Are you ready to start making and baking sourdough products but wondering what you even need? Good news is you most likely already have everything you really need to get started in your kitchen now!
While at the beginning stages of anything you start out with the bare minimum. You will probably find as you progress, you’d like some tools to make baking easier.
The sourdough tools and equipment recommended are ideal not just for sourdough but for any baking you which to do and are all multipurpose. So, let’s get started with what do you really, truly need?!
What Do You Actually Need For Sourdough?
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When you are just beginning you can definitely improvise as much as possible and use what you have to the best of your ability. But some things you will just need no matter what.
1. If you want to make sourdough products you are going to need a sourdough starter. You can of course make one yourself using flour and water. You can find many recipes online on how to do this.
It’s really not very difficult but does take a little time to get a strong enough starter to raise breads. You can also source an already established starter from friends, gumtree, or Facebook marketplace.
2. Jars: You will ideally need a wide mouth large glass container to store your sourdough starter in. Glass is the best option and believe me you will be happy to have a wide mouth one.
A glass jar allows you to see the bubbles rising in your sourdough starter, see how much it’s rising and make sure overall your sourdough looks healthy. Glass is also very easy to clean and doesn’t hold smells which makes it ideal for sourdough.
Having a wide mouth jar in particular is great because you will be mixing regularly flour and water into this jar as well as removing sourdough starter to make products with. I have a link just above if you want to see the one I recommend!
3. Measuring cups and spoons: This is important in any kitchen. When measuring out your ingredients for all baking and cooking you are going to want to have measuring cups and spoons on hand.
I highly recommend getting a good stainless-steel set, they don’t break easily, and the numbers don’t rub off like with ceramic ones! I really love mine and I’m sure you will love these ones too!
4. A batter bowl with lid: You will want some sort of bowl when doing your second rise and this multipurpose one is amazing. This bowl has measuring lines so it can be used as a measuring cup.
It also has a lid to keep your dough fresh and you can easily see how much your dough has risen. I Highly recommend! But you can use any large bowl or large measuring cup you already have on hand to do your second rise in.
5. Bread Knife: This is ideal when you want to slice any bread products. A normal knife doesn’t work nearly as well and is messier than a good quality bread knife.
I personally would choose a stainless-steel bread knife that is one solid piece. They last longer than 2 pieces joined together and are better quality.
You can sometimes use a steak knife to slice through smaller things like sourdough bagels, but a bread knife is a good investment!
6. Silicone Mats: You can use parchment paper as well but it’s worth buying silicone matts as they are reusable and nonstick. I use them not just for baking bread products but also for baking vegetables or meat as well.
They are easy to clean and will save you money in the long run. If all you have is baking paper or even aluminium foil this will work as well!
7. Bread Pan: If you want to make lovely loaves of bread you will need to have a bread pan. I bought a set of two which believe me you will wish you had.
You can easily make two loaves at the same time and freeze one for later. I really enjoy my stainless-steel ones. As long as you put a little oil or butter on it before you place your sourdough bread in it, it doesn’t stick.
Mine have always popped out no issues, they are easy to clean and are nice and light to carry.
8. Cutting Boards: You will really want to have a cutting board when slicing your bread products. I’d recommend some wooden ones they are better for cutting on.
A wooden cutting board is also a good place to let your baked goods cool compared to marble. The bottoms of the baked dough can get soggy if they are cooling on marble.
Wooden cutting boards are also a beautiful way to display or serve your sourdough baked goods! If all you have is marble or even plastic ones these of course will work fine to slice your products on!
Recommend Sourdough Tools But Not A Necessity
- Bench Scraper: While this tool is very useful it is not something you absolutely need. A bench scraper is used to help divide the dough, scrape it of the bench, turn the dough and can help you shape your dough as well.
- I do love mine and use it all the time, they are not expensive to purchase.
2. Dough Whisk: While this is not a necessary sourdough tool, a dough whisk has become my favourite tool for mixing any batter! It is cheap to buy and is amazing at combining dough easily by hand.
It mixes the batter easily and efficiently, easy to scrape down the sides with, and helps to remove lumps in the dough! Seriously recommended check the link to see for yourself.
2. Bread Lame: While you can use a very sharp knife to score your bread it’s not as good for making designs. A bread lame is a small stick with a blade attached to the end.
If you plan on baking breads and want to create pretty designs on them, you will really want and need a bread lame. You can make lovely designs on Sourdough French Bread, Sourdough Artisan Bread or any loaf really!
3. Dutch Oven With A Lid: Now, while this is great for baking certain breads a Dutch oven is used for making many other meals as well. You can use it to brown meats and veggies, to simmer soups and stew and braise food in the oven.
It is multipurpose and made to let little steam escape. If you plan on making sourdough artisan loafs you will ideally want a Dutch oven. You can use high springform cake pans or casseroles dishes and cover them as well.
4. Cooling Rack: While this is definitely recommended, it is not completely essential. A cooling rack allows your baked goods to cool evenly all around. It also makes sure that the bottoms of your baked goods do not become soggy.
I use mine regularly and am grateful to have one. They don’t seem to ever go bad if you take care of them properly and are not expensive to buy.
5. Kitchen Aid or Mixer: Having a kitchen aid or mixer is not essential sourdough tool, but it can help a lot if you don’t have a lot of time to mix by hand. It’s very helpful if you bake a lot or if you are doubling recipes.
It makes the mixing process so much easier. Literally just pour the ingredients in, turn on and when it’s done you can let your sourdough dough do it’s rise right in the bowl. Here is one that I recommend if you want to have a look!
Conclusion
As you get more familiar and comfortable baking sourdough in your kitchen you will probably find yourself slowly accumulating more tools. While not everything listed is an essential sourdough tool, it is nice to have equipment that make the job easier, more fun and prettier.
Most of the sourdough equipment mentioned are multipurpose and can be used for many of your baking and kitchen needs. I hope you found this post helpful and will see you again in my next post! Have a lovely day!