If you are beginning your journey in sourdough bread baking, this list of sourdough bread baking tools and equipment will help you prepare your kitchen. These items will make your time baking sourdough bread easier and more efficient. We’ll start with the basics, then start adding on nice-to-haves as we move down the list.
Making your own sourdough bread from scratch is an incredibly rewarding process. I love filling my home with the smell of fresh bread baking in the oven each week. I also love encouraging everyone I know who wants to start baking their own homemade bread that it can be simple. All you need are the right tools, some guidance, and a little patience!
Here is a complete list of sourdough bread baking must-haves and nice-to-haves to help you begin and progress during your journey making homemade bread. These can all be found conveniently on Amazon!
Sourdough Bread Baking Tools: Must-Haves!
Here is a list of all the tools and equipment I consider to be absolute must-haves in your kitchen.
1. Glass Starter Jar
I highly recommend using a glass jar to hold your starter so you can keep track of the rise. I prefer to use the large glass Weck jars. You can easily find these on Amazon.
2. Sourdough Starter
Your sourdough starter is what makes or breaks the end result of your bread. Sourdough bread is not made with commercial yeast like yeast breads are. A sourdough starter is made with a mixture of flour, water, natural wild yeast, and bacteria used to ferment the bread dough and make it rise. You can either make one yourself, get some from a friend, or buy one online!
Make sure you have a well established starter that is active, bubbly, and doubling (or even tripling!) in size. If it doesn’t appear to be doubling in size, it needs more time to mature. Keep feeding and discarding!
You can also test if your starter is ready to bake with by performing the float test.
Simply add a spoonful of your active and peaked starter to a glass of water. If it floats completely, it is ready to bake with. If it sinks or partially floats, keep feeding and discarding until it passes a float test.
Make sure to also use peaked starter when baking sourdough bread. Signs your starter is peaked is if it has doubled or tripled in size, isn’t domed on top but has a wavy surface, and has visible bubbles on the top and sides.
3. Large Ceramic or Glass Mixing Bowl
When baking sourdough bread, you’ll want a ceramic or glass mixing bowl for mixing your dough and storing it during its bulk fermentation.
A ceramic or glass mixing bowl is ideal over a stainless steel bowl because they tend to hold the temperature of the dough better. I’ve found this to be helpful for keeping my bulk fermentation times shorter because cooler dough ferments slower, leading to a longer bulk fermentation time. However, if you only have stainless steel on hand, it is totally fine to start out with that!
Buying a bowl with a lid is definitely more convenient as your dough needs to be covered during fermentation so it doesn’t dry out. However, you can also use a damp kitchen towel/tea towel, plastic wrap, or even a large plate to cover your bowl.
4. Food Scale
I highly recommend investing in a food scale for your sourdough bread baking journey. I started off using cups to measure my ingredients and was getting inconsistent results. Sometimes I would have to add more flour and sometimes more water in order to get the right consistency I was looking for with my dough.
I finally switched over to a food scale and I am never going back! You’ll notice most sourdough bakers recommend using a scale over cups. Using a scale to weigh your ingredients will get you the most accurate and consistent results.
5. Banneton Proofing Basket
A banneton basket is used to hold the final shape of your dough during its final proof. You can also use a medium sized bowl lined with a tea towel (this is how I started out!) which is perfect for boules (round shaped loaves). You can also try using a sandwich loaf tin lined with a tea towel for a batard (oval shaped loaf).
Banneton baskets are usually pretty affordable and easy to get your hands on. You can find them on Amazon.
6. Bread Lame
For my first loaf, I tried using a sharp knife to score my bread. I definitely do not recommend this! You want to be able to create a deep expansion score so your bread can expand and rise without cracking too much. This is more difficult to do with a kitchen knife.
Also, if you want to try your hand at creating those beautiful scoring designs, you’ll definitely want a bread lame to create clean lines!
7. Dutch Oven
Using a dutch oven for baking sourdough bread is the most well-known method to use. Baking with the lid on at the beginning of your bake traps in the steam giving you a beautiful oven spring (rise).
You can also use an enamel roasting pan, or even two loaf pans stacked on top of each other to create that same effect! Whatever method you use, trapping in steam is crucial for a classic sourdough artisan loaf.
Sourdough Bread Baking Tools: Nice-to-Haves!
Here is a list of sourdough bread baking tools and equipment that are nice additions to your kitchen to make your bread baking easier.
1. Danish Dough Whisk
The Danish dough whisk is a very popular tool for the sourdough baker. I didn’t add it to the must-haves list because you can definitely start without owning one!
Many people prefer to mix their dough with their hands, a fork, or even a bowl scraper (I love this method!). However, the Danish dough whisk is still a wonderful choice as it is specifically designed to mix dough! Its stiffer wires come in handy for bread recipes especially, and many people attest to its efficiency.
2. Bowl Scraper
I absolutely love my bowl scraper. I prefer to mix my dough with it and clean the sides of my bowl as I go. It helps me make sure I’m mixing in all the flour and not missing any dry spots.
It also comes in handy when I’m trying to coax my dough out of its bowl after the bulk fermentation for its shaping. While it’s definitely not a must-have, I still highly recommend it!
3. Bench Scraper
A bench scraper is a wonderful tool to add to your kitchen as you grow as a sourdough homebaker. It’s helpful for shaping, dividing, and flipping your dough. It’s also useful for cleaning dough and flour off of your counters!
4. Instant Read Digital Food Thermometer
The temperature of a fully baked sourdough loaf needs to be at least 205 degrees Fahrenheit. An instant read thermometer is a sure way to check that your loaf is completely baked.
If you’d like to learn how to determine percentage rise based on dough temperature, you’ll definitely need this tool!
5. 8 Cup Glass Measuring Cup
Yes, this is probably the largest measuring cup you’ve ever seen. But it is so useful for helping you determine how much your dough has risen during its bulk fermentation!
I love to mix my dough in a ceramic bowl and then transfer it over to my huge glass measuring cup to track whatever percentage rise I’m going for that day. However, this can only fit one loaf, so make sure to keep that in mind!
6. Tea Towels
Tea towels are perfect for covering your dough during its bulk fermentation and its second rise or cold proof. Covering your dough allows it to stay fresh and helps it from drying out.
Tea towels are also great to line your banneton baskets or bowls for your dough’s final shape and final proof. They usually don’t have as much fuzz as regular towels and typically don’t stick to the dough as much, making these a great addition to your kitchen as a sourdough homebaker!
Additional Items
These are other useful items you probably already have in your kitchen!
- Unbleached Parchment Paper: Helps prevent your bread from sticking to the pan.
- Bread Knife: For slicing into your beautiful bread!
- Wire Cooling Rack: To help your bread cool evenly.
- Bread Box: A great way to store your bread to keep it fresh.
- Large Zip-Lock Bags: Another great way to store your bread.
- Oven Mitts or Hot Pads: To protect your hands while baking. That dutch oven gets pretty hot!
FAQs
Where can I buy sourdough tools?
You can conveniently find and buy all sourdough baking tools on Amazon. You can also easily find a few tools at your local Walmart or Target.
Can I bake sourdough bread without special tools?
You can! If you just want to get started with sourdough baking today but don’t want to invest in any special equipment right now, here are a few swaps you can make with items you probably already have – Instead of using a kitchen scale, you can use cups (however, this won’t get you the most accurate measurements!). Instead of using a dough whisk, use your hands or a fork. Swap out the banneton basket for a bowl lined with a kitchen towel. If you’re not pursuing any special designs in your loaf, use a sharp serrated kitchen knife instead of a bread lame. And finally, if you don’t own a dutch oven, put your dough in a loaf tin and cover with another loaf tin of the same size. You can also try using an oven safe stock pot.
If you enjoyed this post and found it helpful, I would love it if you left me a comment telling me what you thought of this guide!
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