I’ve been baking sourdough bread for about 5 years now, and if there is one book I’ve gone back and forth to for advice or insight into bread making, it’s this one. “The Handmade Loaf” by Dan Lepard, is a great, instructional read that lifts the lid on this traditional way of combining just 3 ingredients to make wonderful sourdough. Flour, water and salt, is more or less all it takes to make sourdough bread. The book is from the early 2000s, when Lepard goes off on a travelogue with camera to Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Ukraine, Russia, and more, in order to find out about the local artisan ways of making bread in those regions. It’s got some great photography and stories about the people he meets along the way. This book helps light a passion for baking in me, and is ideal for beginners to experienced bakers.
The book is structured into chapters that focus on different aspects of bread-making, such as ingredients, equipment, and techniques, which are presented logically and easily. Lepard’s clear explanations and step-by-step instructions make even the most intricate recipes accessible to bakers of all skill levels.
“The Handmade Loaf” by Dan Lepard is a great addition to your library of baking books. The Mill-House loaf is one of the recipes that I bake weekly, and there’s plenty of tips and ideas to keep you inspired.
See the book, The Handmade Loaf” by Dan Lepard, on Amazon.
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