Essential Equipment for Making Great Bread at Home

Bread-baking is one of the oldest culinary traditions on the planet, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a culture that doesn't make one sort of bread or another. But just because our ancestors made do with elbow grease and crude tools doesn't mean we need to follow suit.

A handful of tried-and-true essentials can make the bread-baking process far easier and more reliable. No matter the type of loaf you choose, here's what you should plan to have on hand. Get the full list right here.

A Stand Mixer

When making dough, we almost always start with our stand mixer and a dough hook. Not only does it guarantee consistent results, it's a lot easier than using your hands. That said, a stand mixer isn't strictly necessary; the biggest mixing bowl in your house will also do in a pinch.

A Bench Scraper

The bench scraper is essential when dividing and shaping loaves, and will make cleanup much easier. (For those unprepared, you'll get flour everywhere during the baking process if you do it right. This is part of the fun. Wear some shoes you don't care about, and save your black clothes for a different date.)

Proofing Materials

Once your loaves are shaped, it's time for the proofing and fermentation process. We like to proof bread dough in baskets lined with undyed cloth. Baskets help the loaves keep their structure and shape during the final proof.

A Large Heatproof Dish

To actually bake your bread, you'll also need a Dutch oven of some kind. We like to use the slightly unorthodox Lodge Combo Cooker to bake bread at home. Not only does it cost under $40, its dimensions are perfect for making classic hearth-style bread.

A Baking Steel

For our basic country-style white bread, a Baking Steel or baking stones aren't strictly essential, but they can measurably improve the performance of your oven by adding thermal mass. Home ovens lose a lot of heat when they're opened, which is bad for bread because we need that heat to get the full rise out of our loaves.

An Oven Thermometer

While we're on the topic of ovens, ensuring that yours is hot enough to begin with is a good idea. Many ovens are incorrectly calibrated, meaning that what you're seeing on the dial may not be the temperature your oven's reaching inside. A good, basic oven thermometer is cheap; having an accurate oven is priceless.

Get the whole story (and read more equipment reviews) right here!