You can bake a superb loaf with very little equipment. Here is what earns its place on the counter, and what you can skip.
What you need
- Digital kitchen scales that weigh in single grams. Bread is made by weight; cups and spoons are too rough for sourdough.
- A large mixing bowl, glass or plastic, with room for the dough to grow by half.
- A casserole pot with a lid, cast iron or enamelled, about 24 cm across, that can take 250 °C. It traps the steam that lets a loaf rise in the oven.
- A proving basket, called a banneton, about 22 cm round or 25 cm oval. A bowl lined with a well-floured tea towel works just as well.
- A dough scraper: a flexible plastic one for the bowl, and a stiff metal one for the counter if you have it.
- A razor blade or a very sharp knife for scoring.
- Rice flour for dusting the basket. It doesn’t absorb water, so the dough doesn’t stick.
Useful, not essential
- A probe thermometer, to check your water and your dough
- A clear, straight-sided container for the dough, so you can see it rise
- A wire rack for cooling
What you can skip
Stand mixers, proving cabinets, baking stones and steam injectors are all lovely, and none of them makes a better first loaf. Your hands and a pot do everything this course needs.