??Where does one buy bread baking supplies, such as a good stone...more questions...

M

mariadnoca

Moderator
So novice, new as can be bread baker here and now that I've got past the holidays and basically over H1N1 (again, ugh) it's time to start thinking about actually turning my now very happily fed daily starter into bread. And I'm a bit scared!

Given in my delirium of flu, I didn't manage to read the bread books I checked out from the library before needing to return them, so...I'm winging it. I've read/watched a few things online and frankly I could do that till doomsday yet still not feel ready or know what the heck I'm doing, so I'm thinking it's just flour...go ahead an ruin some!

So here is what I'm thinking my shopping list should look like, please tell me if yes you need one of those or no you don't, what's a good brand of said item, or add something I'm missing - plus good, dare I say inexpensive sources to buy because several of these items I'm not seeing at Bed/Bath, not even in their Beyond section:

A bench scraper, BB&B has an OXO one

Do I need one of those dough wire spoon looking things?

Do I need some basket or something to shape loaves?

I already got the OXO 11 lb scale, not sure I'm a fan - it seems iffy, but w/e. I was tempted by the My Weigh KD-8000 "Baker's Math" Scale, because: Math! not sure if it really works, but I could be convinced to switch.

A bakers stone. I've heard the thick whole oven type ones you leave in there are the best. >Recommendations? Source?

FYI, I do already have an oven thermometer

Do I need a dough bucket? If so where to buy? (I can't just use a ceramic bowl? Do I need the measuring marks on the side?)

I have a cheap came with a counter oven wood pizza peal.

I have a KA, though the smaller 5.5 tilt head one, and a large Cus FP, though not sure it does bread.

(Also have slipats - and a large one for rolling dough, cheapo instant read thermometer, wooden spoons, rubber spatulas, x-acto knife, parchment, A VM with dry blade container, a claypot roaster, heavy baking sheets, etc.)

> What I don't have that sounded crucial is a le creuset dutch oven, but I do have mom's old cast iron one (can you do bread in a non coated cast iron pot?) I also can't seem to find the cover to mom's old roasting pan - found the bottom, but not the top. Both of, or one or the other, seem critical to everything I've read about getting the bread into the oven with a nice crisp crust, correct???

What am I missing??? Do I need all this? Talk bread to me, Harry Winston, tell me all about it!

 
Buy unglazed quarry tiles at Home depot and make your

own "stone". you can just stack them in a corner of the oven when not in use. They cost about $0.50 each and you can get what you need. Works for pizza also.

 
I agree, but I haven't been able to find quarry tiles lately at Home Depot or elsewhere. Any online

sources? Mine are 20 years old and I baby them.

A pizza stone works but the size and shape are not as flexible as when you have a stack of tiles to line the whole rack.

As for the rest, you don't need any of it unless you plan to go into business.

A bench scraper is great, but a knife will do. So will the hard plastic spatula that came with your food processor.

I have no idea what the wire thing you mention is, but our great-grandmothers probably made bread without it.

You don't need a special bucket for dough. Any bowl or pan will do.

If you check out Julia Child's ways of forming loaves, you will never ever need a basket. In the meantime you can live with slightly flatter loaves until you either master the techniques or save up for baskets.

I always say, "Just start!" I agree with you--it's only flour. I compost my failures and so I feel nothing is lost.

 
I haven't looked recently but they are just "tiles"==terra cotta

color. Don't know. But they are good to go==and fit in a toaster oven.

 
supplies, etc.

Glad to hear that you are ready to start baking and have a sourdough starter that is working for you. I have been sealing the jar containing my rye starter more tightly as I decided what I was seeing was dried flour, not mold.

re. bench scraper - I use the cheap plastic one I got from a restaurant supply store more often that my metal one when I am making bread. It is flexible and can follow the curve of a bowl.

re. dough wire spoon looking things - I don't have one but am tempted to get one mostly out of curiosity

re. basket or something to shape loaves - I use a well floured cloth inside an appropriately shaped plastic bowl. The bowl is just something I had. It has a flatish bottom and is pretty wide but not real tall. I got the cloths at BBB. They are large, square, white, 100% cotton. They have sort of a loose weave and are good at holding flour as well as draining cheese and wringing things dry.

re. My Weigh KD-8000 "Baker's Math" Scale - I have a cheap scale I got at an outlet store that has been a workhorse. It is hard to see the readout when weighing a large item. I am not great at math either but probably wouldn't buy a scale to do it for me. Currently I use paper, pencil, and calculator in the kitchen when necessary.

re. bakers stone - I use pizza stones. I have round ones. I have to make short baguettes but otherwise they work just fine. I got them at an outlet store. I am suspicious of chemicals in a floor tile.

re. dough bucket - the measuring marks would be nice but I am managing just fine with a 4 qt pyrex bowl purchased at an outlet store. It has a lid which I flip over and use as a surface for shaping .

re. I have a cheap came with a counter oven wood pizza peal - not understanding most of this. My wooden peel developed a large crack. I replaced it with a metal one and like it much better. It is thinner and has a longer handle. I got it at a restaurant supply store.

re. KA/Cus FP - I occasionally use my KA but mostly use my big glass bowl. I do more slow ferments with occasional folding rather than aggressive kneading.

re. VM with dry blade container - jealous, wish I had one!

re. claypot roaster - might serve as a cloche. I use my cloche for all my boules. This is not the one I have but will give you an idea: http://www.amazon.com/SuperStone-11-Cloche-Dome-Baker/dp/B00004S1D5. Mine has a deeper bottom and was a gift.

re. le creuset dutch oven - I have one but have never used it for bread

re. cover to mom's old roasting pan - I bought a large foil roasting pan at Walmart. I had to crimp it slightly to fit my pizza stone but it has worked very well. I have to be careful when I take it off to avoid a burn because it does not have a handle. I usually lift the edge with my peel then grab it with a hot pad

Happy baking!

 
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