My Highly Curated Baking Tools

I’ve spent years vetting the following equipment. This list is has my favorite bread-making tools to help you make the best sourdough bread at home.

Also, check out my Amazon storefront, where I have all my favorite tools (and baking books!) on one page.

Jump to a section:

Sourdough Starter Tools
Beginning Baker Tools (if you get anything, get these)
More Tools to Improve Your Baking
Flour
Pans and Storage
Grain Mills
Mixers and Larger Equipment

Sourdough Starter Tools

These are the best tools to help create and maintain your sourdough starter.

weck jars

My starter lives in these wonderful glass jars. (See why I love them.)

baker's scale

A good scale is essential in baking.
(See my guide.)

silicone spatula

The best spatula for mixing your starter: easy to clean and durable.

whole rye flour

Whole grain rye flour is key to making an active sourdough starter.

sourdough home

Keep your starter at the perfect temperature. (See my guide.)

Beginning Baker Tools

A list of a few tools to help you get started baking sourdough bread at home.

combo cooker

Cast iron and built to last. This pot traps steam to encourage optimal dough rise.

bench knife

A must-have. Used to cut, lift, and move your dough.

bowl scraper

Used to easily remove sticky dough from containers and anywhere.

ambient thermometer

Monitor your kitchen’s temperature for better fermentation.

rice flour

Dust your proofing baskets with this to help your dough remove cleanly.

bread lame

Score your dough just before baking to encourage maximum rise.

wide steel mixing bowl

A wide bowl makes hand mixing dough much more manageable.

bulk fermentation container

Clear sides let you see fermentation first-hand.

digital thermometer

Monitoring dough temperature is critical in baking. Must buy.

More Tools For Better Results

Use these baking tools to help you increase your baking consistency in your home kitchen.

folding dough proofer

Keeps my starter, levain, and dough at the perfect temperature.
(See my guide.)

round banneton (boule)

For making round loaves. Be sure to buy two for most recipes.

oval banneton (batard)

For making oval loaves. Be sure to buy two for most recipes.

baking shell

Instead of baking in a heavy pan, use a light, metal cover for steam.

flour scoop

I keep these in my flour canisters, they make transferring and measuring super easy.

bread knife

The best, and most cost-effective, bread knife I have yet to use.
(See my knife guide.)

basket towels

Cut these to fit your proofing baskets for easy dough removal.

bowl covers

Reusable bowl covers to prevent a skin from forming on dough.

bread box

Keep your bread fresh for up to a week in this well-made, metal box.
(See my guide.)

large bulk tub

The perfect rectangular tub (14″x15″x5″) for 4kg+ batches of dough when you make more dough.

baking steel

Very efficient at transfering heat. Great for bread, even better for pizza.

flour sifter

Some recipes here call for “high extraction flour,” this helps sift out some bran/germ.

oven gloves

Hands down (😉) the best gloves to keep your hands safe.

dough whisk

Keep your hands clean during mixing with this super strong whisk.

Flour and Grain

The list below are my most-used flours here at home, but look local first! There are many great farmers and millers scattered all over with incredible flour options.

cairnspring mills trailblazer type-85

A flavorful and strong flour perfect for bread-making.

The Perfect Loaf heritage flour

A custom flour blend I created for any sourdough recipe (here’s mine)!

central milling artisan baker's craft plus

CM has some incredible flour; this is a workhorse flour for any bread.

Pans and Storage

These tools will help you bake pan loaves and are a collection of excellent storage options for flour and grain.

usa pan pullman 9x4x4"

I use these for rye bread, banana bread, and other sandwich loaves.

large storage container (18 qt.)

Great for storing large quantities of grain or flour.

flour storage container (4 qt.)

I use these to store all my flour (5lb bags)—just the best.

Grain Mills

Below is a list of my favorite grain mills used to mill fresh flour in my home kitchen regularly. They are all built extremely well and are capable of producing excellent flour.