What is the most important thing in making bread?

Wheat flour is the key ingredient in most breads. Flour quality is particularly important in breadmaking as the quality of the flour will have a significant impact on the finished product. When flour is moistened and stirred, beaten or kneaded, gluten develops to give dough `stretch`.

What is the best tool for mixing bread dough?

Ideally, a dough whisk is used to bring everything together in the mixing stages until it's fully mixed and saturated, so that the dough is less sticky and more pliable for the kneading stage.

What was used to make bread?

Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water , usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet.

What are the materials used in bread mixing?

The two basic components of bread are water and wheat flour . Most powdery ingredients used in the kitchen, like baking powder or cornstarch, form a paste when mixed with water.

What makes really good bread?

To determine whether bread is of good quality, there are several factors and characteristics you can identify. For example the crust must be crisp and of a darker tone than the inside, a strong flavour and taste due to the flour, as well as a pleasant smell . What's also important is that the conservation is longer.

What makes bread taste better?

Fat. If you're looking to ramp up the taste of your favorite bread recipe, we recommend adding a bit of fat . A fat like butter, olive oil or coconut oil in small quantities will help your bread achieve a higher rise and it will also boost its flavor by tenfold.

How to get bread to rise better?

But almost as good as a proofing box is taking a Mason jar filled halfway up with water, microwaving it for two minutes, then putting your bowl of dough into the microwave with the jar to rise . The other thing you can do is place your lidded container or bowl of dough into a second, larger bowl of warm water.

What does perfect bread look like?

Uniform in shape and size, Uniform shape and size. Well proportioned, with straight sides and a Well-rounded pebbled symmetrical with a smooth level top. The top, free from peaks or well-rounded top.

What is required for bread bakery?

Used kitchen equipment is much more affordable than new items, and it sometimes is just as good. However they acquire it, business owners need access to the following equipment: a mixer, an oven, storage containers, a work surface, baking pans and trays, a refrigerator, a freezer, proof boxes, and baking utensils .

What is the best utensil to mix bread dough?

If you're mixing your dough by hand, then a Danish dough whisk is essential. This loopy tool is a mashup of a balloon whisk and a wooden spoon without any of their respective downfalls.

What do you need to knead bread?

Lightly flour your hands, work surface, and dough . Using the heels of your hands, gently push the dough away from you in a rocking motion, alternating hands as you go. You want to put some energy into it, to really stretch out the dough. The dough may get sticky as you knead, and that's fine.

What tool is used to cut bread dough?

Slashing bread dough can be made easier with the use of a bread lame , although there are other options available. Some types of bread may not even require slashing, and a super-sharp knife or a single-edged razor blade can also do the trick.

These Are the Tools You Need to Make Better Bread (2024)

Unlike glassblowing or dressage, making bread is a hobby that requires little in terms of initial investment. You need flour, you need packaged yeast or a sourdough starter (which you can order, get from a friend, or cultivate on your own), and you need an oven. All other tools are negotiable.

But if you’re several loaves in and have decided baking might be more than just a passing COVID-era distraction, it might be time to level up your breadmaking tools. We turned again to our panel of experts—Josey Baker, author of Josey Baker Bread; Amanda Turner, former baker at Odd Duck in Austin; Joy Huang, home baker of Instagram renown; and Claire Saffitz, who needs no further introduction—to find out what equipment, from digital scales to bread knives, they rely on at home.

Starter Storage

“I feel strongly about our sourdough home: a translucent plastic deli quart container, nothing fancy or special about it. It’s round, which makes stirring easy (no corners), it’s the right depth (a butter knife or chopstick will reach all the way to the bottom for thorough mixing), it’s tapered (no having to reach under a ledge like in a jar), and it’s super accessible and affordable!” —Josey Baker

Plastic Quart Containers, 24 Pack

$25

Amazon

Artisan Flour

“I didn't know how interesting different wheats and grains could be until I worked with our local artisan flour gurus at Barton Springs Mill. I especially recommend their Rouge de Bordeaux flour, which has such a unique flavor and a good amount of protein. When baked it has notes of cinnamon and baking spice, but it works well in savory applications too. They’ve just started shipping straight to consumers, so it’s an awesome opportunity for home cooks to get their hands on flour that typically you would have to buy at a farmers market or specialty purveyor.” —Amanda Turner

Rouge de Bordeaux Flour

$10

Barton Springs Mill

“I love locally grown, fresh milled whole grain flour the most, but Central Milling is a good mail order option.” —J.B.

Organic High Mountain Bread Flour, 5 lb. bag

$11

Central Milling

Scale

“This scale has a high capacity—up to 20 pounds—and is extremely precise.” —J.B.

AvaWeigh 20 lb. Scale

$40

Webstaurant Store

Banneton

“An 8.5-inch banneton is the perfect size for my loaves, which are 985 grams before baking. I recommend getting one with a liner. Without one, you will get those rings of flour on your loaf—which is pretty, but if you’re scoring detailed patterns, a smooth floured surface is preferable.” —Joy Huang

Forsun 8.5" Round Banneton

~~$18~~ $13

Amazon

Dusting Wand

“The one unexpected bread making tool I find myself using throughout the process is this little dusting wand from Oxo. It offers a ton of control, so I don’t have flour flying everywhere when I’m dusting a work surface, dough, or banneton.” —Claire Saffitz

Oxo Baker’s Dusting Wand

Bench Scraper

“I personally like a bench scraper that is on the larger side because it makes cutting through large amounts of dough easier. Some bakers I know even sharpen the edges like you would a knife to make cutting easier.” —A.T.

6" Dough Scraper

Amazon

Bowl Cover

“I use a plastic shower cap—the kind you get from hotels—to cover my bowls and bannetons. It’s easy to slip on and off, and unlike plastic wrap, reusable.” —J.H.

Plastic Shower Caps

$10

Amazon

Lame

“I like to score intricate designs into my bread, and I don’t like traditional lames because I feel like I have less control. But I love these UFO lames because it’s like holding the razor blade in your hand—but without danger of cutting yourself.” —J.H.

Wire Monkey UFO Lame

$28

Etsy

Razor Blade

“This is a good brand of double-edged razor blade. At the bakery, we use them on lames/handles, but if you don’t have one at home, I suggest eating a Popsicle, then carving the Popsicle stick to fit the razor.” —J.B.

Personna Double Edge Razor Blades

~~$18~~ $16

Amazon

Decorating Turntable

“For scoring, I use a cake decorating turntable to make it easy to rotate the dough, dental floss to help plot out the center of the loaf and its axis of symmetry, and a wooden skewer to draw with.” —J.H. (See Joy’s technique here.)

Decorating Turntable

$10

Walmart

Combo Cooker

“A combo cooker is sort of like an upside-down Dutch oven—you place your loaf on the preheated skillet and cover it with the domed lid. Lodge’s Cast Iron Combo Cooker is a great and not super expensive option.” —J.B.

Lodge Cast Iron Combo Cooker

Dutch Oven

“This is the Dutch oven that I use for home baking. It’s hard to beat this quality for the price, and cast iron not only retains heat really well, but will last forever. You could buy a combo cooker especially for bread baking, but if you use parchment to lower your loaf into the pan, any good Dutch oven will do. This is a good one.” —A.T.

Lodge 5-Quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven

Baking Steel

“Instead of worrying about burning myself by getting my loaf into a Dutch oven, I just slide my dough on parchment paper right onto my Baking Steel and then invert a stockpot over the bread.” —J.H.

Baking Steel

$119

Baking Steel

Bread Knife

“This is the bread knife that I use. I’ve had a lot of different bread knives in my career, but this one was given to me as a gift from a friend about five or six years ago and it’s still razor-sharp! Also, the quality for the price is really great, so I highly recommend it.” —A.T.