Early Book Review: New World Sourdough: Artisan Techniques for Creative Homemade Fermented Breads; With Recipes for Birote, Bagels, Pan de Coco, Beignets, and More by Bryan Ford

New World Sourdough: Artisan Techniques for Creative Homemade Fermented Breads; With Recipes for Birote, Bagels, Pan de Coco, Beignets, and More by Bryan Ford is currently scheduled for release on June 16 2020. Learn how to make a sourdough starter, basic breads, as well as other innovative baked goods from start to finish with Instagram star Bryan Ford's (@artisanbryan) nontraditional approach to home baking. With less emphasis on perfecting crumb structure or obsessive temperature monitoring, Ford focuses on the tips and techniques he's developed in his own practice, inspired by his Honduran roots and New Orleans upbringing, to ensure your success and a good return on your time and effort. Ford's recipes include step-by-step instructions and photographs of all of the mixing, shaping, and baking techniques you'll need to know, with special attention paid to developing flavor as well as your own instincts.

New World Sourdough offers readers exactly what the title promises, an accessible guide to sourdough and recipes to use the starter. The descriptions and instructions are well written and easy to follow, and the photographs of the dough and finished product are very well done. I am still not a fan of the ingredients list being off to the side rather than at the top of the recipe, but it worked better for me here than it has in other cookbooks. I like the approachable style of this book, and it has made me a little more comfortable with my attempts at sourdough, which was feeling a bit too much work after some less than successful attempts while home  maintaining social distance from the rest of the world. There are a few recipe that on my list of things to try out soon, and we will see if they turn out nearly as well as I hope.

Book Review: Starter Sourdough: The Step-by-Step Guide to Sourdough Starters, Baking Loaves, Baguettes, Pancakes, and More by Carroll Pellegrinelli

Starter Sourdough: The Step-by-Step Guide to Sourdough Starters, Baking Loaves, Baguettes, Pancakes, and More by Carroll Pellegrinelli is a cookbook to get readers started to more creative bread. For perfect sourdough bread, you need a healthy and happy starter—that yeasty concoction that gives sourdough its tangy, delicious flavor. Starter Sourdough helps you get the tricky starter process down pat, so you can have mouthwatering loaves, rolls, baguettes—and even cakes and cookies! This guide simplifies the process of making your own starter so it’s accessible to anyone, no matter your skill level. Keep your tasty new creation alive and thriving with the help of clear instructions accompanied by beautiful photographs. Then try your hand at baking Perfect Italian Sourdough, Sourdough Marble Rye Bread, Double Piecrust, Sourdough Pretzels, Sourdough Cinnamon-Sugar Doughnuts, and more.

As someone that had a cinnamon 'friendship' bread starter ruling her kitchen for years I initial dreaded the idea of another starter in my house. As much as everyone loved that bread, there just was not enough variety and I could just not stand to eat anymore of it.  Starter Sourdough is the book that broke me of my fear of starters, and got me cultivating a new batch because of the versatility of this stuff. The fact that I can freeze it for later use, or even dry it, means that I am less likely to become overwhelmed with the amount of dough in the house, and makes my prep work for my big holiday baking sprees so much easier. 

I found the instructions and explanations to be very easy to follow and well organized. I like that there was so much room for customization- such as changing types of flour for flavor or diet restrictions. I cannot wait to try out the Roasted Garlic Sourdough and the Honey Oatmeal Bread,  as well as the more traditional loafs. However, I am very excited to give the sweeter recipes a go once my starter it ready, like the chocolate chip cookies, cheese and garlic and cheese bialys, and pretzels.   

Starter Sourdough is a book I would recommend adding to your kitchen library for anyone interested in working with a sourdough starter. I see much weekend baking in my future.