Equipment notes

Sourdough gear that matters

Six pieces of kit that the guides on this site lean on most. These are categories, not product picks: we don't review, test or rank equipment (see how we work), and there are no prices or ratings here.

The six basics

• A kitchen scale that reads to 1 g

  Every recipe on this site is in grams, and a scale that reads to 1 g lets you weigh salt, starter and water accurately, which cups cannot do.

  Used with the hydration calculator and baker's percentages.

  Link coming soon

• An instant-read probe thermometer

  It measures the two temperatures our guides lean on, your dough going into bulk fermentation and the inside of the loaf when you judge it baked.

  Used with the water temperature calculator and the bulk fermentation guide.

  Link coming soon

• A Dutch oven

  A heavy pot with a lid traps steam around the loaf early in the bake, which several of the schedules we compile use before taking the lid off to brown the crust.

  Used in the weekend baking schedule.

  Link coming soon

• A banneton (proofing basket)

  It holds a shaped loaf in its form during the final rise, often in the fridge, and a bowl lined with a floured towel does the same job.

  Used in the overnight vs same-day guide.

  Link coming soon

• A bench scraper

  A flat scraper lifts and turns sticky dough, divides it into even pieces and cleans the counter.

  Handy for dividing dough in the bagel and cinnamon roll guides.

  Link coming soon

• Bread flour

  Many of the recipes we compare use bread flour, which has more protein, for wetter doughs, so it is the one ingredient worth buying on purpose rather than swapping.

  Compare formulas in the sandwich bread and focaccia guides.

  Link coming soon

You can start with just a scale and a bowl. Everything else is a convenience that makes a result easier to repeat. Next: make a starter, or browse all guides.