Proof & LoafThe Best Kitchen Scales for Bread Baking
If you buy one tool for sourdough, make it a scale. Here’s what to look for and which models bread bakers rely on.
What matters in a bread scale
- 1 g resolution. Bread recipes are written in grams; a scale that counts in 1 g steps is precise enough for flour, water and starter.
- Capacity of 5 kg (11 lb) or more. A big mixing bowl can weigh over a kilo on its own, before any dough goes in.
- A display you can read. Wide bowls can hide the screen. A pull-out or raised display solves this.
- Tare. Lets you zero the scale with the bowl on it and add ingredients one after another.
- Baker’s percentage (optional). Some scales can show each ingredient as a percentage of flour weight, which is how bread recipes are designed.
Escali Primo Digital Food Scale
A small, popular, no-nonsense scale. For most home bakers it does everything needed: grams, ounces and tare.
- Compact and simple
- Easy-to-read buttons and display
- Large bowls can cover the display
OXO Good Grips 11-Pound Food Scale with Pull-Out Display
The pull-out display slides away from the platform so a wide bowl never hides the numbers. The stainless platform lifts off for cleaning.
- Pull-out display
- 11 lb capacity
- Removable platform for cleaning
- Larger and more expensive than basic scales
My Weigh KD-8000 Digital Food Scale
The KD-8000 is a favorite among bread bakers because of its baker’s percentage mode: set the flour as 100% and every ingredient after it shows as a percentage. Its 8 kg capacity handles big batches.
- Baker’s percentage function
- High capacity for big batches
- Removable cover protects the buttons
- More buttons and features than a beginner needs
- Manual is worth reading once
Etekcity Food Kitchen Scale (11 lb)
A low-cost, widely used digital scale. A sensible choice if you just want to get started.
- Inexpensive
- Slim and easy to store
- Small platform: use a lighter bowl
Quick comparison
| Scale | Best for | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|
| Escali Primo | Most beginners | Simplicity |
| OXO 11 lb | Wide bowls | Pull-out display |
| My Weigh KD-8000 | Recipe tinkerers | Baker’s percentage |
| Etekcity 11 lb | Tight budgets | Price |
Short on space? See sourdough tools for small kitchens. Need somewhere to keep all that flour? See flour storage containers.
A tip for salt and yeast
Most kitchen scales are accurate to about a gram, which is fine for flour and water. If you bake small batches and want exact salt amounts, a separate 0.01 g pocket scale is a cheap add-on, but it isn’t necessary to bake good bread.
FAQ
- Can I bake sourdough with cups instead?
- You can, but results vary a lot because a cup of flour can weigh very different amounts depending on how it is scooped. A scale is the fastest way to consistent loaves.
- Why does my scale turn off mid-recipe?
- Many scales have an auto-off timer. Check the manual; some let you disable it.
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