Best for most bakers
OXO Good Grips 11 lb Stainless Steel Food Scale
11 lb (5.0 kg), reads in 1 g steps
OXO Good Grips 11 lb Stainless Steel Food Scale
11 lb (5 kg), 1 g steps, and a display that pulls out so a wide bowl does not hide it.
Best scale for bread baking
The best scale for bread reads in 1 gram steps and holds at least 5 kg, because the bowl counts toward the limit. A display you can read under a wide bowl matters more than extra features. For salt and yeast in small batches, a pocket scale that reads in 0.1 g steps helps.
Most bakers: the OXO 11 lb scale with its pull-out display. Big batches: an 8 kg scale such as the MyWeigh KD-8000, which also has a baker's percentage mode.
OXO 11 lb scaleCheck price on Amazon
Our picks
OXO Good Grips 11 lb Stainless Steel Food Scale
Drawn to its outside size
8 kg in 1 g steps, a separate platform, adjustable auto-off and a baker's percentage mode.
Drawn to its outside size
A small, sealed scale that many bakers keep for daily feeds and weighing.
For salt and yeast
0.01 g pocket scale
Reads small amounts to 0.01 g
Weighs 1.5 g of instant yeast or 9 g of salt more exactly than a kitchen scale can.
How we know: weights and sizes are the makers' published figures, linked from each product page, and a dough range marked “our estimate” is our arithmetic on them. We do not perform hands-on testing. How we compare.
Capacity: count the bowl
A glass or ceramic mixing bowl can weigh 1.5 to 2.5 kg on its own. Pressing tare hides that weight on the display but not from the scale, so a 5 kg scale with a 2 kg bowl leaves 3 kg for ingredients. For one or two loaves, 5 kg is enough; for a big batch in a heavy bowl, choose 8 kg or more, such as the MyWeigh KD-8000.
1 g steps are not 1 g accuracy
The display step (resolution) is the smallest change the screen shows. Accuracy is how close the reading is to the true weight, which makers rarely publish for kitchen scales. Check yours with something of known weight: a US nickel weighs 5 g, so ten nickels should read 50 g. If a recipe is written in cups, convert it first with the cups to grams converter.
Features that help with bread
A tare button you can press with a floury knuckle, a display you can read under a wide bowl, auto-off you can lengthen or disable (so the scale does not switch off mid-recipe), and a flat top that wipes clean. A baker's percentage mode is handy but not needed: the calculator does the same.
Keeping it working
Never submerge a kitchen scale. Wipe it with a damp cloth, keep flour out of the button seams, and store it flat with nothing on the platform. Replace weak batteries before a big bake; low batteries cause drifting readings.
Questions bakers ask
What scale do I need for sourdough?
A digital kitchen scale with 1 g steps and at least 5 kg capacity. That covers flour, water, starter and salt for one or two loaves.
Do I need a 0.1 g scale?
Only for small amounts like yeast or salt in a half batch. For flour and water, 1 g steps are plenty.
How do I check my scale is accurate?
Weigh something of known weight: a US nickel is 5 g, so ten should read 50 g; 1 litre of water weighs 1,000 g.
More equipment for this job
Keep what you own when it does the job. These are the other exact models we profile.
Drawn to its outside size
For big batches, up to 8 kg
Challenger Breadware Baker's ScaleA low-profile scale with a tempered glass weighing surface and whole-gram display.
8 kg, reads in 1 g steps8.6 × 6.6 in outside
Drawn to its outside size
For a slim scale that reads in grams and stores in a drawer
Central Milling Kitchen Scale (RK913004)A slim white digital scale that weighs up to 11 lb in 1 g or 0.1 oz steps, with touch controls and two AAA batteries included.
11 lb (5 kg), reads in 1 g steps9.25 × 6.3 in outside