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From Starter to Success
18
items I've been in your shoes. You want to start making sourdough, but the sourdough world seems complicated, time-consuming and overwhelming. This list gathers the must-have sourdough essentials for beginners, made with simple and reliable tools to help m...
Sections
4
For the Starter
For the Loaves
For Both
Flours
For the Starter
Invest in a FEW good jars. It's good to have extra on hand when you need to clean current ones. I also like ones without any “lips” on the inside as the lips make it more difficult to keep the sides clean.
Glass Jar
#ad This is to mark your starter so you know when it doubles. There is no need to buy these. Find something laying around your house: painter's tape, a pony tail, almost anything will work.
Rubber Bands
#ad This is, hands down, my favorite sourdough tool. It makes mixing the starter so simple, and it cleans the sides of jars almost perfectly so you're not missing out on any of your starter.
Silicone Spatula Set
#ad The majority of my sourdough loaves spend their time in bowls like this. In between stretching and during bulk ferments and proofing, it lives in a bowl. Highly recommend getting ones with lids too as your loaves need to be covered.
Mixing Bowls
#ad This makes your life easy. Less dishes (no measuring cups), it's more precise AND it's so much faster. Do not start your sourdough journey without a scale.
Digital Kitchen Scale for Food
#ad For consistent warm temps for your starter. Not a necessity, but definitely helps! An oven with the light on works too; this is what I do.
Sourdough Starter Warmer Mat
For the Loaves
#ad This helps to easily take your loaf out of the dutch oven without burning yourself.
Bread Sling for Dutch Oven
#ad Perfect for scoring your sourdough before it goes in the oven! This even comes with a carrying case and blade cover.
Sourdough Scoring Tool
#ad This is what your bread proofs in before it's ready to be baked. I like having multiple so you can proof multiple loaves at once, and I like that these come with the cloths to prevent dough sticking to the banneton.
Banneton Bread Proofing Basket
#ad Not a necessity, but definitely helpful. Helpful for your “slap and folds” and/or “stretch and folds." It's easier to do on a table than in the bowl.
Silicone Rectangular Baking Mat
#ad This is what you bake your sourdough in. This is essential because it gets hot enough for the dough, and it captures steam with the lid, which is needed for a good loaf.
Cast Iron Dutch Oven Pot with Lid
#ad This is used to mix you dough initially. You can get away with this, but I don't like the feeling of the sticky dough on my hands, so I use this whisk.
304 Stainless Steel Danish Dough Whisk, 12-inch
For Both
#ad This seems silly, but you'll cover your dough and starter quite frequently and this comes in handy!
Glad Press'N Seal Food Plastic Wrap
#ad Again, this seems silly but you SHOULD NOT put sourdough starter down the sink drain, and so I use paper towels often to just throw it in the trash instead.
Brawny Tear-A-Square 3-Ply Paper Towels
#ad Not a necessity, but I like making sure things are the right temp when feeding my starter and this helps a lot! “Room temp” is not the same at my house because I keep it cold.
Instant Read Thermometer
Flours
Don't complicate it. Get some simple UNBLEACHED ALL-PURPOSE flour. You'll use it a lot.
All-Purpose Unbleached Flour
Speaks for itself. This is what you use to make the loaves in addition to the starter.
Great Value Enriched and Unbleached Bread Flour, 5LB Bag
You can use this flour for dusting your loaves, however, I've found all-purpose flour to work just fine.
Rice Flour