Artisan Sourdough Made Simple: A Beginner's Guide to Delicious Handcrafted Bread with Minimal Kneading Paperback – October 24, 2017

I am indebted to the friend who told me about this book. I have always been too intimidated to make bread, as much as I wanted to learn. But once I made my first bread from this book, I couldn't stop! I now make bread every few weeks. The recipes are uncomplicated, instructions are clear and easy to follow, and the results are truly luscious. Think crisp, crackily crust with a soft flavorful interior. I've made the basic sourdough, sesame semolina (my favorite), whole wheat, cinnamon raisin, multigrain, light rye and pumpernickel many times. Also, Emilie will answer your bread questions posted to her website. If you're longing for great bread at home, all you need is a ceramic Dutch oven and this book!

I am new to the world of sourdough baking and still in the early stages of getting my starter ready so I have not tried any of the recipes in this book yet. However, I am already praising the author for her more laid back approach than some I have read. I no longer feel like my starter is controlling my life and it’s not the end of the world if I feed the dough at a slightly different time of day or even skip a day. It’s all fixable it seems.In addition, the recipes in this book seem reasonable for even a newbie to make and the pictures look delicious. I am anxious for my starter to be ready so I can get baking!

I've been baking my own bread for over a decade and have dabbled with Sourdough bread off and on during those years with varied success with using recipes from various bread making cook books, some devoted just to Sourdough bread making. I usually try my hand at Sourdough when I take my several canning jars of San Francisco sourdough starter out of the fridge every two or three months ( contrary to conventional wisdom in feeding once every two weeks or so) to feed the little beasties. The feeding time arrived, and while the banquet of flour and water was commencing, I decided to do a search on sourdough bread recipes when I came across Emilie's blog "The Clever Carrot". In it is her recipe and technique for making a basic Sourdough bread. I like her writing and technique and so I was intrigued. The outcome was a great success. So much so I ordered her book. What a great book it is. She really outlines the steps, explains the necessity of each step, and has great pictures to go along with those steps. She even explains what "AutoIyze" is, something other bread books I have overlook. I also appreciate that she uses ingredient Metric weights (along with approx. volume measurements) in the recipes. I use the OXO kitchen scale which has Imperial and Metric weights built in so using grams is a cinch.Her recipe for "High-Hydration Sourdough" bread is amazing and has become my all time favorite. I make it at least three times a week, that is how quickly it is eaten.My only wish is that she included bakers percentages along with the weight measurements. I did do my own converting, I went to culinary school and all our baking recipes used bakers percentages so I'm accustomed to that.. It makes it very easy to scale the amount of product. Other than that wish this is my only go-to Sourdough bread book I'm now using.I highly recommend this book.Excellent job Emilie.

There are plenty of bread and sourdough books available, but this book distinguishes itself by going well beyond basic recipes and including many great suggestions for how to take sourdough to the next level. The book is also beautifully produced with high quality pictures, making it a joy to flip through.

This book was my top choice of six recent bread-making books—all of which I was able to evaluate by checking them out at our public library. The author combines the best of old and new techniques. She developed a method for making artisan breads that is used throughout the book and can be applied to recipes from other sources for better results. The taste, texture, density, and characteristic crackle crust of her breads are quite good and are on par with the best breads of bakeries in our area—if not better.Compared to other bread books, this book strikes a good balance between recipes that take too many shortcuts and those that are overly complicated. They are clearly presented with great illustrations and color photos. Many of the bread recipes call for the same amount of sourdough starter. This is an advantage because it means you can plan ahead and not make any more starter than you need.Readers should be aware that the steps for making sourdough bread are given after the first two recipes. I almost missed reading these steps because of their unusual placement in the book. The information is super important—especially if you have not made this kind of bread before—and it applies to many recipes in the book.A few recipes call for specialty flours/ingredients that were not available in my local stores. These can be purchased online, but flour is expensive to ship due to its weight. I would have preferred more multigrain recipes with fewer exotic contents.Having read many reviews for bread-baking books online, there seems to be a common misconception that beginning books for artisan breads will feature quick and easy recipes. That is hardly the case, and this book is no exception—despite some reviews that give the impression that it all happens by magic.Artisan breads are not rocket science, but they require time, effort, and the right equipment. One must be rather exacting with all the measurements and techniques. While the author gives weights in terms of measuring cups and spoons, for instance, these should only be used as a general reference. Use the provided weight in grams instead. It is important to have a digital scale if you want good and consistent results. You will also need a so-called Dutch oven or the equivalent. I purchased a ceramic cloche with a lid, and it works very well. In my view, the final product is worth the preparation and equipment. I’ve been making artisan breads every week since buying this book.

Loafs. of information in this book. Easy to understand. Beautiful photos. There are little tricks to making good sourdough bread. Most people won’t tell you what they are.

Clear instructions. Tasteful recipes.