My Bakery Bits recommendations
Many of you have asked about the specific tools and flours I use for sourdough baking. Since the very beginning of my sourdough journey in 2019, my go-to has been Bakery Bits.
They truly are the perfect “one-stop shop” for the artisan baker. Whether I’m looking for professional-grade proofing baskets, specialised scoring lames, or the high-quality flours that make all the difference in the bread I bake, I know I can find most of what I need there. If you’re looking to elevate your baking game with the right equipment and great flours, I can’t recommend them enough
Below, I’ve rounded up my essential recommendations—the exact items I rely on for consistent, professional results at home
When it comes to the various tools I use and also buy for my workshops
- I use their 500-750g wood fibre banneton for 1kg dough weight (made out of 500g flour)
- A must for dough handling is a scraper. Ideally less rigid so that you can use it to mix the dough and clean the sides of the bowl, but also to help you at handling the dough for shaping
- A sharp blade is essential for scoring, if you want the sought after ear to show up. I use this scoring knife
- If you want to move to the next level and start milling your own grains, on Bakery Bits you can also find the Mockmill I use myself
- For focaccia baking I use this USA square pan. The size of the focaccia I make is around 800-850g (made with 400g flour)
- This is the USA Pullman bread pan I use for the sandwich loaf, it also comes with a lid if you want to get that as well
- For a small rye bread I use the 1lb (450g) Loaf Tin. Other sizes are available too
If you’re looking for the stoneware bowls I am using, those are custom made for Sourdough Explained and can be purchased here
In terms of flours, here are a few suggestions of the flours I am using the most
- The gold standard for my sourdough. Gilchesters Strong White Flour is free from additives and delivers everything I look for in a loaf—a tender, custardy crumb, a deep dark crust, and an unparalleled natural flavour. Although it’s called white flour, it doesn’t behave like your usual Strong White Flour. It absorbs significantly more water (430-450g water per 500g flour) and gives a less aerated crumb. The same goes for their Whole Wheat, Rye and Emmer flours
- If you’re rather after the traditional Strong White flour, you can try a few: Wildfarmed T80 Rustic White, Wildfarmed T65 White Bread Flour, Matthews Organic Strong White Flour, Mulino Marino Type 0 Bread Flour
- Sometimes it’s less about the open crumb, but more about nutrients and fibre. So here are a few suggestions of flours to mix with your standard white. Matthews Stoneground Wholemeal Flour, Wildfarmed Regenerative T150 Wholemeal Flour, Matthews Dark Rye Flour, Matthews Organic Cotswold Crunch Flour, Redbournbury Organic Rye Flour, Redbournbury Organic Wholemeal Flour, Redbournbury Organic Malted Wholegrain Flour
- Some special flours, for other type of bakes. For Pizza, the Wildfarmed Regenerative Pizza Flour is what I would use. And for my ciabattas, I always like to mix in some Italian Semola, Molino Bongermino Organic Re-milled Semola for Bread.
A small note on transparency: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links. This means that if you choose to make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only ever recommend products and flours that I personally use and love in my own kitchen. Thank you for supporting my work and the sourdough community
If you’re ready to master the art of sourdough in person, I’d love to welcome you into my London kitchen for a workshop. For absolute beginners, my Sourdough Foundations 3h workshop is the perfect entry point to the basics. If you’re looking for a more intensive experience, my full-day Sourdough Bread Workshop offers a deep dive into every step of the process.