12 Amazon Must-Haves For Baking Sourdough Bread

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You may have heard that, when it comes to baking sourdough bread, all you need is flour, water, yeast, and patience. While that's a sweet sentiment, the reality is, those who are serious about baking this most excellent kind of bread need a surprising number of tools to make their sourdough dreams come true. We looked to Amazon to find everything one might need to start a sourdough hobby and found 12 items that make the process easier for you and take your bread baking to the next level.

Don't let this list intimidate you if you're a new baker and want to get in on the sourdough game; most of these items are pretty affordable, and all of them have excellent reviews from other customers. You might even have some of these products at home already, such as a digital scale, a bench scraper, and an instant-read thermometer. As for all of our other choices, we don't find any of them superfluous, but simply helpful in easily creating attractive, successful loaves of sourdough.

To make a great loaf of sourdough, you need a sourdough starter, which is basically a mixture of flour and water that has been "fed" and left to ferment over a number of days; it's what makes a sourdough loaf rise. You need to keep this concoction in a container, and we love this set of two because you can see how much your starter grows. Having two jars instead of one just makes feeding the starter easier with less cleanup, and it's always a good idea to have a backup starter.

Buy the Farielyn-X Sourdough Starter Jar Kit for $19.99 from Amazon.

A bread proofing basket (also called a banneton or brotform) is extraordinarily helpful in making sure your bread dough rises properly. This option includes two baskets made of rattan that provide great airflow and release your dough effortlessly. The spiral lines in the basket also make your loaves look attractive and professional. Even better, these baskets include covers for draping over the bowls as your bread rises.

Buy the Dimpola Banneton Bread Proofing Baskets for $23.99 from Amazon.

If you make sourdough bread, you're going to be stirring, combining, and mixing a lot of sticky dough. While you certainly can use a wooden spoon or spatula to do the job, you save yourself a lot of frustration (and sticky fingers) by using a Danish dough whisk. This handy tool doesn't resemble a traditional whisk at all, but it's specifically designed so the dough doesn't clump between the wires.

Buy an Orblue Premium Danish Dough Whisk for $7.99 from Amazon.

You know those lines you see on the top of sourdough loaves? Chances are, they were put there by a bread lame scoring tool, which is essentially a type of razor blade. You can score your bread simply with a line or two down the middle, or get creative by scoring gorgeous designs. Regardless, scoring your bread dough is a necessary step in controlling where and how your loaf expands in the oven.

Buy the KacNacPro Bread Lame Sourdough Scoring Tool for $9.99 from Amazon.

This unique baking vessel looks a bit like a Dutch oven, but is designed specifically for baking bread loaves. The reason these types of cast iron pans work so well for baking bread is because the heavy lid traps beneficial steam, which gives bread loaves an irresistibly crispy crust. In fact, steam is so crucial to excellent loaves that professional bread baking ovens include built-in steamers. We adore this dark teal hue, but the dome is available in a rainbow of color options.

Buy the Edging Casting Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven Pot with Lid for $59.99 from Amazon.

A lot of serious home cooks already have a bread slicing knife, but this one is made for precise, even slices, and is perfect for those of us without a steady hand. The sharp serrated blade cuts through firm crusts with ease, and the brilliantly designed wooden handle creates uniform slices every time. The knife comes in both right and left handed styles, and is built so that switching out the blade is a cinch. The knife comes with an extra blade and a blade guard for safekeeping.

Buy the Uprichya Sourdough Knife for $15.99 from Amazon.

If you can bear to share your expertly created sourdough loaves, gift them in something nice. Of course, you can store them for yourself in these pretty bags, too (even though the best place to store your bread is in the freezer). This set includes 50 kraft paper bags with clear cellophane windows that show off your baking creations. Each is emblazoned with the words, "Sharing love. One slice at a time," and "The best things are homemade." You also get 50 "fresh baked" stickers to secure the bags after your loaves are tucked away inside.

Buy the Kibaga Clear Window Bakery Paper Bags for $12.99 from Amazon.

A reliable kitchen scale is crucial for successful sourdough bread baking. This digital scale measures in grams; when it comes to bread baking, measuring by volume isn't nearly as reliable as the weight of the ingredients. This one is sleek, small, affordable, can easily be stored in a cabinet or kitchen drawer, and comes in some gorgeous colors, like mint green and pink.

Buy the Etekcity Kitchen Scale for $13.99 from Amazon.

Having help in the kitchen is always a good thing, even when it comes in the form of a great cookbook. If you're a sourdough beginner, you definitely want some guidance. There are many wonderful sourdough books available, but we love "Flour Water Salt Yeast" because the author takes the reader step-by-step through the process, from the tools you need, to the best ingredients, to getting cracking on your starter. Plus, this book has an average rating of 4.7 on Amazon from over 15,000 reviews.

Buy "Flour Water Salt Yeast: The Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza" for $37.99 from Amazon.

When it comes time to use the slap and fold technique and stretch your bread dough, you need a large container to do these steps comfortably. These Cambro containers with lids are perfect for the job. We love that they're etched with liter and quart measurement lines, meaning when your bread directions tell you to let your dough rest until it's doubled in size, you know exactly when that is.

Buy a Cambro Round Food Storage Container with Lid for $9.90 from Amazon.

If you want to know exactly when your sourdough loaves are done, you absolutely need an instant-read thermometer. For the record, that's when your loaf is anywhere between 190 and 200 degrees Fahrenheit. This TempPro model gives you accurate readings in just one second, and can also be used for gauging meat, frying oil, caramel, and more.

Buy the TempPro TempSwift Instant Read Thermometer for $19.99 from Amazon.

When you're shaping or dividing dough, it can still be a little sticky, especially doughs that are supposed to be very hydrated (such as ciabatta and some types of sourdough). Instead of saturating it with more flour, just use a bench scraper to pick up every last bit of dough. It's also great for cleaning up flour and dried bits of bread dough. This tool is also handy for making homemade pasta, scooping up ingredients, and smoothing out frostings on cakes.

Buy an Amazon Basics Multi-Purpose Bench Scraper for $7.33 from Amazon.