Essential Sourdough Making Tools

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here’s my list of must-have Essential Sourdough Making Tools – if you want to make great bread at home, there are a few tools that make the process more efficient and so much more fun!

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The List:

Silicone oven mitts: https://amzn.to/3OpFfgi

Protecting you hands and wrists when baking sourdough bread at home is SO important. You’re handling a hot and heavy Dutch oven in 450 degree ovens, get the mitts! I’ve been through so many but these silicone oven mitts are a total game changer. They are lined with fabric on the inside, but the silicone outer layer is completely heatproof and won’t burn.

Danish Dough Whisk: https://amzn.to/47RguQR

This is an adorable tool that is SO handy. I mix my sourdough bread by hand, and a Danish dough whisk is so useful in bringing the dough together – especially in the beginning stages of mixing when the dough tends to be more sticky.

Dutch oven: https://amzn.to/4beEZdP

If you don’t have one already, the time is now! This classic heavy duty pot is so multipurpose. The Dutch oven keeps the steam locked in, so that your bread can rise to its full potential. It’s all about the steam! You’ll love this pot for decades, and can be used for soups, stews, and braises as well.

Proofing baskets: https://amzn.to/3vVM1Uy

I love these round proofing baskets for baking gorgeous boules of sourdough bread. The proofing baskets help the dough keep that signature round shape during the second rise period. Leave the fabric liners in, or take them out, it’s up to you! Just be sure to flour them very well so that the dough doesn’t stick to the sides. Also, NEVER put your proofing basket in an airtight container or it will grow mold.

Metal Bench Scraper: https://amzn.to/3SmGFcu

I use this tool for cleaning my work surface, scooping up ingredients, and diving dough. There are also plastic bench scrapers, but if I had to choose one, I’d go with the metal. It will last a lifetime, and is so incredibly useful!

Rubber Spatula: https://amzn.to/3HC8bO6

The workhorse of the kitchen, I am constantly reaching for rubber spatulas to scrape bowls, stir in, fold, and smooth out. Not all spatulas are created equal but these are the perfect balance of function and style.

Kitchen Scale: https://amzn.to/3Sgt86l

If you want consistent accurate results and bakery quality bread at home, you NEED a kitchen scale. I write all of my bread recipes in grams because measuring ingredients for bread has to be precise. Every gram counts, and a kitchen scale ensures that the results will be consistent from my kitchen to yours.

Bread Lame: https://amzn.to/3Umjx0y

This is basically a wooden handle that hold a straight edged razor for slashing the top of the dough. Every loaf of sourdough expands and needs to release steam so it doesn’t completely explode. Slashing the top of your loaf can be purely functional or incredibly decorative and beautiful. The lame tool gives the flexibility to do either.

Baking Steel: https://amzn.to/4954Oeu

This might be new to you, but a baking steel is an incredible tool to have. When you’re baking sourdough baguettes or sourdough pizza that are too big for your Dutch oven, you can bake directly on the steel. A baking steel heats up extremely hot and gives you that desirable crispy crust.

Sourdough Starter Jar: https://amzn.to/3OkueNa

Kind of a no brainer but I love this particular jar for my sourdough starter because it has a wide mouth opening, which makes it easy to stir and clean. The clear glass makes it easy to see how much the starter has bubbled up and grown. I remove the rubber gasket so that the jar isn’t airtight – you want the starter to be able to pull bacteria from the air.