5 Tools that Make Sourdough Even Easier
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I love that sourdough can be a super simple process that has been around for literally thousands of years! I’m also a huge fan of modern conveniences so below are some of my favorite tools that I use in the process of making my sourdough bread.
A Kitchen Scale: I never understood baking by weight until I began my sourdough journey! Most sourdough recipes are written in grams and once I started measuring in grams to follow those recipes, it was easier to see the relationship between dry and wet ingredients. It also makes any recipe easy to tweak or play with as well as double or halve as needed!
Banneton Baskets: While you can cold proof your dough in any bowl with a tea towel and some flour, I appreciate the consistency in size that my banneton baskets provide. Not to mention, when they’re sitting in my refrigerator I can easily move or stack them on other items without worrying that it will fall and break before I get to bake my bread! You’ll want a basket that could fit inside your dutch oven, so consider your baking vessel before choosing between a round or oval basket. Many bannetons come as a set with other sourdough tools.
Bench Knife: This handy tool is like an extension of my hand that the dough doesn’t get stuck to! I use it after shaping my dough, before cold proofing, to get the shaped loaf off my surface beautifully without tearing the dough and undoing the work I just put in to build tension on the outside of the dough.
Shower Caps: I often lose the battle with Saran Wrap so a simple pack of shower caps is a foolproof shortcut for me! You can use these to cover your bowl during bulk fermentation or to cover your banneton during cold proofing.
Bread Lame: A sturdy bread lame is super important when you’ve got a sharp razor in your hand and you’re trying to score your dough before baking!
Bonus: A cast iron Dutch oven! Cast iron is a great conductor of heat and when you’re baking sourdough bread you want a lot of heat! A Dutch oven with a lid is key to trapping in steam for the first part of your bake. This allows the crust to stay soft enough for the bread to rise fully, giving you a loaf of bread that is light inside and not gummy and dense. Then you’ll want to remove to lid for the last part of your bake so that the crust can toast up to your desired color. I find a lighter crust is ideal for most of our meals but if I’m planning to make bread for soup night, we go for a little extra crunch!
I hope you find this list helpful and that no matter what materials you have on hand you are able to enjoy your sourdough journey!