There just is nothing quite as homey and comforting as the smell of bread baking.  It’s even been recommended to bake some bread before you show your house if you’re trying to sell it, but why wait for THAT excuse to bake bread? You can do it with sure success with a few essentials – some you may already have in your kitchen, and one or two that might just bump you up to expert bread baker.

• 6-8qt heavy pot with tight-fitting lid.  We, of course, love the LeCreuset round ovens…. Only Le Creuset’s  signature phenolic knobs and stainless steel knobs are oven-safe at high temperatures. Classic phenolic knobs are oven-safe to 375 F. If using a Classic oven, remove the knob when baking at temperatures higher than 375 F.
• Parchment paper…….unbleached, please!
• A thermometer…….optional but handy. Once again, the internal temperature of the loaf is what really determines if it’s ready to come out of the oven.  A fast-reading instant read thermometer is invaluable for bread baking. The best of the best is of course the Thermapen from Thermoworks.  But we have many others – digital and dial.
• A Brotform, or banneton…….If you are not familiar with these, read on.

These hand woven (following a century-old tradition) bread-dough-rising baskets give your homemade bread a crunchy crust, improved texture, ribbed, floury décor, better rise and a uniform shape. The baskets are used to support the shape of a loaf leavened over a long period of time, as long rises may weaken the gluten structure of the bread, resulting in a flatter loaf.

To use, just dust the basket with flour, put your kneaded dough in, and let it rise. The natural cane coils shape and decorate the loaf the old-fashioned way. When it’s done rising, the loaf is turned out and immediately slid onto a stone (or into a pot) and baked, scored or not. The final result? A country bread with a great texture and crunchy crust.

To remove any remaining flour, simply tap the basket on the counter.  This sturdy basket is even attractive enough to double as a serving piece for outdoor meals and entertaining.

Brotforms / bannetons can be used for years and never cleaned. If they build up too much flour, use a paring knife to scrape out the dried bits in the grooves and start over. It is kind of like seasoning an iron skillet; if you don’t get it wet, and reuse it with the flour in it, your bread will stick less and less each time, until you can simply invert the dough with no coaxing. This allows you to bake using much wetter doughs. You may also hand wash in warm water if you so choose.

Check out the video below for a demo:

And finally, to store your fresh bread we recommend the Bread Armor Artisan Bread Storage Bags. These bags are resealable, reusable and recyclable!

Bread baking at home is definitely worth it. So start experimenting, and if you need any tools to help you in the kitchen, we’ve got you covered. Enjoy your homemade bread, because it just can’t get any better than that!