Essential Bread Baking Tools and Equipment
Essential bread baking tools and equipment for bread machine baking. This list of handy gear will make baking easier and more enjoyable for home bakers.
As the author of The Ultimate Bread Machine Cookbook, I have tested dozens upon dozens of bread maker recipes in my home kitchen.
At any given point during the production of the cookbook, my family and I had 3 - 5 different bread machines making bread all at the same time for two rounds a day!
Every morning we would arrange them assembly line style, and test and re-test the recipes in each of the machines to compare the finished bakes.
Over the course of 6 months, I learned a lot about the essential bread baking tools and equipment the average home baker needs to have the most fun in the kitchen with their bread machine.
My kitchen is a normal-sized family kitchen. I understand that cabinet space is a precious commodity for most home bakers.
Once you've decided that a bread maker is worth it, you need to be extra-choosy about the additional gear you want to make space for.
This is the list of tools I personally own and used most frequently when baking the breads featured in my cookbook.
Wherever possible, you'll notice some items serve double-duty. I'd rather you buy one really great piece of multi-purpose equipment than two mediocre tools that serve single purposes.
Jump to:
- The Best Bread Machine
- The Ultimate Bread Machine Cookbook
- Digital Food Scale
- Serrated Bread Knife
- Narrow Spatula
- Pastry Mat
- Rolling Pin
- Dough Scraper
- Bread Pans
- 9x13-inch Baking Pan with Lid
- Pre-Cut Parchment Paper
- Half Sheet Pan and Cooling Rack
- Pastry Brush
- Metal Bread Box
- SAF-Instant Yeast
- Tuscan Olive Oil Seasoning
- My Favorite Bread Recipes
- 💬 Comments
The Best Bread Machine
The #1 most frequent question I get asked by friends interested in bread machine baking is: "Which bread machine should I buy?"
That answer always depends on a number of factors but it almost always involves one of my Top 3 favorite bread machines:
I compared and contrasted those three bread makers to help you decide which one is the right fit for you in my article the best bread machine for beginners but you can see individual bread maker reviews here, too:
The Ultimate Bread Machine Cookbook
"Every new bread machine should come with a copy of this book."
I've heard this comment from several readers who have learned how to use their new bread maker with excellent success.
I poured my heart and soul into this cookbook and I think you will love how every bread recipe has a full-page gorgeous photo.
Digital Food Scale
A food scale is essential for weighing the flour you add to the bread pan.
The ratio between the flour and the liquid is the most important factor in a successful bake. Even if you only weigh the flour, your breads will turn out better every time.
Serrated Bread Knife
I was lucky enough to get this bread knife as a wedding gift over 20 years ago and it is still going strong.
Yes, it's a little bit of a splurge, but this would make an amazing gift for a bread baker.
Narrow Spatula
Sometimes even the best bread machines will get pockets of flour that cling to the corners of the bread pan during the first mixing phase.
I like to keep an eye on my dough as it mixes and help nudge the ingredients out of the corners with this long-handled narrow spatula as needed.
I got my spatula from Pampered Chef but this one is very similar and more easily available:
Pastry Mat
A silicone pastry mat is perfect for rolling out dough to make cinnamon rolls or pizza dough and being able to measure the dimensions all at once.
Rolling Pin
For rolling out cinnamon rolls or pizza dough to bake in the oven, a French rolling pin works so much better than the handled model I currently own.
The tapered edges help smooth the dough from the center out.
Dough Scraper
A dough scraper is so handy for portioning dough and slicing cinnamon roll logs.
It cuts through soft dough neatly and won't cut your pastry mat like a knife would.
You can see it in action in my red velvet cinnamon rolls and orange rolls recipes.
Bread Pans
One of the greatest features of a bread maker is the Dough program that lets you bake the bread in your oven. I use this feature to make pull apart breads like this cinnamon pull apart bread.
However, some bakers prefer a traditional bread loaf shape vs. the bread machine shape. If you want to control the shape of your loave, these heavy-duty bread pans work perfectly for baking bread in the oven.
9x13-inch Baking Pan with Lid
This is my very favorite baking pan for these sweet orange rolls or rosemary pull apart rolls.
Not only do the recipes bake up perfectly, but I love the storage lid that lets me pop the top on to keep things fresh while the dough rises or to keep it all fresh after baking.
Pre-Cut Parchment Paper
If you really want to spoil your bread baker, give them a package of this pre-cut parchment paper. Having easy-to-grab sheets already cut to fit your baking pans makes baking bread rolls so much more fun.
My husband loved using these when baking his signature sourdough rolls from our cookbook.
Half Sheet Pan and Cooling Rack
Regular home kitchens are usually tight on space. If you love tools that serve a double purpose this set is for you.
The half sheet pan works for baking dinner rolls or boules BUT if you turn it upside down, it works like a pizza stone for baking pizza crusts.
The oven proof rack could double as a cooling rack for bread loaves and buns, too.
Pastry Brush
A pastry brush is a small but very useful bread tool for brushing melted butter over the top of dinner rolls or olive oil over pizza crust edges before baking.
This particular model has holes in the brush bristles that cling to melted butter and make the task go more quickly.
Metal Bread Box
When we were testing recipes for The Ultimate Bread Machine Cookbook, we baked dozens of breads every week. Our favorites got stored in this bread box and it still gets weekly use in my kitchen.
SAF-Instant Yeast
I loved working with this particular brand of yeast during all of our bread testing. While any fresh container of instant yeast will work, I do think the SAF-Instant brand gave my breads a better rise than other brands.
I keep it stored in this awesome 3-cup container in the fridge.
Tuscan Olive Oil Seasoning
One of my favorite ways to serve my fresh Italian bread or a batch of bread machine focaccia is to cut them into wedges for dipping into seasoned olive oil.
We absolutely love this Tuscan Olive Oil seasoning from The Spice House. Simply sprinkle some into a dish of olive oil. You could add a few drops of balsamic vinegar to it, too.
My Favorite Bread Recipes
Picking my favorite bread recipe is a little like picking my favorite kid.
You can see all my best bread maker recipes here but if I had to choose my personal favorites, it would probably include this Irish soda bread with raisins, sweet bread machine orange rolls that I make for Christmas, and my essential bread machine Italian bread.
Already have your book and been looking for that rolling pin and ordered it.
Keep up the good work and maybe another book for us? 😊