For some, bread baking is a hobby, a way to be creative in the kitchen, an edible creation to share with loved ones or perhaps to devour yourself. For others, it’s a microbakery side-hussle that brings in a little dough here and there (pun intended).
While we think the Fourneau Grande bread oven makes baking bread supremely easy, what about everything that happens before the baking process? How to weigh the flour? What size bowl should I use? What’s the best gift for my bread-loving friend?
With so many bread baking accessories on the market, we’ve narrowed down our top 10 favorite accessories to help you complete your bread-baking toolkit.
#1: Scale
Yes, measuring by volume really will give you more consistent and successful results each time. This stainless steel scale by Etekcity is easy to clean, has a high capacity for making larger batches of dough, and it comes with a free mixing bowl. Pretty soon you’ll be looking around your house to see how much everything weighs, just for fun (anyone have a puppy?).
#2: Bannetons
While you can certainly bake dough by free-forming a loaf, there is something so satisfying about getting that beautiful, consistent shape each time you bake. You can leave dough in the banneton in the refrigerator until it’s convenient to bake, and the shape of the cool dough makes it much easier to score. These fit perfectly with the Fourneau Grande tray system.
#3: Lame
We’ll be honest with you, most of the time we throw a razor blade on a coffee stirrer and call it a day. But every time we do that, we think we really should find something more sturdy and safe. Enter this stainless steel bread lame, complete with extra backup blades. We like the sturdy weight of this tool which makes it easy to really get creative with different styles of scoring. The bread baker in your life would love this upgrade.
What’s the secret to amazing bread? Heat and steam. Our gooseneck pitcher is ideal for adding a little water to your cloche to give your loaf great spring. The lid is bamboo and the pitcher itself is polished stainless steel. At 350ml, our pitcher is smaller than similar gooseneck kettles, making it convenient to stow away with your other bread essentials. The smooth pouring action makes it easy to measure precise amounts of water when feeding your sourdough starter, or even your little houseplants who watch you bake bread everyday.
#5: Dough scraper
This just-flexible-enough double scraper helps get all that sticky dough onto the counter for forming without leaving any behind in the bowl. We love the different shaped sides to accommodate different shaped containers. With a small keyhole for easy hanging storage, you might find yourself using this tool for other dough as well (think pasta, croissants..mmmm)
#6: Dough knife
You know how some things actually look better covered in a fine layer of flour? The Lamson dough knife is one of those things. Perfect for dividing a large batch of dough into smaller loaves and for cleaning up your baking surface afterwards. Made in the USA and made to last for years to come.
#7: Bee’s wrap
Let’s stop using single-use plastic. Bee’s wrap is the perfect alternative to plastic wrap when fermenting your dough, storing your finished bread and especially as the most adorable eco-friendly packaging when gifting your bread to a loved one. Made in dozens of irresistible patterns, you’ll want to keep a roll of this XXL size around to cut to size.
#8: Cambro container
One of the restaurant industry’s best kept secrets: cambro containers. Mix your dough here, pop on the lid and come back to see exactly how much it’s grown. If you’re into other kinds of ferments, these will also work great for pickles, hot sauce, sauerkraut, etc.
#9: Tea towels
Over the years we’ve learned that a really important part of the bread-baking process is the forming and resting period. Your hard-earned dough (another pun intended) deserves to be napping under something better than that overused hand towel in your kitchen. Set these aside for bread-baking use only.
#10: Stencils
This is the extra fun part. We’ve designed an heirloom set of stencils to give your bread that unique finishing touch. A great gift for the baker in your life. It'll be impossible not to say "CUTE" every time you use it.