The Baker's Best No Images? Click here   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! Essential Equipment for Baking Great Bread The Best Tools Under $50       Serious Eats 88 35th St Ste 602 Brooklyn, NY 11232 Click Preferences to control which emails you receive from Serious Eats. Clicking Unsubscribe will remove you from all Serious Eats emails…which would be sad. Preferences  |  Unsubscribe

A Sweet Taste of Spring: Rhubarb Crisp

Your Recipe of the Day No Images? Click here Rhubarb Crisp This crisp is everything a crisp should be: tender pieces of rhubarb in a thick sauce under a crunchy layer of streusel. The trick is baking the rhubarb in stages, then stirring in a pinch of sodium bicarbonate to help neutralize some of its sharp acidity. The result is tart but mellow and beautifully aromatic. If you're not into the idea of pure rhubarb, try a Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp instead. Read More → The Kitchen Essential Tapioca Starch Tapioca starch forms a light, clear gel that keeps the filling gooey and thick, never gloppy. Shop Now   More Spring-y Desserts Sour Cream Pound Cake Lemon Meltaways   Fresh and Creamy Lime Pie Cherry Ice Cream   Serious Eats 88 35th St Ste 602 Brooklyn, NY 11232 Click Preferences to control which emails you receive from Serious Eats. Clicking Unsubscribe will remove you from all Serious Eats emails…which would be sad. Preferences  |  Unsubscribe

How to *Actually* Season a Cast Iron Pan

What's new on Serious Eats No Images? Click here FEATURES How to Season a Cast Iron Pan (It's Easier Than You Think!) We here at Serious Eats use our cast iron cookware to death. After testing countless methods, we've found that most of the complex rules of cast iron are nothing more than superstition. Here, we tell you the simple steps you need to know to keep your new best friend happy and healthy. Read Now EQUIPMENT ​ The Best Mother's Day Gifts: Cookware, Food, and Cocktail Edition Great Mother's Day gift ideas for moms who love good food and drink. Read Now TECHNIQUES Quick, Easy, and Delectable: Spaghetti con la Colatura di Alici This simple dish is the no-cook-sauce sibling to aglio e olio that's amped up on umami, thanks to the addition of Italian aged fish sauce, colatura. Read Now Email Continues After Ad Below THE KITCHEN ESSENTIAL Colatura  Colatura is umami bomb pantry item that works great as a base for a silky, salty sauce or as finishing oil for a pile of pasta. Shop Now FEATURES Elazar's Sunday Stories: Where to Eat Alone in NYC Our assistant editor's take on the best places to dine solo in the city. Read Now TECHNIQUES The Best Japchae Is Made at Home Forget the steaming-hot, gloopy versions of this dish you may have seen in Korean restaurants. This more subdued version of japchae is full of flavorful and colorful ingredients—the way it's supposed to be. Read Now   Serious Eats 88 35th St Ste 602 Brooklyn, NY 11232 Click Preferences to control which emails you receive from Serious Eats. Clicking Unsubscribe will remove you from all Serious Eats emails…which would be sad. Preferences  |  Unsubscribe