Tools

The lists below only contain tools and ingredients, which I use day to day in my levain break baking process, refined over the last couple of years.

Most Essential Tools and Ingredients for the Beginner Bread Baker

Below, you find a list of the most essential tools and ingredients, to start into the exciting journey of baking your own levain bread. Tools and ingredients are sorted in sequence of the typical levain breaking process.

Create first sourdough starter

Sourdough Starter

The easiest way for beginner levain bread bakers is using a sourdough starter kit. For me as a beginner, rye sourdough was a great choice, having fast success in building a healthy and strong starter. It can easily be converted to a mixed rye/wheat starter, and used as a simple basis for managing all your levain bread baking. Or you could make your own starter.

More: Maintain your own Starter

Feeding: Add old starter to jar

Mason Jar

I use mason jars in different sizes for various purposes, but keep my starter and do the feedings in the smaller 8oz version. The resulting quantity will be sufficient for most home bakers, and the smaller quantity helps to reduce space required in the fridge when storing the starter, and will minimize the amount of discarded starter, and the effort for cleaning considerably. 

Measure exact quantities

Scale

Beginning bakers should use a scale to measure ingredients in grams form the start - accurate quantities are an important factor to be able to repeatably craft outstanding artisan levain bread. I have used this reliable scale for years, and I recommend that you start a bread baking logbook, copying and refining your method and recipe to document improvements and issues, to get better with each bake. 

Dissolve starter in water

Bottled Water

Bottled spring water without chlorine is best, to keep your starter healthy and achieve best results. I use this for my starter and levain only - my tap water works fine for the main dough.  

Add rye/wheat flour mix and stir

Rye Flour

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Add rye/wheat flour mix and stir

Wheat Flour

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Build levain: Starter, water, flour

Weck Jar

I know weck jars since growing up in the south of Germany, used for home-canning. The 3/4 liter jar is great for building your levain in sufficient quantity for most home levain bread baking. The wide opening makes it easy to stir the starter-water-flour mixture rigorously, without leaving dry pockets of flour, and it also allows easy cleanup.

Add little salt to your levain

Sea Salt

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Mix levain, water, flour, salt

Dust some flour on work surface

Flour Duster

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Scrape dough from bowl after bulk

Scraper

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Divide dough and shape

Bench Knife

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Put dough in proofing basket

Banneton (Round)

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Put dough in proofing basket

Banneton (oval)

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Remove preheated dutch oven

Oven Gloves

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Place dough in dutch oven

Cast Iron Dutch Oven

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Score dough with artisan cuts

Scoring Lame

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Bake to desired temperature

Banneton (oval)

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Nice to have Tools for Advanced Bread Baking Results

Once you have mastered the basics of levain break baking, you may enjoy refining your process for advanced bread baking results, with some of the nice to have tools listed below.

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