Tools… some basics
There are not a ton of tools you need to make bread. Some tools will make bread making easier and will make your loaves better. Here is a list of things I use.
-medium sized bowl (does not matter what it is made of)
-couple of small jars. One for your starter and one for your levain, poolish, sponge, or whatever you want to call the starter that will rise your loaf.
–metal scraper – for shaping and cleanup
-digital scale (I would recommend one that can weigh things greater than 5 lbs) – it makes everything easier. Get one that fits your budget.
–proofing basket – a round 9″ basket is what I use.
–good spatula – I love mine.
-dutch oven or combo cooker. I use a 9qt Le Creuset (which I got at the flea market for $25), but you should be fine with something smaller.
-bread lame… but I just use a safety razor. If you live close by, I will give you 5 of them.
-notebook – keep track of what you do, what works, and what doesn’t
-small mesh strainer for dusting your basket and bread
-parchment paper… I reuse one piece until it gets holes in it
-thick plastic bag that you can stand looking at for the next year… to cover your dough. Reuse that bag until it dies.
For home bakers, the number one thing that will improve your loaves is using a combo cooker or dutch over to bake your bread.
Flours
People get really into flour. They oooh and ahhh over different types of flour. You may too very soon. I like to think of flour as far as what it is adding to my loaf.
-White bread flour or/ and high protein whole wheat flour for strength
-Rye and whole wheat for flavor and texture
-Rice flour to dust your proofing basket and loaf
You are inclined to mill your own flour? Chances are your bread will be improved for it. If all you have is all purpose white flour, know its limitations and make bread anyway.
Personally, my go-to loaf uses 40% Organic Bread Flour, 20% Whole Wheat Organic High Protein Flour, 20% Medium Ground Organic Whole Wheat, and 20% Organic Rye. This works out to 60% whole grain and 40% white flour. But the flour that I use changes depending on what is available and what kind of loaf I want to make.
The Starter
Your starter is the yeast that will rise the dough. Yeast eats sugars and releases CO2 and alcohol. In bread making we are using the yeast for its CO2 producing abilities. The CO2 is the gas that will fills the gluten structures of the dough and makes a loaf light and airy. There are many ways to make a starter, but the basic ingredients are the same.
You will need: YEAST, SUGAR, WATER, and TIME
There is yeast all around us. It is in honey, and on the skins of fruit, on the petals of flowers, in the air that we breath, and on grains of rice, corn, millet, and flour.
Our yeast friends want food, just like us. And just like us, they like sugar. Yeast will eat cane sugar, the sugar in honey, and the natural sugar in grains.
There are so many online tutorials to making starter, I am going to leave it to other people to get you started.
So make a starter or if you have a friend or neighbor who makes sourdough, also ask them for a little bit of theirs.
My Sourdough Recipe
There are a lot of recipes out there. I find that most call for about 1000g of flour. These recipes typically make 2 loaves. I personally use 500g flour and make single loaves. If you are just starting out, I would recommend starting with single loaves until you get the hang of bread making. I believe in conserving when possible, and learning through failure and repetition.
Timing
I find that my bread usually takes about 12 hours. Typically I will start a loaf around 4 or 5 in the evening if I want to bake the next morning. If I am looking to have my loaf ready in the evening, I usually start between 8-10 in the morning.