Sourdough Baking Tools

I’m definitely not an expert in the sourdough world, but it’s something I love to do! I’m getting the hang of it the more I do it, and I just love all things sourdough. I’ve been reading books and listening to podcasts all about it. I’m becoming a little bit of a sourdough nerd, and I’m here for it! Eventually I want to learn to make my own recipes, but for now I’ve been trying others while I’m still learning.

I’ve also loved trying out some new tools specifically for sourdough. Here are my favorite baking tools for sourdough so far! I also included a list of some favorite sourdough bread and other recipes at the bottom as well. Hope this helps if it’s something you’re interested in doing! My biggest advice is just do it. Mess up, make mistakes, and have fun! The more you do it, the better you get and the more you learn, just like with anything!

Ten Sourdough Baking Tools

Banneton: Not all recipes call for a banneton, but more traditional ones do. I use this for the sourdough country loaf (recipe below) recipe that I make. You may not even need one to start out, but it’s definitely great to have the more you get into sourdough baking.
Shower caps: Shower caps are the best hack for covering your bowl! Whenever a recipe calls for covering your bowl with plastic wrap, I use a reusable shower cap. It works wonders to save on plastic wrap, fits my bowls perfectly, and I just keep reusing them over and over. I shared this tip HERE too!
Weck jars: These are the best jars. One of my favorites and my personal preference when it comes to jars. I especially love it for my sourdough starter, because of the wide top and they’re so pretty.
Food scale: You can use a food scale for so many things! Most sourdough recipes are measured by weight because it’s a more precise way of measuring. It’s also better because it’s less dishes to use since you don’t need measuring cups or spoons. This scale has been great!
Sourdough starter: Okay so heres’s my take on this one haha, because I’ve never made a starter myself. My neighbor bought a starter from this company and then ended up sharing with me! It’s worked great and I love it so much! If you want to make your own, you can find any recipe online. The Clever Carrot is always a good resource! You can also buy dehydrated starter. If you’re going to go that route, I’d buy from Ballerina Farm!
King Arthur flour: Hands down my favorite flour. I buy a giant bag of the all-purpose flour from Costco.
Bread lame: This is the best to have to score your sourdough. Scoring the top helps the steam to release while the bread is cooking so it can rise well. I’ve used a sharp knife and it works too, but it doesn’t work nearly as well as a bread lame.
Bench scraper: Having one of these is also super helpful. It makes it easy to shape your dough ball, to pick it up, and also to clean your countertop and scoop up stuff. We use it for a ton of things!
Dough hook: This is definitely not required, but I love my dough hook. I use it for mixing everything instead of a whisk, and it works wonders. I got mine from the Food Nanny, but hers are always sold out. Most sourdough recipes call for using your hands, so that works just fine too.
Lodge dutch oven: This is a bonus item! I actually don’t have this one in the picture, but it should be! I actually use an oval Le Creuset because it was passed down to me by my mom. It’s amazing and great quality and is almost 20 years old and still amazing. But you definitely don’t need to spend that much! I use Lodge cast iron for all our cast iron needs and have had my eye on this dutch oven! It’s a great price and perfect for bread and lots of other things! I also think this beautiful Tramontina dutch oven would be great too, we use all their stainless steel items!