9 tools you need to turn your kitchen into a bread-baking station

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King Arthur Flour

• Even though baking bread doesn't require many ingredients, it does require a lot of tools to ensure you're getting the best loaf possible.
• You don't need to buy everything on this list and if you had to choose between the absolute essentials, go for a Dutch oven or a cast iron skillet to bake your bread perfectly.
• Luckily, a lot of these tools can be used for other things in your kitchen too, so you'll find plenty of uses for them after your loaves are done.
• Once you've collected your tools, make sure to check out our recipe for how to make bread with yeast.

The beautiful thing about bread is that it's really only composed of four ingredients — flour, water, yeast, and salt. And that simplicity makes it an approachable recipe for home cooks of any level to tackle.

Get to the "tools" section of the recipe, however, and things get a little more complicated. Each loaf of bread requires multiple mixing bowls, something called a "proofing basket," and a razor blade for scoring. It's enough to make your head spin — especially when you're trying to shop for the best of these tools.

Here are the best bread-making tools, as recommended and reviewed by home chefs and professional chefs. Almost all of these tools are versatile and can be used for many other recipes, so you won't be dropping cash on items that will collect dust when you're not baking bread.