The Best Tools Making Sourdough, According to Testing

For baking your sourdough, a pan or a Dutch oven will do the trick, but a bread cloche can take your loaf’s crumb and crust to the next level. In our Lab tests, this bread cloche yielded a beautifully browned loaf every time. Both yeasted and sourdough loaves rose higher in this than in all other cloches we tested.

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While you can use a wide mouth mason jar with some cheesecloth over the mouth of the jar if you have one at home, we especially like this set from Lékué. The starter jar has a screw top with a valve so you can release air from the jar and it comes with a rubber band to help track the growth of your starter.

Traditional measuring cups and spoons could suffice for measuring ingredients, but a kitchen scale ensures precise amounts. For this reason, we highly recommend purchasing a kitchen scale if you're serious about bread baking. "Always weigh your (sourdough) starter using a scale, because a starter can vary in size based on how ripe it is and a scale will always give you the most accurate measurement," says Philip.

This particular scale stood out in our Lab tests for its accuracy. It also features a pull-out display that allows you to view the weight with ease even if your sourdough is in a large mixing bowl.

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If you're serious about sourdough baking, Martin Philip recommends investing in a set of Cambro containers with lids. "They're great to have for mixing dough and then proofing; you can easily monitor volumetric rise through a clear container," says Philip. While you're at it, get a few more to store all of the flours that you'll be baking with.

A proofing basket, which can help your loaf retain its shape and creates a rustic look, is a valuable replacement for a mixing bowl with a tea towel. If you've also ever wondered why your local bakery’s boule has an intricate ring pattern on top, the shop likely uses a basket like this during the final rise.

While you could use a bread knife or kitchen shears to score (aka cut slashes into your dough) before it bakes, a lame is an affordable upgrade which will yield great bread results. They typically have a long thin handle and a metal razor at the top. Using it on your bread before baking helps control the expansion so it keeps its shape and doesn't burst.

"Get a lame with a replaceable blade; it's key that it's very sharp or you won't be able to score correctly," says Philip. This lame from Saint Germain Baker comes with 10 replacement blades so you will always have a sharp blade at the ready.

While you don't need this stylish, innovative gadget, we think this is a game changer for maintaining an active starter. It will keep your starter at the right temp (75°F to 82ºF) on the counter so it stays active and ready to bake with regardless. It fits a variety of jar sizes, but Sourhouse has their own starter jar which allows for optimal air flow through its flexible silicone lid.

Plastic bench scrapers are usually very affordable and worth the buy for bread baking and beyond. Use it to peel dough off of your work surface or gently transfer a shaped dough from your proofing basket to baking cloche. You can even use one to portion out dough if you're making multiple loaves at once.

Pre-cut parchment paper is great to have around when baking, especially when you're making sourdough. Use it to help transfer your pre-shaped dough onto your baking surface. "Bakers cannot live without parchment; sourdough is in its most fragile state after proof and needs to be coddled (handled gently) and moved around on parchment," says Philip.

It also ensures that your loaf doesn't stick to your baking surface and you can double up on pieces if you notice that the bottom of your loaf is getting too dark in color. We love these sheets from King Arthur because they're durable and can withstand a high heat oven (up to 450ºF) without disintegrating into your bread like competitors.

If you don't have a bread box or bread storage solution already, may we recommend this Keeki Beeswax lined bag. We've been using it in our Lab as a sustainable solution to storing leftover sourdough and it's been working well.

While growing a sourdough starter from scratch can be rewarding, it does take some patience and nurturing. We tested out this sourdough starter from King Arthur Baking Company and had good results with it. It arrives in the mail fresh and needs to be fed upon arrival and you can start baking bread with it in a few days. You can also buy dehydrated sourdough starter from many Etsy sellers.

RELATED: How to Make a Sourdough Starter

When it comes to feeding sourdough starter or mixing dough, a wooden spoon or silicone spatula will come in very handy. We especially like using this silicone spoon and spatula hydrid for mixing and scooping sourdough ingredients. The spoon design is helpful for scooping ingredients, while its flexible sides are great for getting into the nooks and crannies of your starter jar or a mixing bowl. You can also throw it into the dishwasher, instead of scrubbing stuck-on dough from a wooden spoon.

A set of mixing bowls can come in handy, especially if you're new to bread baking. Weigh your ingredients in a bowl, mix and bulk ferment your dough in a large bowl. You can even put a tea towel inside a mixing bowl, lightly dust it with flour, add your loaf and conduct your final proof if you don't have have a proofing basket. Opaque bowls like these from Pyrex are especially helpful if you're conducting your bulk ferment, so you can monitor your dough's growth.

If you don't have a dutch oven or bread cloche, a pizza stone is a great tool for baking sourdough. It's also more versatile, since you can bake loaves of different sizes and shapes like long baguettes, bagels or two boules at once. This pizza stone is great with heat retention and churned out golden Margherita pizzas in our tests.

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You should always cool your sourdough bread after baking, at least for a hour or until the interior temperature is room temp (here's another place your thermometer comes in handy). Using a solid cooling rack, like this one from OXO, will ensure that your loaf's exterior remains crisp and there is good airflow around the baked good.

Some sourdough recipes call for hand kneading or using a stand mixer. While this isn't a required sourdough tool, a stand mixer like the KitchenAid Artisan Series 5-Qt. Stand Mixer with the dough hook attachment can help knead your dough quickly and without cramping your hands or tiring your wrists.

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This Thermoworks meat thermometer isn't just for meat; it's a great tool for bread baking. Monitoring the temperature of your dough along the bread making process is helpful for consistent results. You should aim for 190–210°F for the interior temperature of your final loaf of bread to ensure that its not gummy inside. This thermometer is our overall top performer and a past Kitchen Gear Award winner.

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A bread knife can help score your bread in a pinch, but is most helpful when it comes to cracking into your loaf. In testing, this bread knife from Victorinox sawed through hearty bread crusts and bagels just as well as it turned out paper-thin tomato and strawberry slices. Meaning, having ones of these on hand will ensure that a sandwich is in your future.

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