Customer Reviews

Wild Sourdough: The Natural Way to Bake

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The book gives only the briefest of details about creating a starter, so this isn't the best book for beginners. Dan lepard, the The Handmade Loaf, gives day by day photos, so I'd recommend you know how to make a starter before buying this book. She uses bakers percentage in creating the starter, which is easy to understand. Ingredients will need to be weighed, but this is the only way to make bread anyway, I use a Soehnle scale Soehnle Page Digital Kitchen Scale, White. I wouldn't let this put you off though, the recipes include a couple of cakes also. What I really like about this book though, is that it is made for the home baker. I can't wait to try the 'bitter chocolate, cranberry and pistachio spelt sourdough'
I mailed the author with a couple of questions (her email address is in the back of the book), she got back within a few days and was helpful, so feel free to mail her.
I've made a starter, and then used this to create the light rye bread, so I recommend this book, the recipes actually work, but remember that with bread, due to different flours and water absorption you need to have some idea of what the dough should be like, and don't be afraid to fail, it's a learning curve.

This was my first sourdough bread book. I loved the look of it - nice presentation and well bound, and although the photos were not of a professional standard, I felt that added to the "home-grown" feel of the book.

Alas, I discovered serious shortcomings once I began trying the recipes, and I have to concur with Barbara's review observations.

First of all, there are NO instructions for making a starter - an essential beginning point for all sourdough recipes.

Further, there are multiple instances of omitted ingredients, or inaccurate and confusing recipe directions. Worse, some of the more interesting recipes simply do not work. eg: the SD chocolate cake. I am no greenhorn when it comes to baking. I have baked many a good chocolate cake and know how to follow a recipe. I had my doubts about natural leavening being sufficient to give the cake adequate rise during the bake, but plugged on regardless...unsurprisingly, I ended up with a flat chocolate slice. Edible and nice enough, but a failure as a chocolate cake! I have never seen any other SD cake recipe that didn't require additional leavening agents like baking powder etc as well as SD starter - and for good reason. One wonders whether the author's zeal for using only natural leavening has prompted her to include some 'theoretical' recipes that do not translate in practice.

As a professional editor/copyeditor, I found the many instances of poorly phrased and repetitive writing irritating. This is not as serious a flaw as those mentioned above, but when it is clear that an author's native language is not English, surely some proper editing by a competent native-English-speaking editor is essential.

Lastly, as a keen home baker of SD bread, bagels, panettone, naan etc etc for 2 years now, I have built up a small library of books by the bread baking gurus, of which Mardewi is certainly not one. Whatever your level of SD baking expertise, there are far better books available than this one. For beginners, try Dan Lepard's inexpensive and excellent 'The Handmade Loaf' (not many pure SD recipes, unfortunately, but still worth getting for the ones that are included). Then there are the hardcover standout classics like Peter Reinhart's 'The Bread Baker's Apprentice' and Hamelman's 'Bread'. Well written, and the recipes are dependable. Some are truly outstanding.

To be honest, now that I know what I'm doing as a SD baker, I never even look at Mardewi's book. Her formulae seem rather idiosyncratic, and generally her bakers' percentages do not adhere to the tried and true principles espoused by experienced professional bakers like Hamelman and Reinhart. Some of her breads still taste good, but none of 8 or so that I have tried measure up to my favourites from other sources, or that I have since developed myself. Look elsewhere if you want to get off to a good start with your SD bread baking. This book held me up rather than setting me up with the basics.

First, a quick disclaimer...this book just arrived so I've not taken time to actually make any of the recipes yet however, the book itself is filled with beautiful full color photographs, easy to understand instructions and sour dough recipes that sound utterly delicious with very little enhancers, sugar or other additives.

I've recently purchased about a dozen top ranked bread books but a few things set this apart...

- All natural, organic recipes throughout. The author is very conscientious in using only all natural ingredients with very few sweetners etc...
-Easy to find ingredients. We enjoy baking bread so have nearly every ingredient in the pantry already.
- Alternative flours especially for those with a gluten intolerance or allergy. Use of rye,spelt and other grains is well balanced.
- Seeds, fruits and creative touches including mixed grain are used frequently. I love seed breads and multi-grains so was especially pleased to encounter numerous recipes using seeds and a variety of different grains.
- Big beautiful photographs including pictures of a good starter versus a failed starter...I can't tell you how much that would have helped in the past!
- Email the author! Still having trouble? The author welcomes your email. I've not actually done so but it is a nice gesture.
- Flow chart - I really like this because it breaks down each step in the three different starters for quick comparision and reference.
-Time. Another favorite...the author breaks down estimated time for each and every step along the way so you know in advance how long it will take you to "fit" the bread into your schedule.

I will try to update once I've tried out several recipes but these look very promising indeed.

I had taken a bread baking course with Yoke and was excited about getting her book. What a disappointment.

A book about sourdough starters with very little information on how to make a starter or how to care for a starter. This is a serious omission in a book in which all recipes are dedicated to the use of a starter.

Also, the book seems to have missed a careful editor's eye. In several recipes, the instructions say use ALL the ingredients, and yet half way though the recipe, you are instructed to add one of the ingredients at this point. So adding ALL the ingredients is not what the author really meant. The instructions advise to use an ingredient which is actually not listed as an ingredient - so it is up to the user to decide how much of what to add (e.g. spice mix).

Other instructions are confusing - like shape the loaves as desired, followed by inistructions to roll the dough into a rectangle....

I would not recommend this book. It seems to be written by someone who is probably an excellent bread maker, but needs more practice in writinig cookbooks. While it is attractive - which is what made me buy it - I'd wait until the revised version is printed to correct many of the flaws and omissions.

That can't be overemphasized. This is a book for people who already know what a good starter looks and smells like, and know the basics of handling doughs. If you're new to bread-baking, I'd recommend Peter Reinhardt's books (any of them -- all of them if you can afford the investment). That said, I'm really excited about baking from this book - the recipes are very creative, and the combinations of grains look promising. I've just started my first batch of starter, and am particularly looking forward to her fig and walnut bread.

I have met Yoke and she is delightful. A gifted Artisan Baker Yoke teaches classes mostly from her home and it was a privilege to meet and learn from Yoke. I had her book beforehand and was pleased to find I had picked up some good technique from the book which is infused with Yoke's easy informative style. Her new book features a big section devoted to gluten free sourdough baking.

I really like the book, I've read over it and I can't wait to try some recipes. I love the general detail and background information in addition to the pictures and the quality of the book. I am new to sourdough baking, and I'm a home baker, so take that into mind when reading my review. The book has really great information, but I think it is a bit difficult for most people to have 4 different starters on hand (APF, Wheat, spelt, etc). I would prefer for her to describe how/if it's possible to substitute the different types of starters for another and what adjustments need to be made. I bake once a week, and trying to use and upkeep four different starters would be a pain (and wasteful). The other comment I have is that the author is from Australia and therefore uses the metric system. Although conversions are provided, the recipes are based around metric. This means you will be measuring out 7 oz. of flour, and if you're not using a scale, your recipes might be a bit imprecise.