Buy $8.50
The tool that will revolutionize your baking life
If you’ve dealt with thick batters and bread doughs in the past, you’ve noticed that wooden spoons get all gunked up, and that wire whisks get balls of batter trapped inside, which is maddening.
This is where the dough whisk steps in: the long wooden handle is mounted with a sturdy wire coil, cleverly shaped to stir and whisk without clogging: the dough or batter simply flows through as you mix, so you waste no time dealing with a caked up tool. The round edge is also very handy to scrape the sides of the bowl, both during mixing and at the end, when you plop out the batter or dough.
Dough whisks typically come in two sizes, one that’s about 15 inches (38 cm) in length and another that’s 11 inches (28 cm). The large one provides good leverage if you’re mixing bigger quantities, and it is comfortable to use even with my fairly petite hands. You may prefer the smaller size if space is an issue and/or you plan to travel with it from time to time. (Related: minimalist kit for the traveling cook.)
A dough whisk is also very easy to clean: like anything wooden it should not be put in the dishwasher, but I simply rinse it in warm water, running my fingers or the corner of a sponge quickly around and through the wire loops to remove any stray bits of dough. This is best done before anything has had a chance to dry up, but if it does, soaking the metal part briefly in a little warm water does the trick.
The dough whisks I recommend are made in Poland (not China). They are well made and durable, with a handle of unfinished birch wood that feels smooth and doesn’t splinter (though some choose to condition it with a food-safe oil), and the price is remarkably affordable for a tool that will improve your baking life so steeply.
Why I Love This
I first discovered dough whisks on a book tour years ago, when I saw one used by a food stylist who was helping me prep for a television appearance. It looked so handy I couldn’t get it out of my mind and eventually found one, completely by chance, in a tiny hardware shop in Paris. (Dough whisks are otherwise largely unknown and unavailable in France.)
It has lived in the utensil jar on my countertop ever since, and I reach for it at least once a week, whether I’m preparing a pizza or bread dough, mixing the batter for yogurt scones, making choux pastry for a batch of chouquettes, or combining the ingredients for granola. I have grown very attached to it and it is one of those simple, trusted tools that bring a smile to my face every time I use them.
Buy $8.50
