This was part nonfiction, part cookbook. It really makes baking sourdough feel practical and attainable in a modern kitchen with a complicated schedule. The recipes and advice in this book were really helpful!

For my birthday a while back my mom gave me some of her sourdough starter, lots of beautiful organic flour, and a few cookbooks to help me on my way with it all. I decided to try a recipe from Whitley's book to start with since my life fits the demographic of who he is writing to. I think I misunderstood a few of the points though, because my first attempt ended up way too flat, and I kept the mix far too watery! I had to scrape the dough out of my proofing basket and put it in a preheated pie plate to get anything at all.

Despite the mixed results, the flavour of the bread was really nice, so I am encouraged by that and I will try again! I think having gone through the process once I understand where I went wrong, and next time I think it will turn out a bit better.

I am a huge fan of sourdough bread for the health benefits (the long fermentation makes the grains more digestible), and for being a part of the long history and tradition of sourdough bakers. I also love the fact that it's a little bit of foraging you can do in your own kitchen - capturing wild yeast. As is the case when working with anything wild, the results can be unpredictable, but they are always worthwhile.

I received this book as a gift, but this review is not sponsored or endorsed by the author or publisher in any way. All opinions represented are my own.