Book Of The Month - Whole Grain Sourdough At Home

Our July Book Of The Month is Whole Grain Sourdough at Home by Elaine Boddy.

If you’ve tried making sourdough bread at home, believing it was as simple as mixing flour, water and yeast in a bowl, letting it rise, then popping it in the oven – you were as uninformed as I was on my first attempt. Baking really good bread is really hard until you get the hang of it. It takes practice and knowledge of the specific ingredients you’re using. Plus a strong resistance to the temptation to give up and buy your bread from the local baker or grocery store. If you did that, you’d be missing out.

In her book Whole Grain Sourdough at Home, Elaine Boddy takes us through the academic exercise of understanding each phase of the process, from creating reliable starter to not turning your ball of dough into a boat anchor. There is also a dash of encouragement and sharing of knowledge that comes from successful experience. We can do this! It does get easier as we develop a repeatable, reliable and enjoyable workflow that fits our skills and the tools we have available. The reward is a steady supply of tasty loaves and appreciation from those who bravely tasted and provided feedback on what we produced as we learned.

We recommend Whole Grain Sourdough at Home for anyone interested in the science, art and adventure that is baking high quality fresh bread at home.

Cheers!