Enamelled cast iron Dutch oven

The kind you'll still be using in ten years. This is the one I bake in every week.

This is what gives your loaf that spiral pattern, and what stops the dough spreading flat while it proves. First thing I'd recommend to anyone starting out.

Cheap, simple, and does more work than people expect. Dividing dough, scraping your surface, shaping. If you buy nothing else, buy this.

For scoring your loaf just before baking, that confident slash that lets it expand where you want, not wherever it likes. A magnetic one with replaceable blades stays sharper for longer.

Sourdough is far more forgiving by weight than by cups and spoons. A basic scale that reads in grams is non-negotiable, and it doesn't need to be fancy.

I check my dough temperature with mine during mixing and bulk fermentation, and confirm the loaf is properly baked through before it comes out. Small habit, big difference.

Nothing exotic, just a sturdy bowl in a couple of sizes for mixing your dough and letting it bulk ferment.

Useful for scraping every last bit of starter or dough out of your bowl, and gentle enough not to knock the air out of your dough when you're folding.

Different to the probe thermometer above, this one just sits in your kitchen and tells you the room temperature, which matters more than people expect. A warm kitchen ferments faster than a cold one, and knowing your number takes the guesswork out of timing.

A small magnetic countdown timer that sticks to the fridge. Handy for stretch and folds, bulk fermentation checks, or just making sure your loaf doesn't overbake while you're doing something else.