Baking Tools

I would say you don't need any of it. They can make things easier but most are not needed.  Really the only things I tend to recommend are scales and thermometers. You can still do free form loaves without all the tools. Floured up towels in bowls or on the counter can take the place of a lot of it. Knives can be used instead of a lame for scoring (or make one with a coffee stirrer or chopstick and razor blade). If you are using a loaf pan then that is fine too.

An instant read thermometer can be less than $10 and be used for meats as well (e.g. taylor digital instant read). Sometimes the bread will be undercooked when the outside looks fine (or even overcooked) just like grilling a steak. Of course you can get ones that are more expensive/faster/accurate but are not needed (especially as a beginner). A cheap oven thermometer helps too but if you are always using the same oven then you can just adjust based on experience.

If you want to up your consistency then a scale can be useful. They are only $30-$40 and can be used for other cooking/baking as well (or even postage). This also opens the door for a lot of formulas/recipes posted here. Especially with sourdough this can make a difference.

But really you can do without even those things. If you make the same bread several times you will learn your oven, kitchen, technique and adjust accordingly. Even with the "tools" you have to do this to some degree. You can try thumping the bottom of the bread or just keeping good notes for the next bake. It is amazing what good note taking can accomplish compared that all the tools out there.

BTW, a dutch oven is useful for bread making too. If you have one around this can be another option instead of the loaf pan if you want a round boule.

Good luck and have fun baking. ... post a pic of your finished bread including a crumb shot (i.e. cut a piece to show the inside).

I'm a firm believer in "Less is more"  and acquire tools that multitask, as well as "Get the right tool for the job". None of these statements interfere with the other. A scale and thermometer are important tools that a re so useful in other ways so I would consider getting them at some point. Meantime, your loaf is done when it is golden and sounds hollow when you thump the bottom. If is was still doughy in the middle, it would sound flat-the wet spot would absorb the vibrations. Try thumping a drum and a book.

As for fancy pans, look in your cupboards and at a local thrift shop. Anything that can go in the ovenand is foodsafe can be used for bread. I use glass casseroles (corningware), iron frying pans, foil,pizza pans/stones in any shape that works for you. And pie pans. There are a few specialty pans but most can be emulated. Oh,yes-cans,too. One year I bought 12 cans of sliced water chestnuts because the can was the correct shape for a baking project and was not a lined can(no white lining). Worked perfect. Chestnuts went into baggies in the freezer and used over time.

So look in your cupboards and be adventurous-try it.

Bake with fun!

I have no probylem using corningware or a glass pie pan to bake when putting it in the oven cold with cold dough. I would Never put cold dough(even room temp) in a preheated corning/glass. I have seen them shatter. If you want to preheat a container, look to using an iron chicken fryer,4 or 6 qt covered iron pan or even a frying pan with a foil cover.

Thermometers are a reasonable tool for the home baker. If you want to take the hard core approach to measuring the temperatures of flour and water before mixing, you've got to have one. They're really needed for taking the temperature of a finishing loaf until you know the behavior of your oven,

But take heart in the knowledge that you don't need to drop the big money for something so small. I bought a digital thermometer that I found in the barbecue grill department of Home Depot for less than $15 five years ago. Not only is it still working but I have yet to change the battery. I use it when I'm baking and when I'm experimenting out on the grill. Salmonella and other food borne illnesses are worse than a gummy center of a loaf so do yourself a favor, buy the thermometer and it will help eliminate these problems from your life.

If you don't use all those suggested tools and you're happy with the way your loaves turn out, splendid!

I find that a digital scale is a must-have for accurately measuring wet ingredients. A scale is more convenient, too. Simply tare out your scale and add the called-for amount of wet ingredient. You can get by with cups and teaspoons for dry ingredients.

A Dutch oven is not a must-have but a lot of people like them. There are other ways to introduce steam into an oven but you want to remove the steam source or take the lid off the D.O. after 15 - 20 minutes.

I proof my bread on a flax linen couche. It wicks up the surface moisture for a nice, crispy crust. I love it, but it is far from a must-have.

Omitting the obvious that you'd expect to find in a kitchen, like something to mix in, my thoughts on essential kit are:

• Digital scales absolutely required for getting consistent results (and as a Brit, I can't understand why anyone would measure in cups);
• Sufficient boards to shape and bench-rest dough - two decent sized ones, preferably one made of wood.
• Something to prove in: a couple of lined bannetons would be my preference, though a couche would be the alternative, if harder to get the hang of;
• Something to bake in or on: At the moment I'm getting better results from a baking stone than a Cloche, but if using a stone then you probably also need to think about creating steam;
• At least one dough scraper, especially if dealing with high hydration doughs.

Less essential, but well worth having:

• An oven thermometer to check if what your oven tells you the temperature really is the case.
• An inexpensive baker's peel, for getting free-form loaves onto a stone, if that's what you are using.

I should follow this by saying that I'm a kitchen wear junkie, so I hope I've been quite constrained in my recommendations of what's essential.

Happy baking! Colin

I'm not an overly gadget-y person, and for the most part I make do with what I've got knocking about around the house, especially as I'm relatively new to bread making and still figuring out what's what...

The things that I use which I already had are loaf tins and baking sheets, tea towels, a large old table knife (as a dough scraper), mixing bowls, measuring jugs and most importantly, I've found, my chicken brick. The chicken brick is a PITA for cooking chicken (it's a swine to clean afterwards) but is amazing for baking bread in.

The things I've bought are a set of electronic scales (less guesstimating on smaller quantities compared to my balance scales) and three bannetons - one for a large boule and two for smaller batards.

Now when it comes to ingredients, that's a different story LOL

except the scale and the thermometer (which i no linger need or use since it broke) at Goodwill.  Baskets are 50 cents each of all sized and shaped all kinds of oven proof cloches for a buck and even a baking great stone for $2  and a Romertopf too (Chicken Brick). adn some fine Pampered Chef mixing bowls.  You just have to be patient and catch the sale days.  I probably have $20 invested but most folks don't need 5-6 different cloches, a dozen basket and so many other things.  There are all kinds of great things in the Thrift shops located in good neighborhoods

Happy Thrifting 

PS  - the other thing i can't do without is parchment paper but at least you can use it over and over again when making bread so it goes a long way,

I started small and ended even smaller in terms of what I needed for baking:

• Thermometer: used it initially until I got a feel of how long it takes for dough to get the inside temp I needed.  After that, I don't use the thermometer any longer (I may if I try a new recipe).
• A few plastic baskets (already had them) and plain linen clothe for proofing, etc.
• A scale: Used it in the beginning, but now mostly follow my instinct about how wet the dough is and how wet it should be (again, unless I use a new recipe where I may need to weight ingredients until I get a feel for them).
• Baking stone: Use it all the time even if I bake in a dutch oven (almost always).
• Dutch over: Results are better if I use one.
• Dough scraper: Use all the time, helpful in working on stretch and fold's.
• Parchment paper: Use it all the time.

Hope this helps.