Hello there; welcome to this year’s Bread Baker’s Gift Guide! I can hardly believe it’s that time again; a year of whirlwind baking is already almost entirely behind us. Hopefully, this year has meant copious baking for you, your friends, family, and even strangers. Baking bread for others is what it’s all about, after all. But dare I say a loaf (or a cinnamon roll or a babka or…) for yourself is just as deserved.
This is my fourth year doing such a gift guide, and I spend all year testing new baking tools, hanging on to what works and what improves my processes, and eventually making it here to this gift guide. Some of the items you’ll find below are quite small and inexpensive, others not so much, but regardless, you can trust that they’ve been used through countless bakes, vetted over a year here in my kitchen.
Additionally, because a good tool is always a good tool, some of the following tools might be familiar, but trust me there are some brand-new ones. If you already own something I have listed here and love it like I do, that’s a good sign it’ll make a great gift to another baker.
Read on!
A Set of Beautiful (and Functional) Strainers
When I started testing panettone at home, I quickly discovered I needed suitable strainers for the copious amount of candied fruit shipped in sticky syrup (they’re also handy when making seed soakers for bread!). Yes, we all have strainers at home, but these Sori Yanagi Japanese strainers are exquisite in their craftsmanship. They come in a set of three and nestle together perfectly when not in use.
This is an excellent example of a simple product executed very well. Because of their usefulness and expert craftsmanship, I expect to keep these forever.
The Baking Shell
Over the past year, I helped Brød and Taylor design this revolutionary cover. Say goodbye to the days of lugging heavy Dutch ovens around your kitchen. This shell weighs about 1 pound (!) and traps steam as your dough bakes, providing the perfect environment for optimal rise and a beautiful crust.
Read more about why I love the Baking Shell.
They make a form for different types of bread: rectangular-ish (seen above) for oval loaves and a large round cover for rounds.
Teiger Dough Cleaning Cloth
I have long struggled with methods for cleaning dough in the mixer, on the counter, or stuck to baking tools. This year, I discovered the Teiger Dough Cleaning Cloth, and gosh, I wish I had found this thing a decade ago.
It looks like a net and has just enough abrasiveness to grab on and scrub off the most stubborn dough. Instead of smearing it around like a sponge, the cloth grabs the dough like your friends when they hear you have an extra loaf of bread.
If you have a dough mixer with a fixed bowl, this cloth will be your new best friend.
Wiha Folding Ruler
If you know, you know. I have exactly four of these rulers and will never be without them. They’re sturdy, made from fiberglass (they wipe clean!), and will help you measure out your croissant, cinnamon roll, or babka dough like nothing else.
You might ask, why do you have four? One I actively use, one is a backup, and two are decoys I keep on my shelf for my kids to play with. I warn you, they’re more attractive to kids than a fresh set of Legos.
Snap-On Sheet Pan Cover
I see you covering that half-sheet pan with plastic wrap or tin foil or a heavy, moist towel. Well, I’m here to tell you to say goodbye to these cumbersome solutions. These snap-on Nordic Ware sheet pan covers are game changers. I have two, which fit snugly over most half-baking sheets (18 x 13 inches).
Use them when proofing pretzels, buns, or anything else you can nestle onto a sheet pan. Also, they’re great for transporting your baked goods from kitchen to gathering.
If you’ve baked anything on sheet pans in the past, these will be your new favorite tool.
My New Fav Oven Gloves
It seems like every year, I find a new pair of oven gloves I love. The truth is, I crank through these incredibly fast, given how often I work with my oven. But this year, early on, I found a pair that sort of looked like they should be in a hospital. Now, when people see me baking with these they’re not sure if I’m performing an operation or pulling out some English muffins.
Enter the fantastic LANON Liquid Silicone gloves. They fit snugly and provide super dexterity. Plus, they easily slip on and off because they’re somewhat rigid yet smooth. They also have passed the durability test, looking pretty much brand new after 8 months of heavy-duty baking.
My Cookbook (Two Years Later)
My cookbook has been on some deep discounts as of late, and at the time of this writing, it’s around 40% off!
Two Fantastic Cookbooks: One Baking, One Cooking (and Some Baking)
This year was packed with incredible cookbooks, and you all know I love a good cookbook. I love how a cookbook encapsulates a person’s mind and work in hardcover form. It’s like downloading a portion of their skills into your skillset. A shortcut. Some are a snapshot of a decade or two of a serious focus, and some are a lifetime.
These two books are two of my favs that came out this year (it was really hard to pick, believe me).
The first (left, above) is Start Here by Sohla El-Waylly. If you want a reference-like book that’ll take you from not knowing how to cook all the way to a chef ready to bang out stunning plates (or just a casual dinner for you and your family, too), this is the one for you. It’s thick with the why behind everything you might do in the kitchen and a bunch of recipes you’ll return to repeatedly.
The second (right, above) is Bake it Better by Matt Adlard. I love Matt’s precision, creativity, and downright deliciousness in his recipes. He’s a baker after my own heart, and this book will lay the foundation for you to bake just about any pastry you can imagine. As a bread baker, I equate some pastry arts (aka the dark arts) with high sorcery, and yet, this book has helped pull back the curtain and make it all the more attainable.
The Best Thermometer
I’m going on 8 or 9 years now that I’ve used a Thermapen here in my kitchen. You won’t find me without this in my shirt, apron, or back pocket when I’m baking. I’m constantly testing the temperature of the water, the dough, the air in the kitchen—everything! Temperature is just so important in baking.
The Thermapen is my go-to choice because of how rugged they are and how fast it reads the temperature: 1 second!
Right now, the Thermapen is 30% off until December 2nd!
The Best Bench Knife (Scraper)
I’ve used this bench scraper for years, and it has yet to show a scuff, bend, or mark. Made from steel and the ergonomics are perfect.
The only hard choice is which size you should get, the 6″ or the 8″. Well, I have both! I use the smaller scraper for rolls, buns, and other small items, and the larger one for big loaves.
Gift A Baker’s Corner Membership
If you know someone who is just starting out on their baking journey or someone who is looking for the best baking community to hang out in, send them a year-long gift membership to The Baker’s Corner here at The Perfect Loaf.
Plus, they’ll instantly get my recipe spreadsheet archive, baking tool discounts, and a whole lot more.
Or, invest in your baking and join the membership yourself!
What’s Next?
If you’re all the way to the end and haven’t spotted what you’re looking for, check out my roundup of the best baking tools for bakers. Anything there would be an incredible gift to any baker!
I also want to say thank you to everyone reading my ramblings on bread, pastry, and more here at The Perfect Loaf. Even after 11 years running this little website, my passion for bread and, well, talking about it, has yet to subside. I hope you’ve found that passion in your baking!
I hope you have a happy holiday season, a fresh bundle of soft sourdough rolls, or my brand new, hefty, and quite stunning Hop Miche headed to the table!
