The Fugue

I’ve been baking bread for awhile now, and like any self-respecting geek I’ve collected numerous tools in the process. I feel like I’ve reached an equilibrium now. Some have fallen into disuse, some I couldn’t live without, and some are just handy. There’s nothing that I feel I need now, although I could probably spring for a few more niceties over time.

I believe bread baking is a wonderful thing to know how to do, even if you’re
not a fanatic like myself. American bread is so insipid, and baking bread is so
simple and yet so deep and rewarding. So to do my part I’m going to group my
tools into four categories: essential, nice, mostly superfluous, and
unpurchased.

Essential

The essential tools are those tools which were they absent would discourage me
from baking bread. Not those which are essential to make bread at a basic
level, because those are just a mixing bowl, a bread pan, and an oven.

• Tiles or Stone. If you’re only baking pan breads, you can skip this. If you
  want to make artisan bread or pizza, get something. A few unglazed quarry
  tiles can be an affordable and flexible solution, but a pizza stone will be
  better than nothing.
• Digital Metric Scale. You’ll thank me.
• Calculator. Nothing fancy, just needs to be able to multiply and divide
  decimal numbers.
• “Greenhouse”. I got a 15×22x6 plastic tub from Wal-Mart for a few dollars (no need for a lid). When placed upside-down on the counter, it keeps the humidity up for proofing and does away with plastic wrap disasters forever.
• Baking Peel. Again, you can skip it if you plan to stick with pan loaves. Indispensable otherwise.
• Parchment Paper. You may substitute considerable skill with a peel.
• Good Bread Knife. What’s the point of making beautiful bread if you have to mutilate it to eat it?
• Patience
• Logbook. Any little notebook will do. Write down everything.
• A good book on bread and/or a bread baking friend (that’s me). If you spring for a book, get The Bread Builders.

Nice

These are the things that make frequent baking a delight. You don’t need them
to make bread, but you’ll probably want them eventually. Some of these are
important for that elusive perfect loaf; if you’re chasing the perfect loaf
it’s time to pick some of these up.

• Kitchenaid Mixer. This is really optional any way you look at it. But it’s oh-so-nice.
• Probe Thermometer. Bread is done when the crumb is somewhere between 180°F and 210°F, depending on the type.
• Scalpel. For slashing. When you buy it you can call it a lame if you want. Really cheap at the local university bookstore.
• Welding Gloves. Also great for grilling. $10-$15 at Home Depot.
• Flour Duster. You know, for sprinkling flour.
• Something like a Cloche. A vaulted stoneware lid, a terra cotta pot, or an actual La Cloche. For that really perfect artisan crust.
• Bread Bags. In case you can’t eat it all at once.
• Beat up oven-safe metal pan (for generating steam). Don’t use Pyrex :-)
• Plastic Mixing Bowl with lid. The less plastic wrap, the better. More reliable humidity for long retards in the fridge.
• Oven Thermometer. Know thy oven.
• Dough Scraper (flat). Comes in handy for cleanup, and really nice for dividing dough.
• Really Good Ingredients. I like to use King Arthur flour, kosher salt, and
  Brita-filtered water.

Mostly Superfluous

• Bread Tin. How boring.
• Digital Camera. It’s sometimes fun to share, if you already have one.
• Plastic Wrap/Foil. Ok, these are sometimes handy but they’re such a pain that it’s better to get the greenhouse and lidded mixing bowl.
• Dough conditioners. Meh, Strongbad.
• Mill. If your goal is really organic self-sufficient use-up-your-food-storage bread, then this becomes more important. Otherwise, it’s easier and more predictable to stick with flours from the store.
• Hot Pads. See Welding Gloves above.

Unpurchased

• Couche. This one could be fun, but at the end of the day I’d probably still use parchment paper.
• Proofing Box. Too complicated. For me, it’s fridge temperature, room temperature, or oven temperature.
• Steam Contraptions. If you’re that serious about your crust, get a cloche or a brick oven.
• Proofing Baskets/Forms. If you need that little extra structure in your life.
• Brick Oven. This one I really want, someday.