annieb123
Written on Jun 1, 2021
Smart Sourdough is a tutorial and recipe guide to more efficient easier fermented bread using controlled warmth from a sous vide machine or instant pot type equipment. Due out 15th Sept 2021, it's 200 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats (ebook available now).
At the beginning of the pandemic, I (and most of the rest of the planet) decided to start a sourdough culture and make my own sourdough. I mixed the ingredients, kept everything scrupulously clean, followed the instructions - and it was a total, completely disgusting failure. So I was a bit skeptical of the author's no-fail 24 hour workaround which doesn't require a refrigerator starter culture. I followed his directions and used our instant pot to keep the dough evenly warm, added a little yeast at the end of the process, and managed to make a credible loaf of sourdough in 24 hours. For absolute purists, it should be understood that this method uses controlled temperatures to encourage lactobacillus growth with the use of commercial yeast at the end of the dough culturing. (This is the same method/shortcut used by many commercial bakeries).
The book builds chapter by chapter to more complex and customizable loaves. The book is layman accessible and easy to understand. Recipe ingredients are easy to source and will be available at most well stocked grocery stores and the equipment is widely available and relatively inexpensive.
Five stars. This is a well written usable method to successful sourdough culture and baking.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.