Local Breads: Sourdough and Whole-Grain Recipes from Europe's Best Artisan Bakers

I was searching for a book with pure sourdough and whole grain recipes. This book did not disappoint. I'm thrilled. Today, I made the miche and pain au levain. Both were incredible. I couldn't believe how beautiful and delicious they were. The recipes and instructions were very clear. I will not lie and say this is a quick processs, but I decided if I was putting the time into it, I would make two recipes and get more use out of my stiff dough levain. BTW, to make the stiff dough levain, I used my already existing semi liquid spelt starter and added enough flour and water until it looked like the author's picture. It worked wonderfully. I even had a little left over for next time. The less I stress about all this sourdough stuff, the better my bread comes out. I recommend the book highly for true sourdough enthusiasts. Yet, there are more than a few recipes that include quick rise yeast, in addition to a starter (similar to Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Bread which I don't recommend due to his inclusion of commercial yeast in nearly all of his recipes.)

I haven't made anything from this book yet. But merely comparing to the other artisan bakers in my cookbook library, this author knows his stuff, all the bases are covered with background information and tutorials.Measurements are given four ways: volume, US weight, metric weight, and baker's percentage.As I mention in most of my other reviews of artisan bread books, you can't just jump in mid-way and pick a recipe. You _have_ to read the tutorials and _learn_ the methods, processes, and procedures.I haven't checked to see if Leader has instructional videos on yoo-toob like Forkish, Hertzberg/Francois, and Gamelin do. But a video is worth several read-throughs and practice batches.I bought this used on Amazon. If you can get it under $10, including s/h, I'd say it is a worthy purchase even if you own books by the above, and others such as Peter Reinhart, and Chad Robertson.

Do you want to try out having a pet without having to worry about the neighbors complaining about the barking when you are not home or siccing the Humane Society on you? Consider a sourdough starter. You don't have to put up with it yapping at teh door inthe winter time, bu tyou DO have to take care of it to have this work. This book tells you how to make bread like people who's lives depend upon it. Great bread, really great bread. But, it's a committment, no question. You must feed the starter weekly and either make bread regularly (also weekly at a minimum), or restart the process by throwing out most of the starter. And, you must really love bread as the proverbial staff of life. Fortunately, I do. Making bread this way takes time. You don't puff it up with yeast and sugar, you allow the wild yeast and bacteria hours to proof the bread using the more complex carbohydrates. Is it worth it? Wait till you try pizza dough made this way, or a bagguette, or a Polish rye.Nice stories too.

Daniel Leader has done a tremendous service for home bread making! His detailed explanations of how the ingredients interact, the types and grinds of flours, and his stories in between allow you to retain not only the information, but make you feel like you were with him. His encouragement throughout the book keeps you from giving up, and truly persisting until you get the consistency and flavor you desire - your own personal brand. I would have never known how rye differs from wheat, and surely would not have had the success I did if I hadn't combed through this section. I have now adapted some of the recipes for a bread maker, but the shaping of the items is still something I enjoy. No one else gives out the "secrets" that he does, and nutritionally I am impressed. I began this venture because I am tired of the commercial breads available and wanted more nutrition for the calories, as well as reduced gluten. The flours, salt, and equipment (mixer, in particular) have all been exactly as he represented them - SUPERB!, and truly make a difference in the finished product. I highly recommend this book for anyone who thinks they may want to try their hand at bread. The information, not just the recipes themselves, is worth five times what this book costs, saving you wasted ingredients and time. Thank you, again, for sharing!