The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Best advice for baking equipment ?

Popo85's picture
Popo85

Best advice for baking equipment ?

Hi Guy,

I'm a newbie in that domain but I plan to buy some stuff to realise a very good bread but I'm not sure what are the basic ?

For exemple to realise a traditional "french baguette" I'm looking for a lame like that as a professional recommand me : http://www.maspatule.com/plaque-a-pain-et-accessoires/3842-incisette-a-pain-patisse.html

Also I was looking for a corn to cut my preparation, something like that : https://www.kookit.com/ustensiles-cuisine/accessoires-cuisine/spatule/corne-a-patisserie-coupe-pate-de-buyer

This are the basic but what do you think if I invest in this kind of product to realise a perfect form (picture of the topic) ?

Thank a lot for your time ^^

Regards,

Popo

MichaelLily's picture
MichaelLily

Lame is a good idea, then I'd get a bench knife rather than a dough scraper, also a linen couche and a baking stone with some sort of cover to trap steam.  Many get unglazed quarry tiles.  I've had good success using inverted bowls or deep trays to create a steam cover.

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

This lets you discover the wonderful world of bread making without much cost and then, after you have the basics down, you can discover what equipment you need for the bread you like to make and eat.

You are making a loaf that will cost about a dollar including energy when all done so mo sense on buying stuff now that you may not need later.  Use a aerated tomato knife to score.  You can proof in any colander lined with a rice floured kitchen towel and bagged in a trash bag.  You van cover your bread, to steam it, with any oven proof pot that is big enough.  You can stack a couple of jelly roll pans to approximate a stone.   You can use stretch and folds and slap and folds for developing the gluten for almost all great breads. 

Later, not far off at all ......say a couple of months, you can buy what ever you really need.  I bought all of my baking stuff, 2 stones, several Dutch ovens and pots and 12 baskets of various sizes, 3 large mixing bowls that double as cloches and everything else I use to make bread for about $20 at Goodwill over a couple of months.  But I did buy a mill and a dehydrator to make and grind sprouted and whole grains.   Bread making should be fun most of all and put fine bread on the table for all to enjoy.

You need may be different but you will discover them in short order.

Happy baking and welcome to the Fresh Loaf where all things bread are known and shared by all.

Slow bread makes the best bread and being slow to buy is just a good.

Happy baking 

doughooker's picture
doughooker

Things I wouldn't want to bake without:

  • A good scale is a must-have.
  • I agree that a linen couche is a good thing to have, but you can use an ordinary towel if you don't want to spend the money.
  • Oven thermometer
  • Banneton or similar vessel such as a bowl to contain dough while it is proofing
  • Bench and bowl scrapers.
  • I assume you have a suitable mixing bowl.
  • Something to mix dough if you don't want to get it all over your hands and fingers, anything from a simple dough whisk to an electric mixer.
  • Oven mitts/gloves or potholders.

Most of these things can be had inexpensively; check your local thrift store. A good digital scale will cost a little and an electric mixer can cost a lot.

lepainSamidien's picture
lepainSamidien

Réfléchissez d'abord !

Before plunging into an investment in too much material, get comfortable making bread with what you have and adapt as necessary. Yes, that's a precise echo of what dabrownman said, but good wisdom is rare and worth repeating. You need very little beyond a bowl and a surface on which to bake your bread. Yes, the gadgets can be fun and convenient, but they're ultimately useless if you find out you don't like making bread all that much.

A small kitchen scale, while not indispensable, is probably the only gadget you should invest in. You can find one online or in n'importe quel kitchen store for under 30 bucks. 

Lazy Loafer's picture
Lazy Loafer

I listed a few of my favourite things a while back, at this post. If I was to narrow it down even further, I'd say the accurate digital scale was number one, followed by the bench and bowl scrapers. The probe thermometer is awfully handy too. Then the granite stones.

doughooker's picture
doughooker

I like your wire-mesh proofing forms. Get ya a piece of Mozart linen to line it with and you've really got someting!

https://www.fabric.com/buy/0347069/telio-mozart-linen-natural

Lazy Loafer's picture
Lazy Loafer

When I use the wire forms I line each one with cotton napkins that I got from the thrift shop. Works great! However, I've since replaced them with something that works even better - wooden 'holders' lined with bamboo placemats (a dollar each at the dollar store). Even wet dough doesn't stick to them and it's easy to roll the dough out onto peels for loading into the oven.

doughooker's picture
doughooker

You could probably simplify the construction by simply gluing & screwing some 1 x 4's perpendicular to a piece of plywood, letting the bamboo material hang, forming a naturally-curved channel.

Big bakeries use lots of these.

Lazy Loafer's picture
Lazy Loafer

I like these because they come apart easily and take up little room to store...

doughooker's picture
doughooker

Dough scrapers aren't very expensive and a good bench scraper will make the chore of hand kneading more pleasant. You might be able to find some kind of plasterer's tool cheaper at a hardware/home improvement store that can be used as a dough scraper.

Various kinds of bowls can be repurposed for baking.

Old saying: "Buy an expensive tool and you'll cry when you buy it. Buy a cheap tool and you'll cry when you use it."

Popo85's picture
Popo85

Hi guys,

 

Thank a lot for all yours feedbacks :)

 

Time to do bread !

 

Popo