The Ultimate Guide to Bread Making Tools

What goes into a delicious loaf of bread isn’t all that mysterious: you mix flour, yeast, water, and salt together to get anything from a masterful sourdough loaf to some fluffy buns. 

But, while the ingredients are simple, having the right bread making tools will make your life a lot easier and your end result even better.

Not sure where to get started? We’ve pulled together a list of the best bread making tools for novice and experienced bakers alike.

Since baking is as much a science as it is an art, you need tools for bread making that help you properly measure, mix, and bake your dough. 

You might already have some tools for making bread on hand—like mixing bowls, loaf pans, and rolling pins—but there are many specialty tools that can help you bake even better. 

Read on to find which bread making tools and equipment you need and where to buy bread making tools.

Cost range: $50 to $400

Possible places to buy: Kohls, Amazon, Target, KitchenAid.com, Walmart

A stand mixer, like the KitchenAid stand mixer, will cut your mixing time in half (and save you a hand cramp from all of that manual stirring).

Cost range: $10 to $50

Possible places to buy: Amazon, Target, Walmart, Bed Bath and Beyond

You’ll need to measure water, flour, and other ingredients to make a consistent batch of dough. Weighing your dough on a kitchen scale as you separate it into smaller batches can also ensure that each loaf is the same size.

Cost range: $5 to $25

Possible places to buy: Amazon, Kohls, Home Depot, Walmart, Wayfair

If you want a loaf of bread in a specific shape, you have to have a loaf pan. There are plenty of options depending on your need, such as a cast iron option for no-knead bread, a silicone loaf pan for easy removal, or a classic stainless steel pan.

Cost range: $5 to $25

Possible places to buy: Amazon, Bed Bath and Beyond, Walmart, Kohls

Rolling pins flatten your bread dough to a perfect, even layer. Regular wood tapered rolling pins work well for baking bread, but you can always go with a marble option as well.

Cost range: $10 to $100

Possible places to buy: Amazon, Walmart, Target, Kohls

Sticking a kitchen thermometer inside your bread loaf is one of the most reliable ways to see if your bread is done baking. You should also use a kitchen thermometer to check your water’s temperature during your dough’s fermentation process.

Cost range: $5 to $10

Possible places to buy: Amazon, Bed Bath and Beyond, Kohls, Etsy

What tools will make bread making smoother? That’s easy: a dough cutter (also known as a pastry scraper or a bench knife) that you can use to move and slice dough. It’s much more effective than a dull knife and will give your bread straighter edges.

Cost range: $40 to $400

Possible places to buy: Target, Kohls, Walmart, Home Depot

While you can absolutely make bread without a bread maker, it’s a great asset to have on hand to save you time. Think of it as a mini oven specifically for bread—with a bunch of special features. This little machine will knead your dough, let it rise directly in the tin, and then bake it. All you have to do is dump the ingredients in. 

Cost range: $1 to $20

Possible places to buy: Walmart, Amazon, Home Depot, Target, Dollar Tree

The worst part about freshly-baked loaves is burnt bottoms, right? Removing your loaf from the pan and resting it on a cooling rack is a simple way to prevent burns (and start eating your bread a little faster).

Cost range: $8 to $25

Possible places to buy: Amazon, Walmart, Target, Wayfair

A good mixing bowl decides the difference between flour all over your floor or a clean kitchen. Use large bowls so you can mix dry ingredients without them flying over the edges. Mixing bowls with a nonstick bottom are also ideal as they won’t rock all over your counters.

Cost range: $5 to $30

Possible places to buy: Amazon, Walmart, Etsy, Wayfair

Chefs use bread lames to put small slices in the tops of their loaves to release steam during the baking process and control how the loaf expands. If you don’t have a lame, you can always use a knife or kitchen scissors, but a lame will slice smoother. You can also use bread lames to score decorative elements into your bread.

Cost range: $7 to $30

Possible places to buy: Amazon, Etsy, Williams Sonoma

Before you put your bread in the oven, the dough will likely need to “proof” (or rise) one final time—and it’s helpful if you set your bread in a bread proofing basket at that time. These baskets allow bread to rise higher and keep its shape. This basket set comes with a cloth liner, dough scraper, and a bread lame.