Best Gifts for Bread Bakers in 2024
Discover the best gifts for bread bakers in 2024! From essential baking tools and specialty ingredients to unique accessories and informative courses, this guide has something for every baking enthusiast. Whether you’re shopping for a seasoned pro or a beginner, find the perfect gift to elevate their bread-making experience and inspire their next delicious creation!
With the growing popularity of home baking in the past few years, it’s almost impossible not to know someone who has found the joy of sourdough. Although establishing a sourdough starter and baking your first loaf doesn’t require much more than flour, water, and salt, there are lots of tools and accessories that can enhance the baking experience.
Today I’m highlighting several unique and practical gift ideas for the bread baker in your life. If this is YOU, be sure tosend this post to Santa so that he knows exactly what’s on your list this year!
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Gifts for Getting Started with Sourdough
If you have a friend or family member who is just getting started on the sourdough journey, I have a two thoughtful gifts to get them started.
1. Sourdough Starter: Give the gift of dehydrated sourdough or gift my free guide to making a starter along with a bag of King Arthur flour.
2. Jars: Every sourdough baker needs at least 2 jars; one for starter and one for discard. My favorite is Weck brand jars! They are functional and make a beautiful gift.
Gift Basket
A thoughtfully curated basket filled with essential sourdough tools makes for the perfect gift for a beginning bread baker. Include favorite items like a quality bench scraper, a proofing basket, a dough whisk, and a Beginners Sourdough Course not only provides them with the necessary equipment but also inspires confidence and creativity in their baking journey. What a beautiful way to present a gift to someone you love!
Starter Kit
If your looking for an easy way to give a thoughtful gift, maybe consider a prepared starter kit. These kits have every essential tool needed for bread bakers to get started without the decision fatigue of purchasing individual items.
Essential Baking Tools
High-Quality Dutch Oven:
As I mentioned before, bread making doesn’t require many ingredients or tools BUT if I were to recommend just one tool for a bread maker it would be a high-quality Dutch oven. This is the workhorse for a home baker. Using a cast iron Dutch oven is ideal for baking bread because it retains and distributes heat evenly. The moisture released from the dough generates steam, which helps achieve a crisp crust and excellent oven spring. Another option is a cast iron bread oven that’s designed specifically for bread baking.
Bench Scraper:
Another tool that I find very helpful when making homemade bread is a bench scraper or dough scraper. This handy tool makes a great gift and is very inexpensive. A bench scraper makes it easy to cut and divide dough into equal portions. This is especially useful when making rolls or loaves. While there are many types, I prefer a stainless steel blade with a wooden handle.
Baking Accessories
Proofing Baskets (Banneton Basket):
Proofing baskets or bannetons make a great Christmas gift for bread lovers because they provide the perfect environment for bread dough to ferment and take shape before baking. Most are made from natural ingredients and come with a washable cotton liner. This set comes with both a round banneton and oval shape.
Lame or Dough Scoring Tool:
While a sharp knife or razor blade with do the trick, a bread lame is perfect for scoring beautiful designs in loaves of sourdough bread. Making shallow cuts on the surface of the dough allows for expansion during baking. These cuts not only add to the asthetic appeal, but helps release steam and makes for a crispy crust.
Additional Accessories:
Serrated Bread Knife
Danish Dough Whisk
Loaf Pan
Bowl Scraper
Cookbooks and Resources
Bread Baking Cookbooks:
Your favorite baker would be thrilled to receive a highly-rated baking cookbook with recipes for baking the perfect loaf.
Some of my favorites are….
Artisan Sourdough Made Simple: A Beginner’s Guide to Delicious Handcrafted Bread with Minimal Kneading
Holiday Baking with Sourdough: The ultimate digital recipe guide for festive holiday baking!
The Perfect Loaf: The Craft and Science of Sourdough Breads, Sweets, and More: A Baking Book
Online Courses and Workshops:
There are so many online resources for learning to bake bread. Honestly, the ammount of information can be overwhelming. That’s why I developed a video course for the novice baker. My Sourdough Basics Course simplifies the sourdough journey and demystifys the process saving valuable time. In addition the Sourdough Discard Crash Course provides sourdough bakers with the knowlege they need to incorporate sourdough discard into recipes like banana bread, cinnamon rolls, and biscuits!
Finding the perfect gift for the bread baker in your life doesn’t have to be a daunting task. With the right tools, ingredients, and thoughtful accessories, you can inspire their baking journey and enhance their skills in the kitchen.
