We Tested All the Best Bread-Baking Products—Here Are Our Favorites
Everyone is loving loaves these days. We considered dozens of items to recommend six bread winners.
Of all the popular pandemic pastimes, from-scratch bread baking gets the gold. And why not? It’s methodical, soothing, and allows us to have a constant supply of carb-filled comfort food on hand at all times—not to mention the fact that kneading is our ideal way to tame tension.
That being said, your skills are only as good as your ingredient and equipment arsenal. Here are the goods and gadgets we love that'll make baking those homemade loaves a cinch.
RELATED: 6 Major Mistakes You’re Making When Baking Bread, According to One of the World’s Top Experts
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1 Best Dutch Oven: Le Creuset 5½ qt. Signature Round Dutch Oven
For a golden, crackly crust, bake your loaf in a Dutch oven with a tight lid to retain steam. This splurge-worthy classic comes in 19 colors and will last forever, thanks to its cast-iron construction and lifetime warranty.
2 Best Bowl Covers: Dot & Army Reusable Bowl Covers
Ditch the plastic wrap and cover your rising dough with these adorable, eco-friendly fabrics (in three sizes). Just throw them into the washing machine and air-dry between uses.
3 Best Hand Mixer: Black + Decker Helix Performance Premium Hand Mixer
No pricey stand mixer required! The dough hooks included with this powerful tool let you skip kneading by hand and still turn out a smooth dough for softer breads. Plus, it comes with improved beaters and a wire whisk.
4 Best Scale: OXO 5-lb. Food Scale
With this user-friendly scale, you’ll have no fear of the precision that baking demands. Recently upgraded with a decimal readout and a bright display, it ensures exact measurements. Even better, it means fewer measuring cups to wash. TO BUY: $30; oxo.com.
5 Best Flour: King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
Bread flour has more protein than all-purpose, resulting in a stronger dough, loftier rise, and tighter crumb. It also gives pizza crusts and many artisanal loaves their nice, chewy texture.
6 Best Bench Scraper: Chef’n Pastrio 3-in-1 Bench Scraper Set
This snap-together set helps you deal with many bread needs: Use the metal piece to cut or score dough, the plastic one to clean rolling pins and surfaces, and the curved one to lift every last bit from your mixing bowl.