Kitchen Tools for Baking Bread

Homemade bread requires very few kitchen tools.

Baking bread from scratch is a dying art. However, when you make your own bread, you control the ingredients so it can be much healthier than store-bought bread. Each loaf of homemade bread is less expensive than its store-bought counterpart. Baking bread is relatively easy, taking a few hours and only a few kitchen tools.

Bowls

You will need a large bowl to put the bread dough in as it rises. The bowl must be at least twice as big as the original size of the dough after you first mix it. You can place yeast in a smaller bowl as it proofs.

Thermometer

A thermometer that reads as low as 100 degrees Fahrenheit will help determine how warm the water you are adding is before you put the yeast in. Water should be between 100 and 115 degrees Fahrenheit; warmer water will kill the yeast. As you make bread more frequently and become more familiar with how warm the water must be, you will need a thermometer less.

Mixing Tools

A stand mixer with a dough hook will mix the dough thoroughly and eliminate the need for extensive kneading. While having a mixer is convenient, it is optional. Bread can be sufficiently mixed with a spoon, then kneaded.

Bread Pans

Bread pans are used while the bread rises for a second time, then baked. Bread pans create evenly sized and regularly shaped loaves. Most recipes make two loaves, so make sure you have at least two on hand. However, bread pans are not necessary. You can also free form loaves and put them on a baking stone in the oven.

Miscellaneous

Bread should be covered as it is rising, so a big clean dish towel is necessary. You may also wish to use a bench scraper, which is a metal tool that can both scrape dough from your kitchen countertop and cut dough into smaller pieces. A peel is useful if you plan to make free-formed loaves. Peels are simply large wooden paddles on which loaves are placed and slid into the oven.

References

• The Kitchn: Essential Kitchen Tools - Bread Baking
• What's Cooking America: How to Use Yeast in Bread Baking

Resources

• The Reluctant Gourmet: How to Make Homemade Bread