“Life is full of good bread.”
“Sourdough Cookery” by Rita Davenport The biographic information about Rita Davenport tells us she is a home economist and a time management expert. That will come as no surprise to any sourdough purist who reads this book. It is a triumph of time management over sourdough. She uses commercial baker’s yeast to start and maintain her …
“The Village Baker” by Joe Ortiz. Many people think this is THE book on baking. It has gorgeous pictures, and is a veritable love affair with bread. Despite this, I think Joe Ortiz spent a lot of time making things too difficult for himself and his reader. Not really recommended. isbn.nu can point you to a 1993 hardback, and a …
“The Complete Sourdough Cookbook” by Don and Myrtle Holm. When the words “complete” or “ultimate” appear in a book title, I get suspicious. And the suspicion is usually well founded. There’s lots of good historical information, lots of good folklore, and a fun read in this book, but it’s not a terribly good sourdough cookbook. The …
“The Bread Baker’s Apprentice” by Peter Reinhart is a very beautiful book, but unlike most beautiful bread books, there’s a lot of substance here. This book has caused lots of talk in all the baking forums I’m a member of, and the praise is all but unanimous. It’s a good book to get your juices flowing again. Lots …
“Flavored Breads – Recipes from Mark Miller’s Coyote Café” by Mark Miller and Andrew Maclaughlin A very good book on flavored breads. One of our favorites is the black bean and chipotle pepper bread, which we modified to use sourdough (we include our sourdough version in our “Introduction to Sourdough” book.) Their use of sourdough is limited, and makes the usual mistakes with …
“Bread Alone” by Daniel Leader I’m still digesting this book, but so far, I like it. Clear instructions, good recipes, lots of nice information about bakers in France. However, I do think he makes things harder for himself, and you, than is necessary. For example, he has you premix white and whole wheat flour to make …
“The Great Chicago-Style Pizza Cookbook” by Pasquale Bruno, Jr. This book has nothing to do with sourdough, but it is a marvelous pizza resource. The dough recipes are easy to convert to sourdough, and the results are spectacular. Having trouble with your pizza crust? Chances are Pasquale Bruno, Jr. explains the problem in his book. isbn.nu …
“Beard On Bread” by James Beard While James Beard wasn’t a fan of sourdough, this remains one of the best introductory reference books to bread making around. I highly recommend this book to beginners. The last publication of this I saw was in 1995, but when I researched this page, isbn.nu helped me find a 1979 …
“The Taste of Bread” By Professor Raymond Calvel Professor Calvel is regarded by many people as the baker who brought about the resurgence of interest in good bread in France. His book is instructional and inspirational. Sadly, the English version is also quite expensive. But it is worth it. Many of the best bakers I …
“Bread Science” by Emily Buehler Emily is unique among bread writers. She is not only a professional baker, she has a doctorate in Chemistry. She explains what is happening in the dough, in the rise, in the bake, and in the bread at a very fundamental level. It is an incredible book, and one which …
“World Sourdoughs From Antiquity” by Dr. Ed Wood. A wonderful work on sourdoughs. Some people don’t like his recipes for breads, as they aren’t purist enough for them. Whether or not you like his recipes, he sets the standards on how to handle cultures. A new version is supposed to be out soon. Highly recommended. …
“Great Whole Grain Breads” by Beatrice Ojakangas. This was, for many years, THE reference book for whole grain breads and baking. Very highly recommended! Several of our favorite breads come from this book. Sadly, her sourdough section isn’t very strong, but it’s easy to convert recipes. It isn’t in print, but it is available on …