measuring cups, but your bread will become a lot more consistent and precise once you make the switch to a kitchen scale.
get a small one that has at least gram-level precision.
very strongly recommend
8 | dutch oven
my favorite part about a sourdough boule is the crust — thin, crisp, and chewy with a deep caramel color. this crust is produced by producing steam, which you can do a few different ways.
first, you can create steam by leaving either a cast iron with about a cup of water or a shallow dish of rolled, clean wet towels on the bottom of your oven. second, you can place your loaf in a covered dutch oven, which will naturally trap steam inside.
i find dutch ovens to be the easy, foolproof way for home bakers like me to achieve a bakery-grade crust without much effort. i recommend getting one that’s 5 or 6 qts, in either cast iron or enamel.
nice to have
5 | proofing basket
there are a many ways to proof dough without getting an “official” proofing basket. any large enough bowl-shaped item lined with a clean, floured tea towel, around 8-9″ in diameter and around 5″ deep, can serve as a proofing basket in a pinch. you can also DIY one for $2 with a basket from michael’s. these will all do the job!
buying one with the standard dimensions will run you $10-15.
7 | dough divider/knife
dough dividers serve two purposes: 1. to split dough in multiple sections if you’re making enough to make multiple loaves and to 2. help move dough from one area to another.
4 | lame
get a lame to add a decorative flourish to your boules! functionally, cutting the top of your loaf pre-bake isn’t totally necessary (especially if you’re going for a natural, rustic look), though it does help control where the air escapes.
6. silicone oven mitt
my favorite non-sourdough specific kitchen item. baking bread requires really high temperatures (close to 500 degrees farenheit) and these mitts help me effortlessly maneuver the dutch oven.
