Have you ever wanted to bake San Francisco sourdough, crusty French artisan loaves, dense Russian ryes, Italian ciabatta, Indian naan, pita bread, great homemade pizza crusts, soft whole wheat sandwich bread, bagels, sweet doughs, Ethiopian injera crępes and much more?
This book explores what goes on inside dough as it is transformed from water, flour, wild yeast and probiotic bacteria into the kind of bread that makes your mouth water. You may never be satisfied with ordinary bread again. Once you learn what factors affect aroma, flavor, shape, crust and crumb, you too will be transformed into an artisan. Wild Bread encourages your creativity and provides the basic principles you need to bake any bread you desire without needing a recipe. Wild bread also explores baking bread sustainably in solar cookers and wood-fired earth ovens.
Wild Bread teaches you how to make authentic whole grain sourdough artisan breads that are easy to knead by hand and make in the variable temperatures and humidities of an ordinary kitchen.
* Part I explains the science and care of sourdough ecosystems, including how to capture your own sourdough culture from the air and where to buy authentic cultures from around the world.
* Part II explains how to make bread, including how to grind your own wholegrain flours and bake artisan-style breads in a home oven.
* Part III contains instructions for making a variety of artisan loaves, flatbreads, pan breads, batter breads, sweet rolls and more from wheat, rye and gluten-free whole grain flours.
* Part IV introduces you to the world of sustainable bread baking, with an exploration of energy-efficient solar cookers and wood-fired earth and brick ovens.
* Part V contains a variety of information to improve your bread baking, including commercial sources for authentic sourdough culture, bread troubleshooting tips, sources for sustainably-produced grains and flours, and books and DVDs on sourdough and artisan bread baking. 170 Pages.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
55 of 56 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the Best! A MUST HAVE for every serious bread enthusiast!
September 10, 2009
Format:Spiral-bound|Amazon Verified Purchase
We have recently discovered the joys of baking (and eating) homemade bread...so much so that we've taken the plunge to purchase a grain mill to begin grinding our own flour. To expand our knowledge, I also purchased nearly all the top selling books on artisian breads as well as several popular general bread books. I wasn't sure what to expect from this one but with relatively few books on whole grains and wild yeasts, decided to give it a try. To be perfectly honest, I did not have high expectations especially because I (like many others) have an inordinate fondness for full color splashy photographs, rich paper and enticing ad copy. The promise of simple binding, a few drawings and an unknown author didn't seem promising.
To my great surprise, this book QUICKLY went to the top of my "must keep" list. The reading is engaging, very enjoyable with a pleasant conversational style. The drawings - while not full color photogaphs - are equally interesting and truly add a great touch...but, the Real value of this book is the content and information contained. It's absolutely packed full of relevant content about bread-making...without a doubt this book has more information than almost all the other books I bought including the highly ranked books by Peter Rheinhart and Richard Bertinet...in fact, this book contained nearly evething in both of those books COMBINED plus much more.
I do not know the author but would like to express my sincere gratitude for an exceptionally written, well researched and engaging book.
Who will Love this Book....
- Anyone that loves bread, baking, baking bread or eating bread.
- Anyone interested in creating the most unique, natural breads with a distinctive taste and style of their very own.
- Anyone searching for several different starters, sources for ordering them around the world, variations on taste/texture etc...
- Anyone searching for great, easy to understand recipes including many beautiful shapes, interesting textures and of course - good flavors!
- Anyone interested in using a solar oven or sustainable cooking methods (note, this is not heavily emphasized but for those like us that have a solar oven or are thinking of getting one it is all you need. BTW, living in a hurricane prone area (Florida) makes solar ovens a great idea...we ran across one years ago at a thrift store for $20 and have been amazed how well it cooks so it was a very nice surprise to see info on it here!).
Bottom Line...
Don't let the sophistication of glossy pages fool you...this book has it all. It's the same difference between buying store-bought white bread that lacks all flavor and nutrition but is well marketed versus making your own.
A seriously good bread book!
To my great surprise, this book QUICKLY went to the top of my "must keep" list. The reading is engaging, very enjoyable with a pleasant conversational style. The drawings - while not full color photogaphs - are equally interesting and truly add a great touch...but, the Real value of this book is the content and information contained. It's absolutely packed full of relevant content about bread-making...without a doubt this book has more information than almost all the other books I bought including the highly ranked books by Peter Rheinhart and Richard Bertinet...in fact, this book contained nearly evething in both of those books COMBINED plus much more.
I do not know the author but would like to express my sincere gratitude for an exceptionally written, well researched and engaging book.
Who will Love this Book....
- Anyone that loves bread, baking, baking bread or eating bread.
- Anyone interested in creating the most unique, natural breads with a distinctive taste and style of their very own.
- Anyone searching for several different starters, sources for ordering them around the world, variations on taste/texture etc...
- Anyone searching for great, easy to understand recipes including many beautiful shapes, interesting textures and of course - good flavors!
- Anyone interested in using a solar oven or sustainable cooking methods (note, this is not heavily emphasized but for those like us that have a solar oven or are thinking of getting one it is all you need. BTW, living in a hurricane prone area (Florida) makes solar ovens a great idea...we ran across one years ago at a thrift store for $20 and have been amazed how well it cooks so it was a very nice surprise to see info on it here!).
Bottom Line...
Don't let the sophistication of glossy pages fool you...this book has it all. It's the same difference between buying store-bought white bread that lacks all flavor and nutrition but is well marketed versus making your own.
A seriously good bread book!
41 of 42 people found the following review helpful
Format:Spiral-bound|Amazon Verified Purchase
I've been making bread now for over thirty years. For most of that time, I have been using commercial yeast. But for a few years, I had a sourdough starter that made great bread. And for a few other years, I had a desem starter that I made using the Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book.
For various reasons both of those starters got lost. The desem was a little too labor intensive. But I wanted to get back to sourdough bread, because it just tastes better to me; by comparison, bread raised with commercial yeast is sort of bland to me.
This book is the book you need if you want to make artisan-style, whole grain sourdough breads. It teaches you how to capture your own wild sourdough organisms, or how to order an exotic starter from, say, Austria. I had had difficulty in the past getting a good-tasting wild starter, but now I know the secret: it's pineapple juice! (Read the book to find out how to use it.)
This is not a conventional cookbook in the sense that you can't just turn to the sourdough bread recipe and start mixing things up. You really need to read the whole book to understand the whole process of capturing the starter, taking care of the starter between bakings, mixing up various kinds of dough, raising the dough, and baking it. There are interesting chapters about cooking in solar cookers and in a masonry oven.
I didn't realize that sourdough traditions were so wide-spread in the world. The author covers many different kinds of breads from all over the world, made with everything from the tiny tef grain, to soaked rice and beans. It makes sense, though, when you think about it: fermentation happens.
I also like all the illustrations from old prints, showing medieval people harvesting wheat, grinding flour, and baking bread.
For various reasons both of those starters got lost. The desem was a little too labor intensive. But I wanted to get back to sourdough bread, because it just tastes better to me; by comparison, bread raised with commercial yeast is sort of bland to me.
This book is the book you need if you want to make artisan-style, whole grain sourdough breads. It teaches you how to capture your own wild sourdough organisms, or how to order an exotic starter from, say, Austria. I had had difficulty in the past getting a good-tasting wild starter, but now I know the secret: it's pineapple juice! (Read the book to find out how to use it.)
This is not a conventional cookbook in the sense that you can't just turn to the sourdough bread recipe and start mixing things up. You really need to read the whole book to understand the whole process of capturing the starter, taking care of the starter between bakings, mixing up various kinds of dough, raising the dough, and baking it. There are interesting chapters about cooking in solar cookers and in a masonry oven.
I didn't realize that sourdough traditions were so wide-spread in the world. The author covers many different kinds of breads from all over the world, made with everything from the tiny tef grain, to soaked rice and beans. It makes sense, though, when you think about it: fermentation happens.
I also like all the illustrations from old prints, showing medieval people harvesting wheat, grinding flour, and baking bread.
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
By R. L. Wood
Format:Spiral-bound|Amazon Verified Purchase
It is like a bulb finally lit in my dim little brain. I have my starter, nice and wild but was not having much success using it with these 18 hour proofs. I read the reviews for Lisa's book and figured this is what i needed. I now understand hydration levels and how to figure it out and everything makes soooo much more sense. This book may be a bit too scientific for some in the beginning (I was a bio major so it was a refresher course for me) with all the genus/species listings, but the true beauty of this book is how she broke it down. You get alot of history (some may prefer just the meat and bones of the baking). This is not your basic cookbook, it is more an owners manual for starter/sourdough breads. I have read alot of bread books (bought more than my fair share) but this one, as mentioned in another review, goes to the top of my list. It lays flat, you don't panic if you drip water on it. She includes bakers formulas with percentages so you can easily figure out what you want to do with the hydration levels...a very good albeit different approach to sougdough bread making...and a very welcome one! Excellent book!
I had no interest in other sourdough cultures from around the world, but this book certainly piqued my interest. I would say a must have!
I had no interest in other sourdough cultures from around the world, but this book certainly piqued my interest. I would say a must have!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great history and information
Not sure if I'll use many of the recipes, however i purchased this book for all the good, basics of sourdough it contains. Read more
Published 1 month ago by C. E. Dalli Cardillo
3.0 out of 5 stars
not that crazy about it
I thought this was really going to be the book for me, but it wasn't quite what I had hoped for.
Published 1 month ago by Janet L. Evenboer
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lots of information
I do recommend this book. THere is a great deal of information and I am anxious to put it to use
Published 2 months ago by peteyfoozer
5.0 out of 5 stars
First sourdough book, well worth it.
I have been making sourdough breads for many years but always found information online. This book lays out a lot of the basics as well as in depth information and recipes. Read more
Published 3 months ago by chase england
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent book, answered my sourdough questions
This book delves further into the chemistry behind wild yeast, sourdough, flours, enzymes, and how it all comes together to create the perfect bread. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Sharla Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book
If you're into making sourdough, this is a great book. Techniques and recipes for breads, crackers, etc. I use other sourdough books, too, but this is a really good one.
Published 4 months ago by Tamara A. Mitchell
4.0 out of 5 stars
Vegetarian recipes
Pro: This book is interesting in the history and broad information regarding sourdough and how to use it. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Liz
5.0 out of 5 stars
Any novice breadkmaker will love this book.
Great book with a lot of practicle detail and anecdotes any novice breadmaker would appreciate. Strongly recommend, you'll read it cover to cover immediately, it's laid out in a... Read more
Published 5 months ago by John P. Blanchette
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best Book on Sourdough Bread Ever!
I rarely write reviews but I am so impressed with this little book, I just wanted to shout it out to the world! Let's put it this way, there are 167 pages in this little gem. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Gypsy Gina
4.0 out of 5 stars
A pleasure to read
Bought this book after I had done some sourdough baking based on some of the reviews below. It is everything they said and more. Read more
Published 22 months ago by William Steck
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