Equipment Guide

Essential tools for sourdough baking, rated and annotated by the Kvas author.

Each entry includes the author's first-person notes from years of baking. Ratings indicate whether something is essential for consistent results, useful for convenience, or optional depending on your approach.

Disclosure: This guide contains affiliate links to products I use and recommend. If you buy through these links, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps support the development and hosting of Kvas.

Baking Vessels

Pots, Dutch ovens, and covers for the oven

Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven

Essential

A heavy-bottomed covered pot for baking bread. Traps steam during the bake and distributes heat evenly.

I use a Le Creuset 5.5-quart oval almost every bake. The enamel doesn't chip and it's built to last. Worth the investment.

Find on Amazon US

Cast Iron Dutch Oven (Budget)

Useful

Unlined cast iron Dutch oven. Requires seasoning but performs just as well as enameled. More affordable.

Lodge makes a solid alternative if budget is tight. The bare iron conducts heat slightly differently but I've had excellent results. Maintenance is straightforward.

Ceramic Baking Stone

Optional

A preheated stone helps bake directly on the oven rack. Less steam control than a Dutch oven but still effective.

I keep a baking stone around for focaccia and other recipes where I'm not using a Dutch oven. It works but isn't my primary method.

No longer available

Product line discontinued

Try instead: Ceramic Baking Stone (generic)

Shaping & Handling

Tools for shaping dough and scoring the loaf

Banneton Proofing Basket (16 inch)

Essential

A lined basket for proofing shaped dough. Supports the dough and creates a pattern on the crust.

Essential for final proof. I use 16-inch round baskets for most loaves. Linen-lined versions work best with a light flour dusting.

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Baker's Lame (Razor Blade)

Essential

A sharp blade for scoring the dough before baking. Controls where the loaf expands and creates an attractive pattern.

A clean, sharp score makes a huge difference in the final loaf. I prefer a dedicated lame over a knife — the angle and sharpness matter.

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Bench Scraper / Dough Cutter

Useful

A rectangular stainless steel scraper for dividing, shaping, and moving dough on the work surface.

Incredibly useful for handling sticky dough and portioning the bulk. I have three of them in my kitchen now.

Measurement & Temperature

Scales, thermometers, and timers for tracking fermentation

Digital Kitchen Scale (1g precision)

Essential

A scale accurate to 1 gram for measuring flour, water, salt, and levain. Essential for recipe consistency.

I use a basic digital scale with 1g increments. Repeatability is far more important than a fancy scale. Any brand will do as long as it's accurate.

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Instant-Read Thermometer

Useful

For measuring dough temperature during mixing and ambient temperature during fermentation. Helps calibrate your schedule.

I record ambient and dough temperature for every bake. Over time, this data helps me understand my kitchen's patterns.

Find on Amazon US

Oven Thermometer

Useful

Verifies that your oven actually reaches and holds the temperature you set. Many ovens run hotter or cooler than indicated.

My oven runs 25 °C hotter than displayed. Knowing this changed my results completely. Cheap and worth every penny.

Optional Convenience

Helpful but not strictly necessary

Dough Whisk

Optional

A specialized whisk for mixing dough. Saves your arms compared to a regular whisk but not essential if you mix by hand.

Nice to have for the bulk mix if you prefer not to get your hands wet immediately. I use mine a few times a week.

Kitchen Timer

Optional

Any simple timer for keeping track of fermentation stages. Your phone works fine, but a dedicated timer is nice.

The Kvas app handles my timers now, so I rarely use a physical timer. But having a backup is comforting.

Fine Misting Spray Bottle

Optional

For misting the oven walls to add steam before scoring. Not necessary but helps with crust development.

I use a simple spray bottle from the hardware store. Adds humidity to the oven in the first minutes of baking.