So, you want to make sourdough!? This is a bandwagon I think everyone should jump on. I think it’s less of a bandwagon and more of a return to our roots type of trend, which I am all for! This post outlines all the tools I use for making sourdough.
You Don’t Need Special Sourdough Tools
I want to preface this whole post with this: YOU CAN TOTALLY START MAKING SOURDOUGH WITH WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE. You do not need to buy anything to start making sourdough. You can use the bowls, jars, utensils, etc. that you have on hand and successfully make a wonderful loaf of bread.
While making money online is my job, I also am anti-acquire things you don’t need or won’t use. If you won’t make sourdough long term or you don’t have space for extra tools in your kitchen, just use what you have. I think our culture is far too click happy and then half of the things we buy end up at Goodwill or in the landfill.
I also want to say that I really value supporting small businesses as well. You can use this list as a starting place to find these tools locally or support an online small business. I know many people prefer the ease and convenience of Amazon, so I am linking those as well. If you are familiar with sourdough and just want the short link list without any explanation of the sourdough tools, that list is at the bottom of the post.
Sourdough Tools Will Help The Process
With all that being said, I think that these tools can certainly make the process of making sourdough better, easier, and less wasteful in certain ways. Just don’t let any of these tools be a barrier to not trying your hand at baking sourdough. Without further adieu… here’s the list!
Sourdough Tool List
Danish Dough Hook
A lot of people like to mix sourdough with their hands. I am not one of those people! I don’t mind doing it that way but then both your hands are covered in sticky dough (which gets wasted) and you have to wash your hands off and it’s not great to rinse sourdough down the drain because it turns into cement when it dries. So I use this dough hook to mix my dough. To each their own, but I’m keeping my hands clean!
Banneton baskets
Bannetons are the baskets that are used to form the shape of the sourdough loaf as it rises. If you want a beautifully shaped loaf, you’re going to need one of these! During the proofing process, the gluten structure relaxes and banneton helps the dough hold its shape. While you could use a small steep sided bowl for this step, if you want a traditionally shaped loaf of bread, you will want to invest in some banneton baskets. I use 7” boules (round), and a 10” oval.
Bowl covers
Throughout the process of sourdough, there are many times where a bowl or banneton needs to be covered to ferment, rest, or rise. There are a few different options to cover your bowl.
I make most of my sourdough in the winter, which is extremely dry in Alaska. Plus we run a wood stove 24/7 which makes it even more dry. So while the most popular options to cover sourdough are a tea towel or a fabric bowl cover, I need more moisture retention than that.
If you are in a more humid state, these linen bowl covers would be a great option!
These bowl covers are lined and designed to retain moisture, so if you live somewhere dry, try those instead.
Once my bread is shaped and in its banneton, I have also used these plastic bowl covers. They fit perfectly over the bannetons I use and don’t allow the dough to try out.
Wooden spoons “spurtles”
You don’t need any special tool to stir sourdough, however, I really enjoy these small wooden spoons instead of a metal spoon. They are actually called spurtles. They are the right size for a jar and straight sided which helps to scrape the sides when you are stirring your starter.
Some people on the internet will say that you should avoid using metal with sourdough. I have used a metal utensil and a metal bowl successfully so I don’t get the debate but just a heads up that you may run into that opinion.
Jars
When you are feeding your start or making leaven, you have to place a top on the jar, but you don’t attach it or screw it down. These jars have a glass lid that fits into the groove of the jar. It’s nice because the lid is heavier and won’t move if it gets bumped. You can use a regular mason jar with a metal lid, but since it’s so light, it’s prone to being moved off center and potentially allowing air in and drying out the starter. I have this combination of jars. I like the medium one for a starter and the large one for making a leaven or multiple loaves of bread at once.
Ceramic bowl
When I first started making sourdough, I just used the bowls I had on hand. I had plastic and metal bowls but when you are stretching and folding sourdough, lighter bowls will come up off the counter. It’s nice to have a heavy bowl that will stay put as you pull on the dough. I thrifted a larger handmade bowl and my smaller bowl photographed above was my great grandmas. Here is a good example of a couple good sized bowls.
Bread Lame
A bread lame is a tool that holds a razor for scoring the bread. It’s necessary to score sourdough so that the steam can escape the bread. If you don’t score it, the steam will just push through the weakest area. The score is just a way of controlling how the loaf looks.
There are bread lames with long handles and with short handles. While both perform the same way, I prefer a short handle for more control. It’s just personal preference.
Bench scraper
Not only is a bench scraper really handy for shaping sourdough loaves. I also use it for cutting dough – bagels, english muffins, rolls, etc. It is also really nice for scraping down your counter after you’ve worked with sourdough. Sourdough is really sticky and hard to wipe up with just a kitchen washcloth and water. A bench scraper makes cleaning up so much easier!
Dutch oven
This is actually one of the tools that I don’t know if you can go without buying. I’m not sure a rustic sourdough loaf would bake properly without a dutch oven. I have used two different styles.
This one is a traditional style I started out with. I got it when I got married and was just using what I had. However, it is ceramic coated and I have a light color, and using it for baking at 450-500* does discolor it. Which isn’t a problem, it just looks used!
Now I use this style because I like using the skillet part as the bottom. And when I remove the top, it allows the oven to bake all the sides without a pan in the way. I just like the crust better that way!
Storage
There are a few ways I like to store my bread. If I am baking it the same day I am taking it somewhere, I like to use a linen bread bag so that the crust stays crunchy. This only keeps bread at its prime for 24 – 48 hours.
If I am gifting a bag, I like to put it in either a paper lunch bag or these gift bags. For the same reason as above, the paper will allow the crust to maintain its crunchiness.
After the first 24 hours or if I’m only using a loaf for toast, I will transfer to a regular gallon bag. This will soften the crust, but will keep the bread the longest in my opinion.
I don’t have extra room on my counter, but I know folks that also love this bread box for storing their weekly loaves!
Bread knife
Last, but certainly not least… in fact this may be THE most important tool of them all. A knife. Cutting sourdough with a poor knife is a travesty. Whenever I take bread to someone’s house and I’m not sure they have a good knife, I will bring my own. I like using a bow knife but this regular bread knife is also great! If you do go with a bow knife, please note the one I linked is right handed. If you are left handed you will need to get a left handed knife as it is only serrated on one side.
Sourdough Tools Short Link List
- Danish dough hook
- Banneton Baskets
- Bowl Covers
- Small wooden spoons “spurtles”
- Weck jars
- Ceramic bowl
- Bread lame
- Bench scraper
- Storage
- Bread knife
- Bow knife (right handed)
- Regular bread knife
If you like seeing my suggestions for the things I’m using the most, please go follow my Amazon storefront. I create lists there for what you might see in my Instagram stories or what people are asking about the most!
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