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My Sourdough Baking Essentials 🍞
11
items These are the sourdough tools I actually use in my own kitchen. You don’t need everything here, but each item has helped make my sourdough more consistent and less stressful.
Sections
2
Sourdough Starter Heating Mat (Optional but Game-Changing)
Optional Tools That Make Sourdough Easier
Sourdough Starter Heating Mat (Optional but Game-Changing)
You don’t have to have this, but I love it. It keeps dough from sticking, makes cleanup easy, and I use it all the time.
Non-Slip Silicone Pastry Mat
This isn’t the exact brand I use, but it’s the same style. I prefer a glass bowl with a handle and lid for sourdough. It’s easier to mix, pour, and move around, and I like being able to see the dough as it ferments.
Glass Mixing Bowl with Handle (My Preferred Style)
I don’t use the bowl covers that come with mixing bowls — I use these instead. They’re easy to throw on, fit a lot of different bowl sizes, and work great for proofing dough.
Disposable Bowl Covers for Proofing Dough
I’ve used these and also ones from Dollar Tree. As long as it’s a tea towel with no fuzzy side, it works great for covering dough or lining baskets.
Lint-Free Tea Towels for Proofing Dough
I actually use small plastic colanders from Dollar Tree for proofing. They do leave tiny drain-hole marks on the dough, but it’s not very noticeable. They’ve worked well for me and were inexpensive.
Plastic Colander for Proofing Dough
Before I ever had a Dutch oven, I baked sourdough in my mom’s deep cast-iron skillet with a lid — and it worked just fine.
You do NOT have to have a Dutch oven to make great sourdough.
That said… my son surprised me with this Dutch oven for Mother’s...
🥖 Dutch Oven (Optional but I’m Obsessed)
Optional Tools That Make Sourdough Easier
A simple heating mat that keeps my starter consistent during colder months. Optional — but a total game changer if your kitchen runs cool.
You don’t have to have this for sourdough, but it has been a total game changer for me. My starter rises more consistently, especially in cooler months, and I don’t have to guess if my kitchen is warm enough.
Sourdough Heating Mat Dough Proofing Box 59-140°F
You don’t have to have these for sourdough, but they make baking so much easier. I love how simple it is to lift the dough in and out of the hot Dutch oven without worrying about parchment paper or burns.
Silicone Sourdough Bread Sling Mat, 2 Pack
You don’t have to have this for sourdough, but it definitely helps. It makes scoring cleaner and easier than using a knife, especially if you’re still learning.
Bread Lame for Sourdough Scoring & bread whisk
You don’t have to have these, but they come in very handy. I use them for mixing, scraping bowls clean, and handling sticky dough without the mess.
Flexible Dough & Bowl Scrapers
I don’t own a banneton yet, but if I get one, I’d choose silicone. The woven baskets can grow mold if they’re not dried really well. Silicone is easier to clean and store.
Silicone Banneton Basket (Preferred Over Woven)