By now you all know, Sourdough is a huge passion of mine that I am hopeful to pass onto as many others as I possibly can! It might sound silly, but I promise once you get started, there is no going back. Growing up, I adored my grandma and getting to be in the kitchen with her any chance I got. Luckily for me, it was pretty often, as I typically stayed with her while my parents were at work! I still get flashbacks to being in her kitchen with George Jones on the radio, no cookbook or Pinterest recipe anywhere in sight! Fast forward about 20 years and my love for the kitchen has only continued to grow and amplify. Recently, I’ve had to make some adjustments to how I cook, as I don’t have a glamorous kitchen at the moment. To be honest, I think I have a solid 2-3 foot total of countertop space and about 5 cabinets for storage. It’s been a struggle some days, but it’s also shown me that sometimes, less is more. Okay… maybe not more…but less is enough for now!
The purpose of today’s blog is to help you in your journey of getting started with sourdough! I’ll do my best to list the bare essentials as well as some of the more unique items involved with sourdough baking. Bet you didn’t think you’d be eyeing any fancy gadgets for your bread journey, did you? If you’re anything like me you heard the word sourdough and only translated it to meaning bread. Well, welcome to Oak + Ollie, where we will put sourdough into any recipe we see fit! Let’s get started with the basics.
So… you either have a sourdough starter, you’re considering getting your hands on one, or this is all a new language and you need a little push in the right direction! YOU’RE IN THE RIGHT PLACE, FRIEND! Below, you will find the exact items I use when I simply want to bake a loaf of sourdough bread.
If you don’t have a starter currently, you can shop our dehydrated starter here
The most important item to sourdough after your starter, in my opinion, is the other most used item, your jars!!! I bought a 6 pack and have now multiplied that a few times because no other jar compares! For daily sourdough feedings, storing your discard, leftover sourdough croutons & crackers, homemade dressings, bread crumbs, and so much more, these are the best of the best! The wide neck makes mixing, pouring and cleaning a breeze! These are also what come in our kits.
The second most important item for me is my spatula! I like something that makes scraping the jars easy as well as something that is unique, dependable and strong. I highly recommend our Oak + Ollie ‘Oak Sourdough Spatulas’ which are handmade by my husband Billy and my father-in-law at the farm.
Definitely ranking close to the top of the list is a kitchen scale! I prefer this digital one that is extremely affordable and has been reliable for me during my journey with sourdough. You don’t need anything fancy here, just something that is accurate.
I lucked out with my first Dutch Oven purchase, which is no shock since it was designed by one of my favorites, Hearth & Hand. This one in particular has baked so many loaves of bread, countless soups, and continues to be a fav item in our kitchen. It can be difficult to clean at times, but its nothing that some elbow grease can’t fix! For the price and look, it is unbeatable! Thanks, Jo!
When it comes to proofing, no basket compares to the one by the queen of sourdough herself, Hannah at Ballerina Farms! From the moment I began my journey, I followed Hannah and have learned so much. If you ever can’t find an answer here at Oak + Ollie, I’m certain Hannah has it in her highlights! Check out their baskets and website here:
Speaking of Ballerina Farms, this wont be the only mention of them in this blog. They’re one of my favorite families to follow on the gram and Hannah has really done an amazing job sourcing and creating the best of the best pieces for your sourdough journey! A couple of other essentials are her bench scraper and bread lame for the perfect scoring tool:
Another necessity is a reliable bowl for mixing and bulk fermenting. Mine is no longer available, but these are inexpensive and work extremely well! I’ll also link a splurge option too. Anything 3.5-5qt should work!
Thankfully for your wallet, we are coming to the end of our list for baking essentials to get your started towards your first loaf! The great thing is, while this is an investment, it is so much more for your family. Being able to get creative with recipes and be in control of what is fueling my families bodies is something I will forever cherish. Most of these purchases are items you will never have to buy again. Sourdough and the knowledge it comes with is something that can be passed down for generations! You may already have a lot of these items in your kitchen or be able to make do and purchase little by little. This next to last item will seem silly and I’m sure make you wonder if it’s necessary. Truthfully, it’s a personal preference. Some will choose a tea towel/flour sack and others, like me, will choose these….
Yup! Good old disposable shower caps… I began my journey without these and really wish I’d have caved and started out the better and simpler way! They’re the perfect option for covering your proofing baskets and keeping things out of your dough/keeping your towel from sticking. Plus, they’re so inexpensive and you can even reuse them a couple of times if you wish!
Last item you need is parchment paper! This item is pretty simple….. I prefer this one because it’s always readily available when I run out and it is 75% unbleached and compostable.
I’m sure this list may be intimidating for some, I know it was for me when I started out! My goal is to always continue providing resources for all of you no matter which step you are in of your sourdough journey! If you have additional questions, don’t ever hesitate to reach out to me directly and check out our highlights for tips/recipes and more on our Instagram @oakandollieco. The rest of this blog will be links to some items I’ve obtained along the way that have helped me with various sourdough/discard recipes 😊 I hope you’ve enjoyed and HAPPY BAKING!
Sourdough Fruit Cobbler Dish: https://www.target.com/p/3qt-square-stoneware-baking-dish-with-handles-cream-clay-hearth-38-hand-8482-with-magnolia/-/A-84821909#lnk=sametab
Pastry Wheel for Sourdough Cheez-It Crackers: https://amzn.to/45KeE3P
Pastry Cutter for countless recipes: https://amzn.to/3YJap6h
Bread Bow for Sourdough Bread: https://ballerinafarm.com/products/ballerina-farm-bread-bow-knife?_pos=1&_sid=4ae02fe61&_ss=r&variant=39891384434769
Alternative Proofing Baskets: https://amzn.to/44rjnGq
Oval Proofing Baskets: https://amzn.to/3spWExj
Alternative Bread Lame for Scoring: https://amzn.to/3qJR4Fn
Bread Sling for Dutch Oven: https://amzn.to/47GzX81
Organic Flour: https://shopstyle.it/l/b48NH
Alternative Bench Scraper: https://shopstyle.it/l/b48OD