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Starting something new can be fun and exciting, but there can also be some scary upfront costs that come with a new project. The price tag can be a stopping point for many people, especially if they are not sure if they are going to want to enjoy this new activity.
Sourdough is no different. The internet is full of people who tell you all the fancy new stuff you need to buy to start making your own sourdough bread. I am here to tell you today that they are not correct. Before I started, I bought one thing, and I didn’t even end up needing it. While I am sure it is not the case for everyone, most people will be able to start making sourdough bread with what they already have.
If you are curious as to why I began making sourdough bread, you can click here to read all of my reasonings.
I will be sharing my favorite options for all of these, but they are not required.
Needed Tools
Bowl
You need some sort of container to hold your dough while you mix it and while it rises. This can be a mixing bowl, the bowl of a stand mixer, or a large food storage container. My personal favorite is a large glass Pyrex bowl that came with a lid I found thrifting.
Bowl Cover
Something air-tight to cover your dough while it is doing its first and second rise is needed to prevent a crust from forming on the outside. This can be a lid to your bowl, plastic wrap, aluminum foil a damp towel, or a plate. My go-to method is a plate over the bowl for the first rise and then a damp tea towel on the second.
Mixing Apparatus
You will need something to mix your dough with. This can range from something as fancy as a stand mixer or bread machine down to the basic hands with everything in between. Wooden spoons, metal forks, a spatula, or a whisk. I enjoy my Dutch Dough Whisk and how fancy it makes me feel, but it is not required.
Sealable Container
You will need some sort of air-tight container to store your sourdough starter. Depending on how much you intend to keep, you can use anything from that Pyrex bowl I mentioned previously to a pint-sized mason jar.
Measuring Device
I am not a big stickler on measuring, but it is nice to have something as a guide. There are measuring cups or a kitchen scale. If you find a recipe you wish to make, that is one way or another, you can do a quick search on the conversions. I like to use a scale so I don’t have to wash as many measuring cups.
Heat Producing Component
Baking of the bread is a required step. While I have only ever used a regular oven, there are many more options. You can bake stove top or over a fire. You can use a bread machine, crock pot or even the microwave.
Baking Vessel
While fun and nice to have, a Dutch oven is not necessary to make sourdough bread. A loaf pan or even a flat baking sheet works just as well. Just because it doesn’t look like the picture on the internet doesn’t mean that it won’t taste wonderful and feed yourself and your family all the same.
Needed Ingredients
Required ingredients are a bit more specific than the tools, but not as much as some will have you believe. Based on the recipe you choose, you may need more or less than what I am going to discuss below, but these are the most important to have and to get right. My favorite loaf of bread consists of these four things.
Starter
To make sourdough bread, you will need a sourdough starter. This is the yeast component of the bread. You can make your own, buy one off the internet, or ask a friend. I have never known a sourdough enthusiast who was unwilling to share. If you start asking around, I am sure you will be able to find someone. I personally started my own, but it would have been so much easier to have borrowed. The bread would be the same.
Flour
This is a polarizing topic. People have very strong opinions on the appropriate flour to use. I have used white all-purpose, bread flour, whole wheat, freshly milled (several varieties), and am here to tell you it doesn’t matter. The only thing that is important is to use unbleached flour to avoid killing the yeast and bacteria in the starter. The only thing the rest of it affects is the taste and nutritional value. You can feed your starter with anything and substitute any variety to make a loaf how you want.
Water
This one is very simple. The only requirement is purified water. The chlorine that is often added to water can kill the yeast in the same way bleach from flour can. I have a Brita filter that lives in my fridge with off-brand filters to change out.
As a bonus fact, you don’t have to feed your starter with only water. I personally love to use milk when I am going to be making pancakes. I would recommend keeping a master starter that is only fed with water. I have never experimented to see how it would go long-term to use other liquids.
Salt
Another basic one. You are going to need salt and lots of it when you start baking bread. Any kind of salt will do. I buy 5 pounds of pink salt and use it for everything.
Extra Tools
There are other things that are nice to have if you develop a love of bread making and want to have the ability to branch out and make that picture-perfect loaf. But none of those items are necessary to have. Particularly not when you are first starting out, and trying to determine if this is something you want to do long term.
Dutch Oven
I think a beautifully scored, round, crispy artisan loaf hot from the Dutch oven is what everyone thinks about when they visualize sourdough bread. If you are concerned with the investment, I would recommend an option that can be used for other things. I have one that has a flat lid so it can be used as a skillet.
Bench Scraper
A bench scraper, specifically one with a curved edge, can make it much easier to get all the dough out of your bowl, as well as a convenient way to cut dough into smaller pieces and clean it from your counter top.
Lame
A lame is a sharp razor blade used for scoring bread. While a knife works perfectly well, a smaller lame makes it easier to create pretty patterns.
Dutch Dough Wisk
I think my Dutch Dough Whisk is one of my favorite kitchen utensils. I use it for everything. It makes mixing and lump removal so much easier than using a regular whisk, and everything doesn’t get caught in the middle. I highly recommend.
Stand Mixer
A stand mixer can help you to have a more hands-off bread-making experience. You can throw the ingredients in the bowl and let it run for a while while you take care of other tasks. I have and use my Kitchen-Aid all the time, but have found that any bread recipe can be made using stretch and folds, and find it a more therapeutic experience to do so.
More To Explore
There are so many other options for different tools you can use to make sourdough bread. You can use a bread machine, a banneton basket, or get a special jar for your starter. I never have, and therefore am not going to recommend them to you.
I hope you found this post helpful as you look to start your very own sourdough journey. Please leave a comment if there is something you think is essential for successful sourdough bread making.
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