I’ve spent a long time testing baking tools one at a time to make baking more efficient and consistent at home. The list below is the result of all those tests, and nothing else. If you’re new to baking, start with the tools listed below in Sourdough Starter Creation & Management and The Beginning Baker. Once you become more serious about baking, head down to the Nice to Haves section.
I’ve also compiled a list of all the tools below, and my favorite baking books, at my Amazon storefront. Happy baking!
Sourdough Starter
These are the best tools to help create and maintain your sourdough starter.
3/4 liter weck jars
My starter lives in these wonderful glass jars.
baker’s scale
A good scale is essential in baking. This is the best one I’ve found.
silicone spatula
The best spatula for mixing your starter: easy to clean and durable.
dark rye flour
Whole grain rye flour is key to making an active sourdough starter.
The Beginning Baker
lodge combo cooker
Cast iron and built to last. This pot traps steam to encourage maximum dough rise.
bench knife
A must-have. Used to cut, lift & move your dough.
plastic scraper
Easily remove sticky dough from containers, the bench, and off your fingers.
ambient thermometer
Monitoring temperature when baking is incredibly important.
rice flour
Dust your proofing baskets with this to help your dough remove cleanly.
lame
A pack of razors and a coffee stirrer constructed as you see. Used to score your bread before baking.
wide mixing bowl
A wide bowl makes hand mixing dough much more manageable.
bulk container
Clear sides let you see fermentation first-hand.
digital thermometer
Monitoring dough temperature is critical throughout the baking process.
Nice to Haves
thermapen
Reads temperatures extremely fast and accurate. Highly recommended.
10″ banneton (boule)
A bowl used to hold proofing dough.
banneton (batard)
A smaller basket that will let you load dough in the Lodge combo cooker listed above.
dough proofer
Keeps my starter, levain, and dough at the perfect temperature. Highly recommended.
large bulk tub
The perfect rectangular tub for 4kg+ batches of dough.
flour sifter
Some recipes here call for “high extraction flour,” this helps sift out some bran/germ to get there.
baking steel
This steel gets incredibly hot with no risk of cracking. It also cooks pizza incredibly well.
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.
proofing liners
Cut these to fit your proofing baskets for easy dough removal.
plastic bowl covers
Reusable bowl-sized covers to keep dough moist.
breadbox
Keep your bread fresh for up to a week in this box.
Flour
Ideally, you’d want locally milled flour for freshness and to support local farmers & millers, but sometimes that is not an option. Central Milling and Guisto’s both provide flour that I’ve found to be excellent.
central milling artisan baker’s craft plus
CM has some incredible flour; this is a workhorse flour for any bread.
giusto’s artisan malted bread
I love this flour; it’s my current top choice.
Pans & Storage
USA Pan Pullman 9×4 inch
This pan is perfect for rye bread and sandwich loaves. See my guide to baking pan bread for more.
cambro storage 18 quart
These, with lid, are quite large and perfect for storing 25 lbs. of dry grain or flour.
OXO good grips 4 quart
I use these to store all my flour (they hold 5 pounds). They are airtight, light, and solid — 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.
Mockmill 100 Grain Mill
A beautiful mill capable of producing very fine flour at a fantastic price.
KoMo Classic Grain Mill
A workhorse mill that produces very fine flour. Built by hand in Austria.
GrainMaker 116 Grain Mill
A hand-operated, well-built mill that’s capable of producing extremely fine flour at low temperatures.
