On January 07, 2007 Russ wrote:


> What are some good books with sourdough recipes?

Hi Russ:

It looks like you have been getting several good suggestions. The problem
is that few books that I am aware of deal only with sourdough. The examples
I am aware of are Ed Wood's books. I own all three.

Others have some recipes for sourdough; some contain conflicting information
(e.g., yeast is caught from the "air" in a new starter). Some use baker's
yeast in the sourdough recipes. While far behind in reading the newsgroup
posts, I doubt that you have been given any "bad" suggestions. All books
have strengths and weaknesses. All recipes to the best of my knowledge and
meager experience can be converted to use a natural leaven completely
eliminating the baker's yeast from the recipe. Pick a book, pick a single
recipe follow it faithfully as far as it will take you and then add another
recipe and later another book. Keep detailed notes.

I like Ed Wood's books perhaps because they were my first. They offered me
some good background and basic understanding. I would not part with them.

They have numerous sourdough recipes that I have replicated successfully.
That said, I now converted all of his recipes that I use to weight and
modified the starter build. (Since roughly Thanksgiving, I have been using
a continuous starter build methodology with two daily feedings and making
bread every two or three days based upon household need.)

However, the 1994 edition of Dr. Wood's book with Donna Rathmell Germain,
"World Sourdoughs From Your Bread Machine," is dated. Bread machines like
computers have changed much since 1994.

Frankly, I had little luck making bread in a breadmaker until I got my
Breadman Ultimate 2200C. Being fully programmable I make naturally leavened
bread using the Russian strain from SDI quite frequently in the machine.
Total run time ranges from 7 to nearly 8 hours. I have a couple of recipes
on my blog. If interested start he
http://sourdoughbaking.blogspot.com/...e-1.html#links

Imho, making naturally leavened bread in a breadmaker requires the right
machine and a thorough understanding of the culture and the recipe one is
using. I much prefer to use the Russian strain than I do the OSF one when
using my breadmaker. They are distinctly different. I have no experience
with Carls' or any other starter strains.

If one carefully observes the stages and development of the dough when
making a recipe by hand, including monitoring dough and environmental
temperatures, then one will have a high probability of success if one can
program those parameters into the machine. I have to make some adjustments
in cooler/ warmer weather just like I do when making bread by hand. I do it
regularly; never had a failure. However, it may just be dumb luck. The
major drawback is the "paddle" hole in the bottom of the loaf.

As for other books, I personally found "Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book" very
helpful and thus purchased a copy. I got "Bread: A Baker's Book of
Techniques and Recipes," by Jeffery Hamelman for Christmas and have been
very, very pleased. If Rose Beranbaum's, "Bread Bible," which I have not
read, is on par with her "Pie and Pastry Bible," which I now own and
treasure (thanks for the tip Will), then I assume it to be excellent.

Many "bread books" are in my local library and I have checked many of them
out. I have not felt the need to own them. Most were helpful and
informative, yet sometimes completely contradictory on certain points. Some
have one making huge quantities of starter which is subsequently discarded.

I thus suggest a trip to the library and a perusal of the offerings
available. Perhaps it may require requests via inter-library loan. Then
you can personally decide which merit parting with your hard earned dollars
and space in your bookcase.

Regardless, I suggest that you pick a "good" book, tune out the newsgroup
noise/ cross-talk and bake some bread following the author's recipes and
techniques. My meager eclectic skills are a result of taking a little from
here and a little from there and adding some of my own.

Best of luck,

Ray