Gravity & Grain

Breadmaking doesn’t require a chefs kitchen worth of tools. It’s been a staple for eons for a reason, made it’s way through civiliza- listen to me go on like I have some historical lesson to give.

When it comes to materials, you don’t NEED anything specific to bake bread but here are the main things I think every baker should have if they are baking bread (yeasted or sourdough).

You really don’t need a lot of these, but they will make the biggest difference to your dough.

Most of the materials I purchase are from: Walmart, IKEA and Dollarama(s).

1. A Scale. And a good one:
   • Yes, I can hear you sighing as loud as I did. Baking bread NECESSITATES a scale. You can absolutely find and stick to recipes that only use cup measures but make sure to accordingly adjust. A scale will make your life easier, and will save you the heartbreak of wasted ingredients.
     
2. A giant bowl:
   • It will help with autolyzing (literally just mixing flour and water and resting it) the dough and will help you mix and knead it.
     • I prefer stainless steel if I am using yeast and ceramic if I am doing sourdough.
       • I did not buy any of these things, I happened to have multiple materials of bowls in my kitchen which just reminded me once more that I really do not need to buy any more bowls. (Disclaimer: I did.)
         
3. A wooden spoon OR a dough whisk. (I have both):
   • You can also use a rubber spatula but you will get a better mix out of a wooden spoon and or dough whisk. The shape of a dough whisk will allow you to mix your dough evenly and it will not get stuck.
     • 100% of the time, I mix my dough together until it’s incorporated and then I knead by hand. Literally always.
       
4. Clean Dish Cloths OR Plastic Wrap OR Shower Caps:
   • When you’re fermenting yeasted or sourdough bread, you have to keep it covered. A damp dishcloth works absolutely fine. I happened to have a salon pack (long story) of plastic shower caps from 2020 (not an exaggeration) and I was FINALLY able to put them to use.
     
5. Scrapers – Plastic Bowl Scrapers/Bench Scrapers/Silicone Spatulas:
   • Useful just as a general cooking tool. A bench scraper is a great tool to add to your collection if you will make sourdough. Helps with quick handling and excellent for cleanup!
     
6. Silicone Slings/Parchment Paper:
   • Depending on how much bread you plan to make, invest in the silicone slings. Or just get silicone mats from the dollar store and cut them to the size you need.
   • Parchment paper works great but make sure to cut off excess so it doesn’t affect your bread browning on the sides.
     
7. Specific to Sourdough: Glass Jars:
   • Invest in some mason jars. You can get a large case at Walmart and they are multi use. I have only used glass to ferment Mother Barloaf and Frodough. You can see clearly through, mark the rise and make notes if needed.
   • Do not close the lid fully ever to your starter. You want there to be room for the air to escape as the starter is fermenting.
     
8. Specific to Sourdough: Linen Cloths/Banneton Baskets:
   • You do not NEED banneton. For my first 10 loaves, I used a stainless steel bowl lined with a linen cloth dusted with rice flour. A banneton is simply to help keep the structure and shape of the dough *generally meant for higher hydration*.
   • If you will be making sourdough often and want to have stronger cold fermented boules, a banneton will make a difference.
     • A noticeable difference to you as the baker – not noticeable to humans around you who are furiously consuming the bread.
       
9. Specific to Sourdough: Lame (Blade/Scoring Tool):
   • Scoring the top of a sourdough boule is a necessary step in the baking process. I used scissors when I first started, then moved on to a very sharp kitchen knife. All you need is an extremely sharp tip (that’s what she said), angle it at 30 degrees and make one swift score.
   • Scissors work fine but do not snip it all the way and close the scissors at each cut, allow the scissors to cut through the dough similar to gift paper.
     
10. Specific to Sourdough: Dutch Oven:
    • You don’t NEED to have a dutch oven, but this is the best investment for sourdough bread. You can use any oven safe pot to make the bread in but a cast iron dutch oven will completely elevate the way your bread bakes in the oven.
    • I have used regulation loaf pans for sourdough and as long as the oven is preheated correctly, they work fine.
    • Not to be that person but you can make some pretty delicious food in a dutch oven as well. Maybe when I’m done this parasocial relationship with bread, I’ll write out my cooking recipes…………………..
      

According to the internet, there are 960,000 tools you HAVE to have to bake bread. You really don’t. You probably have a lot of what could be used for breadmaking lying around. Don’t buy if you don’t need it!

And if you have that kind of money to spend, please feel free to donate it to me and my cause. I don’t have a cause, it is because I like baking bread

Fin.