Despite being prizewinning expert bakers, the authors have written an accessible, understandable, usable book about sourdough for the rest of us. An introductory chapter covers the basics including demystifying the process, the different steps involved, ingredients, and moving on to a very (very) basic tutorial for making and maintaining a starter. This is one of those "if I can do it, ANYONE can do it" situations. It's not hard and for a long time I've been intimidated by the process, but I just followed the instructions and it worked without any tears.The author has done a good job of breaking down the basic tools and supplies and a good tutorial for a basic loaf to get readers started.
The recipes/tutorials are arranged by base flour (rye, wheat, flavored wheat, sweet breads and buns). Recipes include a short description, ingredients in a bullet style list in a sidebar, and step by step directions. Ingredient measures are provided in American standard and metric (yay!). Most (but not all) ingredients will be easy to source at a relatively well stocked grocery. Some specialty flours might need to be bought from bakers' supply or a specialist grocer. The photography is not abundant, not all of the loaves are accompanied by pictures. The photos which are included are clear and attractive and serving suggestions are appealing and appropriate. The tutorials are accompanied by step-by-step photos which are clear and easy to follow.
The book includes a cross referenced index with ingredients and recipes listed. There are many recipes included in each category; definitely enough to keep bakers busy for a long while. This would be a superlative gift or for the home cook's library. I couldn't think of any sourdough recipes which weren't included (and indeed there are many more in this volume that I was previously familiar with).
Five stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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