Classic Sourdoughs: A Home Baker's Handbook - Paperback

Master the timeless art of sourdough baking with Classic Sourdoughs: A Home Baker's Handbook by renowned sourdough authorities Ed and Jean Wood. This comprehensive guide transforms home bakers into artisan bread makers, revealing the secrets to crafting perfect, naturally fermented loaves every time.

The Gold Standard of Bread Baking

Join the sourdough renaissance and discover why more home bakers are replacing mass-produced breads and commercial yeasts with artisan loaves made from wild cultures and natural fermentation. Whether you want to capture your own local yeasts, work with established cultures like San Francisco Sourdough, or simply bake healthier, more flavorful bread, this updated edition is your essential companion.

What Makes This Edition Special

The Woods reveal their newly discovered secret to crafting the perfect loaf: a unique culture-proofing step combined with temperature-adjusted proofs that give you unprecedented control over sourness and leavening. The result? Fresh, hot sourdough emerging from your oven exactly the way you like it—every single time.

What You'll Learn

• Master the Basics: Start with the signature Basic Sourdough loaf and build your skills progressively.
• Explore Rustic Grains: Recipes featuring Herb Spelt Bread, Prairie Flax Bread, and Malt Beer Bread.
• Modern Techniques: New no-knead versions of classics like White French Bread.
• Expand Your Repertoire: Homemade baguettes, bagels, English muffins, and cinnamon rolls.
• Bread Machine Baking: Authentic sourdough recipes adapted for bread machines.
• Control Flavor & Texture: Adjust sourness and rise to match your preferences.
• Capture Wild Yeasts: Learn to create and maintain your own sourdough cultures.

About the Authors

Dr. Ed Wood, MD, PhD, is a physician and research scientist whose quest for ancient sourdough cultures began in Saudi Arabia. He and his wife, Jean Wood, founded Sourdoughs International, shipping authentic cultures from Cascade, Idaho, to seventy-eight countries worldwide. Their unique blend of scientific rigor and baking artistry makes this handbook both authoritative and accessible.

Perfect For

Home bakers ready to elevate their craft, sourdough enthusiasts seeking to refine their technique, health-conscious bakers wanting natural fermentation, gift-giving for bread lovers, or anyone wanting to bring time-honored baking traditions into their kitchen.

Book Details

• Authors: Ed Wood & Jean Wood
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 192
• Dimensions: 9.1" x 7.2" x 0.7"
• Publication Date: July 12, 2011
• ISBN: 9781607740070

Steeped in tradition, nuanced in flavor, and wonderfully ritualized in preparation, sourdough is bread the way it was meant to be. Bring these time-honored traditions into your own kitchen and experience the joy of baking authentic artisan bread at home.