My Baking Tools

I’ve spent considerable time testing baking tools to make baking more efficient and consistent in the home kitchen. The list below is the result of all those tests. 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 Increase Baking Consistency section to build out your toolset.

At my Amazon storefront, I have all the tools below including my favorite baking books, all on one page. Note that some of the links below are affiliate links in which I earn a small amount on each sale (you’re not charged over normal price). These small earnings help keep this site up and running — so thank you and happy baking!

Your Sourdough Starter

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

weck jars

My starter lives in these wonderful glass jars.

baker's scale

A good scale is essential in baking. Highly recommended.

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.

The Beginning Baker

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

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. Highly recommended.

bowl scraper

These KitchenAid scrapers easily remove sticky dough from containers, the bench, and off your fingers.

ambient thermometer

Temperature is incredibly important in baking.

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 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 throughout the baking process.

Increase Your Baking Consistency

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

thermapen

Reads temperatures extremely fast and accurately. Highly recommended.

10" banneton (boule)

A bowl used to hold proofing dough.

oval banneton

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.

Challenger bread pan

An extremely well designed cast iron pan for baking batards and larger loaves

bread knife

The best, and most cost-effective, bread knife I have yet to use.

basket towels

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

reusable bowl covers

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

bread box

Keep your bread fresh for up to a week (as discussed here) in this well-made box.

large bulk tub

The perfect rectangular tub for 4kg+ batches of dough.

baking steel

This steel gets incredibly hot with no risk of cracking. It also cooks pizza incredibly well.

flour sifter

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

flour scoop

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

Flour

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.

central milling artisan baker's craft plus

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

giusto's artisan bread flour

I just love this medium-protein white flour.

Pans & Storage

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

usa pan pullman 9x4"

This pan is perfect for rye bread and sandwich loaves. See my guide to baking pan bread for more.

cambro storage 18-qt.

These, with lid, are quite large and perfect for storing 25 lbs. of dry grain or flour.

oxo storage 4-qt.

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.