Gear to Get You Started
Essential Gear
Having good kitchen tools is critical to making a good sourdough loaf. Below you'll find a list of essential items to get you started.
Dutch Oven
Steam is an essential component to getting a great crust on your sourdough. Unfortunately most residential ovens don't have steam jets! However, by baking your bread in a covered Dutch oven, you will get plenty of steam along with a crisp shiny crust.
You might want to consider a combo cooker as an alternative to the Dutch oven. It's easier to get the dough into and won't leave marks from parchment paper.
Amazon ($47) • Breadtopia ($100) • King Arthur ($150)
Kitchen Scale
With sourdough it's a good idea to weigh out all of your ingredients instead of going by volume measurements such as cups and tablespoons. All recipes in Rise refer to weight so you'll need a kitchen scale.
Amazon ($30) • King Arthur ($70)
Digital Thermometer
Knowing the temperature of your water and dough will help you maintain your starter and predict the correct times for the bulk rise and proof. The Rise app includes a Bulk Rise Time widget which prompts you to take the temperature of the dough as it ferments, and uses that temperature to set an ideal schedule.
Amazon ($27) • Breadtopia ($22) • King Arthur ($45)
Proofing Basket (aka Banneton or Brotform)
Using a banneton basket during the proof phase helps to keep the dough from sticking and can give the dough a pretty texture thanks to the rattan weave.
Amazon ($25) • Breadtopia ($16) • King Arthur ($29)
Bread Lame
Use this razor sharp knife (pronounced LAHM) to score your bread just before baking. Scoring the bread allows steam to escape so the bread will rise as much as possible. Scoring is decorative as well as useful!
Amazon ($15) • Breadtopia ($13) • King Arthur ($15)
Small Mason Jars, 8 oz
Use these small jars to store and maintain your starter.
Dough Scraper (aka Bench Knife)
The dough scraper is a tool with many uses! You'll need it for dividing dough, moving the dough around, and scraping flour off your work surface.
Amazon ($10) • Breadtopia ($15) • King Arthur ($27)
Mixing Bowl
Chances are you already have a bowl that's fine for mixing dough. If you don't, these are some fine choices.
Amazon ($13) • Breadtopia ($24) • King Arthur ($40)
Precut Parchment Paper
You'll need parchment paper to move your loaf into the Dutch oven before baking. If you don't already have any, these are great because they're precut and won't curl up.
Amazon ($17) • Breadtopia ($19) • King Arthur ($25)
Useful Gear
These items may not be strictly necessary, but eventually you'll find that they make your life easier, or your bread better.
Combo Cooker
A Dutch oven is great, but it can be difficult to move the dough into the pot before baking and burned hands aren't unheard of. A combo cooker can be used like a Dutch oven, but if you turn it upside down, it makes an even better sourdough cooker! You can score the dough in the cooker, don't have to use parchment paper, and won't burn your hands.
Baking Spatula Set
If you don't already have some small spatulas, you should pick some up. These are small enough to get inside of the small mason jars where you'll be maintaining your starter.
Large Mason Jars, 16 oz
If you're developing a starter from scratch, or just want to store a larger amount of starter, these bigger mason drawers are perfect.
Oval Shaped Bannetons
These are great for baking smaller loaves with an oval, or "battard", shape.
Amazon ($24) • Breadtopia ($16)
Flour Shaker
This little flour shaker is great for sprinkling just the right amount of flour onto your work surface or directly onto the dough before baking.
Water Sprayer
Water is sometimes a better choice than flour for working with the dough on your work surface. Spritzing some water onto the top of the dough just before baking can also lead to a crispier crust.
Shower Caps
As it turns out, these disposable shower caps are ideal for covering the dough while it rises or proofs! Not too loose, not too tight.
Wire Cooling Rack
After baking, your bread will need to cool before slicing it open, otherwise the crumb (inside) of the bread will become spongy. A wire cooling rack speeds up the process so you can dig in asap!
Amazon ($10) • Breadtopia ($17) • King Arthur ($20)
Products and prices are current as of May 2024.
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