Find the right bread baking gear

The pan sourdough bakers recommend more than any other. The shallow half works as the base, so you lower your dough onto it instead of into a deep, hot pot, and the deep half goes over the top to trap steam.

A rattan basket that supports your dough while it rises and gives the loaf those pretty flour rings. Most sets include a cloth liner, a scraper and a simple lame, so it's an easy way to get started.

The scale we'd buy first. The display pulls out from under a big bowl so you can always read it, and it holds up to 11 pounds, plenty for any home dough.

A cast iron pan made only for bread. The low, wide base and tall domed lid fit both round boules and long batards, and the handles make it easy to move in and out of the oven.

A lame is a razor-blade holder for scoring dough just before it bakes. This one has a comfortable round handle and a magnet that holds the blade securely, so changing blades is quick and safe.

A warm box that holds dough and sourdough starter at the exact temperature you choose. In a cold winter kitchen it turns slow, unpredictable rises into reliable ones, and it folds flat for storage.

A warm box that holds dough and sourdough starter at the exact temperature you choose. In a cold winter kitchen it turns slow, unpredictable rises into reliable ones, and it folds flat for storage.

The pan sourdough bakers recommend more than any other. The shallow half works as the base, so you lower your dough onto it instead of into a deep, hot pot, and the deep half goes over the top to trap steam.

A wide-mouth glass jar with a loose lid, a band to mark the starter's height and a thermometer strip. It makes it easy to see when your starter has doubled and is ready to bake with.

The bread machine owners rave about for years. Two kneading blades and a heater in the lid bake a traditional rectangular 2-pound loaf with even browning on top.

A well-priced, compact machine that makes up to a 2-pound loaf and handles the basics well. A smart first bread machine.

The loaf pan bakers keep buying. Heavy steel bakes evenly, and the nonstick ridged surface releases sandwich bread cleanly every time.

A reliable, unbleached high-protein flour that builds strong gluten for chewy, tall loaves. A great all-round flour for sourdough and sandwich bread.

A simple, accurate, compact scale that has been a baker's staple for years. Two buttons, a sealed design and a long warranty.

The stand mixer most home kitchens already know. It kneads one or two loaves of sandwich bread, brioche or pizza dough well and handles every cake and cookie in between.

The scale we'd buy first. The display pulls out from under a big bowl so you can always read it, and it holds up to 11 pounds, plenty for any home dough.

A long-time favorite of people who bake lots of bread. The drive comes from underneath, so it kneads large batches of heavy whole wheat dough without straining, yet it's light and compact.

A Swedish mixer with a rotating bowl and a roller that kneads the way hands do. Bread enthusiasts love it for large batches and very wet sourdough.

A thick slab of steel that holds an enormous amount of heat. It gives pizza a crisp, leopard-spotted base in a home oven and bakes great flatbreads and free-form loaves.

A thin metal peel slides pizza and loaves onto a hot steel or stone and back out again. A folding handle makes it easy to store.

The Italian 00 flour used for Neapolitan-style pizza. It makes a soft, stretchy dough that bakes up light and blistered.