58 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"The Theory of Sourdough", April 12, 2006
This review is from: Simple Sourdough: Make Your Own Starter Without Store-Bought Yeast and Bake the Best Bread in the World With This Simplest of Recipes for Making Sourdough (or Sour Dough) (Paperback)
WHAT THIS BOOK IS ABOUT
This book is a printed edition of what had previously been an electronic book (PDF) sold here on Amazon. This is a very short book, for a very low price. It contains all the information you need to start making sourdough bread TODAY. You do not need to purchase yeast or sourdough starter. You can add many additional ingredients for taste & texture, but you can get by with flour & water alone if you wish.
This is NOT a cookbook, in the sense that you will not find dosens of recipes here. You will find only one recipe and the author will present you with several (simple) variations on it. There are many books on making sourdough breads that come with dosens of recipes. If you feel this is what you need -- skip this one. I didn't and I'm very happy I got it. Read on...
WHY I LIKE IT
Rather than merely listing recipes, this book TEACHES you all you need to understand about sourdough. You could say, "the theory of sourdough". It explains in great detail what is dough, why dough rises, what are yeast, what kinds of flour exist and how to pick the ones you want, what is sourdough, how a crust is formed, etc. If you read this book, you will actually learn a few things, rather than have some mindless recipes to follow. Once you understand this ONE SINGLE
recipe, you will be able to improvise and invent and modify it to create countless delicious variations. All on your own, all without any additional help.
This book will make you independent:
- You only need four and water and salt. You don't need to buy yeast or sourdough starters. Ever.
- The recipe works. Period. I've made my third batch last week, and the results are getting more and more delicious with each try. I've been making some variations on the basic recipe from day one, and it's been wonderful.
- You do not need to measure or weigh ANYTHING: Not flour, not water, not sponge -- NOTHING. The book will show you how to use textures to figure out what's missing and with experience, nothing will be missing
-- you'll be cooking like your great-grandmother probably did -- with your own intuition.
- There's no real substitute for understanding. Luckily, there's not much to understand: Reading 9 pages is something you can do in a matter of minutes. Personally, I'd much rather have a book with one recipe, that would show me how to create countless others, than have a book with basically a long list of recipes and no principles to guide me. This book is one of the shortest routes to making sourdough breads -- get it and you'll love the results!
- If you enjoy making bread, if you're health conscious, if you want specialty breads (e.g., low-salt, low-sugar, etc), and are willing to experiment a bit, then this is a real fun book to have. Also, specialty breads are not cheap in the US: FOR SPECIALTY BREADS, THIS BOOK WILL PAY FOR ITSELF IN AFTER ABOUT THE SECOND LOAF.
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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It really is simple!, January 29, 2006
This review is from: Simple Sourdough: Make Your Own Starter Without Store-Bought Yeast and Bake the Best Bread in the World With This Simplest of Recipes for Making Sourdough (or Sour Dough) (Paperback)
If you want to make naturally leaven bread with wild yeast you can make in your kitchen, Simple Sourdough is the essay to read. I love the idea of making something from nothing, and the concepts I gleaned from this booklet grounded me in the basics of sourdough bread making.
My whole-wheat starter (as described in this book) is bubblier and more active than a starter I tried to cultivate with store bought dry active yeast! It takes much patience to make this work, but it's well worth the effort. I make the tastiest bread, for little cost or trouble, and my family loves the results.
Simple Sourdough is not a book of recipes; it's pages filled with a concept to sourdough bread making that can be expounded on with a cook's initiative and imagination. I would recommend this booklet to anyone who wants to make sourdough simply for years of enjoyment.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A best buy, May 5, 2007
This review is from: Simple Sourdough: Make Your Own Starter Without Store-Bought Yeast and Bake the Best Bread in the World With This Simplest of Recipes for Making Sourdough (or Sour Dough) (Paperback)
After years of trying to make sourdough bread I found Mark Shepard's webpage recipe for a sourdough starter. Three days later I had a wonderful bubbling starter. Then I bought the book and now I am making the best bread I have ever made, and what is more, the best bread I have ever tasted. This bread is 100% whole wheat with the great sour taste of the best yoghurts and kefirs. Warning! It is addictive. But what a fine healthy addiction to have.
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