Supplies to Start Your Sourdough Journey
If you’re reading this, I am assuming you are hopping on the band wagon to making your own sourdough boules, or you are starting to explore the idea of making your own. I am here to encourage you to just do it! Dive head first into this baking endeavor, and have fresh bread for yourself as well as to gift to others for years to come.
Selling Sourdough Locally
After some practice, you could even start a home bakery where you sell sourdough loaves to your community if that is something that interests you. I have done that, and I have encouraged my cousin to do the same. She now sells her loaves at her local farmers market, and loves it! I made a post all about turning your hobby into a business! It makes my heart so happy to see people enjoying my bread!
Okay, so what are the essentials that you will need to begin baking your own sourdough loaves? It really isn’t too much of an extensive list! Aside from an active sourdough starter, salt, flour, and water, these are the other supplies you will need to make your bread.
Glass Jar- This jar will be perfect to hold your sourdough starter. You can also use a wide mouth mason jar. If you’re planning on making several loaves per baking session, you could buy this one to hold more sourdough starter.
Digital Scale- The recipe I use came from my husbands cousin who also has a Sourdough business called Sunny Day Homestead in Denton, TX. Her recipe measures everything in grams, so a digital scale is essential.
Ceramic or Glass Mixing Bowl- Having a large ceramic or glass mixing bowl is perfect for mixing your dough together as well as letting it sit out on the counter for its bulk ferment overnight. You can NOT use metal mixing bowls, as the acid in the sourdough may react with the metal.
Wooden Spoon- The same “no metal” rule applies when talking about utensils to use as well. Wooden spoons are my go-to for feeding my starter as well as mixing my sourdough. * If you are taking my in-person sourdough class, I will be providing you with your own wooden spoon to take home.*
Tea Towels- During the stretch and fold process, I like to put a damp tea towel over the dough. Then, once I am done with my stretch and folds, I will then cover the dough with cling wrap. * If you are taking my in-person sourdough class, I will be providing you with your own tea towel to take home.*
Beeswax Wrap or Cling Wrap- This is what I use to cover the dough and let it sit overnight to bulk ferment.
Banneton Basket- This is the basket that your dough will go into right before you put your sourdough in the fridge to long ferment. You could also purchase this sourdough kit that includes what you need to get started. * If you are taking my in-person sourdough class, I will be providing you with your very own banneton basket to take home.*
Parchment paper or Silicone Baking Sling- This paper is very important because it is what the bread gets put on to score and bake. Putting the sourdough on parchment paper helps keep it from sticking to the dutch oven and also adds some protection to keep the bottom from burning. I also add corn meal to the bottom of my dutch oven to create space and prevent the bottom of the boule from burning. The corn meal will not be touching the bread at anytime, just a nice barrier for your loaf to sit on.
Bread Lame- This tool is what everyone uses to make the beautiful scoring patterns in sourdough bread. although you could probably use a knife and get a similar outcome, I do think this little tool helps keep the lines clean and precise. You could also get this set that includes a danish dough whisk, not a necessity by any means, but I do enjoy using it. * If you are taking my in-person sourdough class, I will be providing you with your very own bread lame to take home.*
Ceramic Dutch Oven- This part is essential in my opinion as I have had the best luck using dutch ovens for baking my boules. The dutch oven locks in the moisture and keeps the bread moist while it bakes. Some people put water in the oven to keep the moisture up while baking but I haven’t found that step necessary while using a ceramic dutch oven. Also, the Lodge brand is hands down the best one. I have absolutely loved mine, and it has held up great compared to an off-brand dutch oven I have.
If you are attending my in-person sourdough beginners class, I will be providing you with your very own sourdough starter, wooden spoon, tea towel, bread lame, and banneton basket to take home and use on your sourdough journey. The only thing you will need to bring to class is a ceramic/ glass mixing bowl and a digital food scale.
If you are interested in attending a virtual Sourdough class, or want to buy some of my dehydrated sourdough starter from my store, be sure to join my email list to be the first to know when it launches!
Sourcing High Quality Ingredients
You only need four simple ingredients to make this delicious artisan sourdough loaf. These ingredients are sourdough starter, Himalayan pink salt, flour, and filtered water. You can find my Homemade Artisan Sourdough Loaf recipe here.
Sourdough Starter- If you’re local to Whitesboro, TX then I would love to provide you with your starter. If you look on Etsy or even Facebook Marketplace, there are always people selling their Sourdough starter. I would only purchase one that has been fed with organic unbleached all-purpose flour.
Flour- My favorite place to buy organic unbleached all-purpose flour is from Walmart because I have found that they have the most inexpensive organic flour. I purchase the Organic Arrowhead Mills brand or unbleached all-purpose flour. My second favorite place to get flour is from Thrive Market. I purchase the King Arthur Organic unbleached all-purpose flour from there. They ship everything to your doorstep, which is incredibly helpful. Plus, you can save money by getting on their subscribe and save program.
Himalayan Pink Salt- I only purchase Himalayan pink salt from Thrive Market. I always purchase the Thrive Market brand, because it is the best price for the quantity of salt, and and it ships right to me.
Filtered Water- I am so close to purchasing this reverse osmosis water filter for our home, but for now, I just fill a pitcher with water and let it sit out overnight before using it to feed my starter. For my loaves, I haven’t had issues using tap water in the recipe, however depending on the contents of your water, you may not be able to get away with that. Instead, you will most likely need to use the water rom the pitcher in your recipe as well to ensure the chlorine in the water does not kill the yeast in your dough.
Corn Meal- This is my trick to making sure the bottom of my loaves don’t burn. It’s a must! Oatmeal or rice will also do the trick.
I have lots of supplies linked above, however I highly recommend that you go look at your local thrift stores to source these supplies first. This is a great way to save money as well as give these donated items new life within your home. When you purchase something through the links above, I recieve a small commission at no extra cost to you, so if you find that you still need some of these supplies after going on a treasure hunt at your local thrift shop, I would love your support!
I believe that is all the information you need to get started on your sourdough journey! If you have any questions feel free to reach out to me on instagram @Kaylin_Flowers_ or on my facebook page at “Homestead in Bloom.” I would love to help you! Also, be sure to check out my youtube videos to see how I feed my starter as well as bake my sourdough boules!
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