• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Bread Dad
  • Bread Machine Recipes
  • Bread
  • Banana Bread
  • Cookie
  • New
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Bread Machine Recipes
  • Breads
  • Banana Breads
  • Sweet Quick Breads
  • Cookies
  • New Recipes from Bread Dad
  • Bread Mixes
  • Best Bread Machines
  • Books & Tools
×

Home

Bread Making Essentials

Here is our list of bread making essentials. These items are needed to create breads such as white bread, French bread, whole wheat bread, oatmeal bread, multigrain bread, sourdough bread, etc.

As an Amazon Associate, this website earns from qualifying purchases. At no extra cost to you, we make a small commission if you buy products via the links below.

Essential Ingredients

  • Yeast – Check the recipe for the exact type of yeast to use (i.e. instant or active dry yeast). They are not the same & your recipe will not come out correctly if you use the wrong yeast.
    • Bread Machine Yeast – This yeast is designed for bread machines.
    • Instant Yeast – This yeast does not have to be preactivated.
    • Active Dry Yeast – This yeast needs to be preactivated in liquid before using. Instant yeast & bread machine yeast does not have to be preactivated.
  • Bread Flour – For making homemade bread, bread flour is much better than using all purpose flour. Bread flour results in a airer and taller bread because it has more gluten than all purpose flour (thus it has a greater ability to capture the CO2 put out by the yeast).
  • Buttermilk Powder – Used for making buttermilk bread.
  • Honey – Perfect for honey wheat bread.
  • Multigrain Cereal – Used for making multigrain bread.
  • Old Fashioned Oats – Used for making oatmeal bread.
  • Rye Flour
  • Salt
  • Sourdough Starter – No sourdough starter equals no delicious sourdough bread!
  • Spices – Italian seasoning for herb breads, etc.
  • Sugar
  • Whole Wheat Flour

Bread Making Tools & Equipment

  • Baguette Pans – These pans help shape your French bread dough into proper baguettes.
  • Bread Machines – Bread machines make bread making easy. They mix, knead & bake your bread.
  • Bread Pans (9×5)
  • Bread Pans (8.5×4.5)
  • Bread Proofing Baskets
  • Bread Digital Thermometers – Bread thermometers help to guarantee that the bread’s interior has been fully baked.
  • Cooling Racks – These tend to be wire racks that allow bread to cool down on all sides (esp. on the bottom). This helps to avoid a bread with a “soggy” bottom.
  • Cutting Boards
  • Dough Mats
  • Electric Stand Mixers (with Dough Hook) – You can use an electric stand mixer (with dough hook) or bread machine to mix & knead your bread dough. Much easier than doing it by hand.
  • Lames – Scoring tools used to slice the top of the dough and control the expansion of the bread during baking (so the top of the bread does not crack in areas that you do not want to crack). Also used to adding intricate patterns on top of your bread.
    • To learn more about scoring your bread, you might like to read books such as The Art of Sourdough Scoring.
  • Oven Mitts
  • Serrated Bread Knives

Bread Making “How To” Books – Great instructional books are bread making essentials.

  • Bread Illustrated: A Step-By-Step Guide to Achieving Bakery-Quality Results At Home
  • Bread Baking for Beginners
  • The Bread Baker’s Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread

Bread Machine Cookbooks

  • The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook: A Master Baker’s 300 Favorite Recipes for Perfect-Every-Time Bread-From Every Kind of Machine
  • The Ultimate Bread Machine Cookbook: Family Recipes for Foolproof, Delicious Bakes

Sandwich & Panini Cookbooks – Great homemade breads helps to create amazing sandwiches & paninis.

  • The Encyclopedia of Sandwiches: Recipes, History, and Trivia for Everything Between Sliced Bread
  • Sandwiches!: More Than You’ve Ever Wanted to Know About Making and Eating America’s Favorite Food
  • The Essential Panini Press Cookbook: 100 Creative and Classic Recipes
  • The Ultimate Panini Press Cookbook
  • Grilled Cheese Kitchen: Bread + Cheese + Everything in Between

Reference Sources

  • Wikipedia, Bread
  • Wikipedia, Bread Machine
  • Wikipedia, Sandwich

Primary Sidebar

Want to see Bread Dad’s latest recipes? Then visit our New Recipes section.



Follow Bread Dad on Instagram & Pinterest

Footer

Bread Dad’s Recipe Sections

  • Bread Machine Recipes
  • Bread Recipes
  • Banana Bread Recipes
  • Sweet “Quick Bread” Recipes
  • Cookie Recipes

 

I want to thank EVERYONE who leaves a comment in our recipe comment sections!! Beginners learn a lot from your tips & recipe variations. Below are some of our recent noteworthy visitor comments.

  • Caroline had the wonderful idea to convert our Greek Yogurt Bread into sausage rolls – “Instead of making a loaf of sliceable bread, I took out a package of smoked pork sausages from the freezer, halved them, cut sticks of full-flavoured cheddar cheese sticks, and bundled them into a batch of mini sausage rolls. My husband and I both love them, I will definitely make it this way again!“
  • Margaret left some delicious ingredient ideas for my Bread Machine 100% Whole Wheat Bread – “I have started making this with a generous addition of dried cranberries and sunflower seeds. It’s terrific — little nuggets of chewy and sweet/tart in the perfect whole wheat ambience. My husband commented that one slice was a meal.“
  • Deidre posted some wonderful ingredient additions for my 2 Banana Bread Recipe – “Oh my! After successfully keeping the last two bananas on the hook long enough to make this with my son, it was worth every moment. This recipe is a keeper. We added chocolate chips and a few dashes of cloves and cinnamon. It looks, smells and tastes delightful.“
  • Martha added some delicious dinner ideas to our Bread Machine Naan – “Deeeelish! I’ve been eyeing this recipe for the longest time & decided yesterday was the day. The dough came together easily and the texture was easy to work with.” “They were so much better than the store bought ones, and much cheaper to make with no unnecessary ingredients. I built my meal around the bread, with some souvlaki type marinated chicken, feta, homemade hummus & tzatziki, and a Greek side salad. This Naan bread recipe is a keeper for sure. Thanks, Bread Dad!“
  • Mary left a very nice post on my Bread Machine White Bread (Extra Buttery) page – “I am thrilled I found your site. I recently purchased my first bread machine (KBS 17 in 1) and ordered several recipe books. Measures were a nightmare, from different/varying countries, etc. Very confusing. Also, every recipe book was stingy with photos. To date, I have made the White Bread (you had me at “extra buttery”), the Banana Bread (phenomenal) and the Whole Wheat Bread (excellent). All were SOOO GREAT. Your “Tips” are spot on. Example: the setting for the Banana Bread – mine turned out to be “quick bread” rather than “cake”, and a big THANK YOU for that. 50+ Delicious Bread Machine Recipes is wonderful!!!“

For more visitor tips, recipe variations & humorous baking stories, please visit Bread Dad’s Noteworthy Visitor Comments page.

Legal Disclaimer
By utilizing any of the recipes or information on this website, you are agreeing to the terms and conditions in our legal disclaimer.

Be safe when preparing, handling, consuming and storing food. Do not eat or taste raw dough or batter. Our recipes may contain common allergens such as dairy, eggs, wheat, tree nuts and/or peanuts. Always check for potential food allergies before serving food. Use caution with young children as all foods have a potential choking risk. 

Material on this website may not be copied or reproduced without the written approval of Bread Dad. All rights reserved. This website is copyright protected under the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

 

About Us | Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Legal Disclaimer

Copyright © 2023 · Bread Dad