Equipment list
You need far less than the internet suggests. The basics are genuinely enough for a good loaf — everything after that just makes it easier or more repeatable.
Basic
You can bake a very good loaf with only these. Start here and spend nothing else until you want to.
Digital scales (1g steps)
Sourdough is weighed, not measured in cups. This is the one thing worth buying first.
Large mixing bowl
Big enough for the dough to double without climbing out.
Jar for the starter, loose lid
A clean jam jar is fine. The lid rests on, it does not seal.
Dough scraper or a wide spoon
Gets wet dough off your hands and out of the bowl.
Clean tea towel
Covers the bowl, lines a basket, dries your hands.
Cast-iron casserole with a lid
A lidded pot traps steam, which is what gives you a crisp crust. A deep tin with a tray over it also works.
Baking parchment
Lets you lower the dough into a very hot pot without burning yourself.
Oven gloves
You are handling metal at 240°C. Two hands, dry gloves.
A sharp knife or blade
One confident cut across the top so the loaf opens where you want it to.
Cooling rack
Air underneath the loaf, or the base goes soggy.
Useful
None of these bake the bread for you, but each one makes the same result easier to repeat.
Banneton (proving basket) and liner
Holds the shaped loaf in a round or oval while it proves, and wicks moisture off the skin.
Bench scraper
Shaping on the worktop becomes far less of a wrestle.
Loaf tin or Pullman tin
A tin loaf is the easiest sandwich bread and very forgiving.
Probe thermometer
Dough temperature is the single biggest reason a bake runs fast or slow. Knowing it takes the guesswork out.
A second jar
So there is always a clean one and you are never washing up mid-feed.
Cling film or a reusable shower cap
Stops a skin forming while the dough rests.
Large tub with a lid
Straight sides make it easy to see how much the dough has actually risen.
Lame (scoring tool)
A proper blade scores cleanly without dragging the dough.
Timer
Folds and rests come round quickly. The app's timeline does this for you if you would rather not watch the clock.
Going all out
For when you are properly hooked and baking most weeks. Lovely to have, never necessary.
Stand mixer with a dough hook
Takes the work out of wetter or enriched doughs.
Baking steel or stone
Fierce base heat for loaves baked straight on the shelf rather than in a pot.
Proofing box or heated mat
Holds a steady temperature, so your timings stop changing with the weather.
Bread knife with a long serrated blade
Cuts a crisp crust without crushing the crumb.
A second banneton
Two loaves from one bake — one to keep, one to give away.
Grain mill
Fresh-milled flour tastes noticeably different. It also drinks more water.
Scales that read to 0.1g
For salt and very small starter builds.
Bread bags or a crock
Keeps a cut loaf good for days instead of hours.
Not sure what a word means? Sourdough language explains every term this app uses in plain English.