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How to Raise a Loaf: and fall in love with sourdough
A new generation is discovering the chewy texture and rich flavour of real bread, and sourdough is one of the biggest stories in food. You don't need to be an expert baker to make your own sourdough at home; though once you're hooked, and want to get fancy, the book will tell you what lames, bannetons, brushes and stones to invest in. The book makes the key techniques of traditional baking easy to understand, with step-by-step photo instructions and a simple overview of the magical processes that turn wild yeasts into a living baker's starter, and a bowl of flour into a glowing crusty loaf.
112 pages, Paperback
Published May 26, 2020
9 people are currently reading
97 people want to read
About the author
Roly Allen
2 books1 followerI was always a keen amateur cook, but didn't bake sourdough bread until I lost my job in my mid forties and wanted to use the time to develop a new skill. My first few loaves were terrible (really, really bad: I shudder at the memory) but I persevered, read as much as I could about bread baking, worked out what I needed to know and what I didn't, and eventually evolved a simple method to make a loaf that has a good rise, a chewy crust, and a bubbly crumb.
At the same time, I found that baking was also great therapy: everything about the process, from feeding your own starter, to kneading, folding, proofing and baking, has a calming and relaxing effect. This was incredibly valuable to me at the time, and I have since seen friends and family benefitting from it, too.
What I didn't find was a truly straightforward beginner's book that made it simple for anyone to get started. There are many really great baking books out there, but some of them make the topic way too complicated, some don't have the right photos, some have way too many, others use baker's yeast instead of a sourdough... lots of books were quite good, but none of them were great for beginners. (I'd worked in book publishing for years, so I judge books harshly. It was my job!)
So, for the real beginners, like I had been, I wrote HOW TO RAISE A LOAF AND FALL IN LOVE WITH SOURDOUGH. Enough detail to give you the skills you need: but no unnecessary complications, and not expensive. Lovely photography from Ida Riveros and Rita Platts make it beautiful to look at, too.
And I am really delighted to say that it works! I hear from people every day who have used the book either to make bread for the first time, or make bread successfully for the first time. Like me, they've also discovered what a calming, rewarding activity bread baking is. I hope you'll join us.
At the same time, I found that baking was also great therapy: everything about the process, from feeding your own starter, to kneading, folding, proofing and baking, has a calming and relaxing effect. This was incredibly valuable to me at the time, and I have since seen friends and family benefitting from it, too.
What I didn't find was a truly straightforward beginner's book that made it simple for anyone to get started. There are many really great baking books out there, but some of them make the topic way too complicated, some don't have the right photos, some have way too many, others use baker's yeast instead of a sourdough... lots of books were quite good, but none of them were great for beginners. (I'd worked in book publishing for years, so I judge books harshly. It was my job!)
So, for the real beginners, like I had been, I wrote HOW TO RAISE A LOAF AND FALL IN LOVE WITH SOURDOUGH. Enough detail to give you the skills you need: but no unnecessary complications, and not expensive. Lovely photography from Ida Riveros and Rita Platts make it beautiful to look at, too.
And I am really delighted to say that it works! I hear from people every day who have used the book either to make bread for the first time, or make bread successfully for the first time. Like me, they've also discovered what a calming, rewarding activity bread baking is. I hope you'll join us.
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April 28, 2020
***** Five AMAZING Stars
How to Raise a Loaf and Fall in Love with Sourdough by Roly Allan is not only a beautiful book but also well organized – and YES YES YES, I fell in love! The book includes faithful explanations for the preparation and care of your Sourdough Starter with accompanying gorgeous photos of mouthwatering recipes.
If you love to bake bread but have never tried baking Sourdough you should really try this method. Although you may end up with a loaf that resembles yeast bread, there is absolutely no comparison in taste. Fresh bread is mostly always yummy but freshly baked Sourdough bread is yummier and in a whole other league.
Although I never buy bread at the grocery and always bake my own, before reading this book, I enthusiastically ate Sourdough breads when I was out, but never tried making them. So, here are my conclusions and my experience after reading this beautiful book by Roly Allan.
The pros…..Sourdough Breads are YUMMY.
The cons…..this might not be a hobby for the busy harried parent in the kitchen (although a seasoned Sourdough baker may not agree). The prep to baked product takes many, many hours, and; my counter and sink looked like a cyclone had torn through the kitchen by the time I finally got the breads to the proofing stage. Compare: Baking bread with a bread machine, even if only used for dough-making, is super easy, fairly quick, and leaves hardly any mess at all – RESULT AMAZING; baking Sourdough bread is messy, sticky (no machine to do the job for you – although I did experiment with one loaf using the machine for kneading and it seemed to fare okay), takes a really long time (advance planning not spontaneous) and requires separate preparations for Starter and Recipe – RESULT EVEN MORE AMAZING.
The bottom line when cooking or baking is the TASTE. Sourdough bread comes in first, in my opinion.
I don’t mind getting my hands a little dirty, especially for something yummy. So, for Sourdough, I was prepared to go the distance. I fretted a little over the Starter (would it or would it not succeed?), but, the Starter turned out to be the easiest and quickest thing to prepare. It also appears to be practically fool-proof – but OMG it can be a huge mess. I followed the directions (sort of) and on day one it rose and bubbled beautifully. Day two, however, was a shocker. I “fed” my Starter before I went to sleep and just as I was about to climb the stairs I remembered that I was supposed to put the jar/s on a tray. I figured, for once in my life maybe I’ll follow directions….Whew was that a close call! I woke up to find my brew had bubbled and overflowed all over the tray - we’re talking really sticky stuff that hardens like cement when it dries. It took me over an hour to clean the gunk off the jars and tray and make sure that I scoured any left-over damp residue on counter and sink. So, I guess the Starter is pretty easy to make, but take care to use a deep jar and only fill about one third full – and it would probably be a good idea to follow instructions.
Putting a tray under the jars (I made three starters) was about the only instruction I followed to the T (I’m incorrigible). For the first prep I used rye flour instead of white flour, no raisins (the cupboard was bare) and instead of water and yogurt I used some leftover whey from making labene or cream cheese last week, and (sheep-face emoji) because I wanted to try to speed things up I actually snipped off a marble sized piece of forgotten yeast dough that seemed to be fermenting in the back of the fridge – somewhere I read that you can make the starter with almost anything so an aging piece of fermenting dough would hopefully speed the process. I whisked this all together and placed in a jar. On subsequent days (two and three) I fed the starter with rye flour and water only, and on day three (today), I was ready to bake!*
If you did the math you might note that I did not feed at the same time each day and that I fed the Starter this morning and used it already this afternoon – two more aberrations – but believe me you will know when the Starter is ready.
I chose to try two of the recipes today: the Sourdough Walnut Rye Bread and the Speckled Beetroot Sourdough (I was feeling adventurous and I just happened to have a raw beetroot in the fridge). By the time I finish this review we will see if all that messy breadmaking work was worth it! If I am successful, I will try the Sun-Dried Tomato and Black Olive Sourdough next, and maybe the Sourdough Oat and Apple Bread. (you can skip to the end – I just pulled them out of the oven).
Some of the breads require kneading (e.g. SWRB) and some require only to form into a ball and let sit (a few times, e.g. SBS) and most require that you then allow to rise for three to six hours before baking on a very high heat with moisture in the oven (I placed two little tins of water on the bottom rack). The SBS (did not require kneading) rose higher like a thick sponge when proofing while the SWRB, that required kneading, had a denser texture even after rising 50% as mandated. This makes sense because the starter is basically a “sponge” so if you don’t “knead” and if you are mixing water and flour into the sponge before letting it rest, you are basically just making the sponge again and bigger.
The bottom line: OMG – HEAVEN – I just pulled the breads out of the oven and let them sit for an hour, as recommended, before slicing. The Rye Walnut had a crunchy crusty on the outside and was dense but soft on the inside. The Speckled Beetroot was lighter and higher which was to be expected because of the sponge-like texture to begin with. The breads came out exactly as gorgeous as they looked in the photos (well, almost exactly I had to ad lib and put sesame on top because I didn’t have the types of “dusting” flour recommended – and I have none of the specialized equipment described in the book). Each of the two breads were the best, I mean The Best, sourdough breads I have Ever eaten.
So was it worth it? YES YES YES. I would jump hoops and climb mountains for these breads!
Thank you NetGalley and Laurence King Publishing Ltd. for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review and especially to Roly Allen for an amazing Sourdough experience.
*Because it hurts me to simply toss out what should be as good as any other base for a Starter I simply divided into three jars and changed from one Starter to three. But, because if I had continued by this method, I probably would have had about 81 jars of Starter in five days (this sounds a little like the Corona Virus), I eventually took off a good portion and stuck in the fridge to revive at a later date. Also, I’ve been doing a little surfing on the internet and will be making biscuits, crumpets, and maybe even pizza dough with the cast-off excess Starter – a whole new world has opened up to me. I hope you enjoy too ! 😊🤤
How to Raise a Loaf and Fall in Love with Sourdough by Roly Allan is not only a beautiful book but also well organized – and YES YES YES, I fell in love! The book includes faithful explanations for the preparation and care of your Sourdough Starter with accompanying gorgeous photos of mouthwatering recipes.
If you love to bake bread but have never tried baking Sourdough you should really try this method. Although you may end up with a loaf that resembles yeast bread, there is absolutely no comparison in taste. Fresh bread is mostly always yummy but freshly baked Sourdough bread is yummier and in a whole other league.
Although I never buy bread at the grocery and always bake my own, before reading this book, I enthusiastically ate Sourdough breads when I was out, but never tried making them. So, here are my conclusions and my experience after reading this beautiful book by Roly Allan.
The pros…..Sourdough Breads are YUMMY.
The cons…..this might not be a hobby for the busy harried parent in the kitchen (although a seasoned Sourdough baker may not agree). The prep to baked product takes many, many hours, and; my counter and sink looked like a cyclone had torn through the kitchen by the time I finally got the breads to the proofing stage. Compare: Baking bread with a bread machine, even if only used for dough-making, is super easy, fairly quick, and leaves hardly any mess at all – RESULT AMAZING; baking Sourdough bread is messy, sticky (no machine to do the job for you – although I did experiment with one loaf using the machine for kneading and it seemed to fare okay), takes a really long time (advance planning not spontaneous) and requires separate preparations for Starter and Recipe – RESULT EVEN MORE AMAZING.
The bottom line when cooking or baking is the TASTE. Sourdough bread comes in first, in my opinion.
I don’t mind getting my hands a little dirty, especially for something yummy. So, for Sourdough, I was prepared to go the distance. I fretted a little over the Starter (would it or would it not succeed?), but, the Starter turned out to be the easiest and quickest thing to prepare. It also appears to be practically fool-proof – but OMG it can be a huge mess. I followed the directions (sort of) and on day one it rose and bubbled beautifully. Day two, however, was a shocker. I “fed” my Starter before I went to sleep and just as I was about to climb the stairs I remembered that I was supposed to put the jar/s on a tray. I figured, for once in my life maybe I’ll follow directions….Whew was that a close call! I woke up to find my brew had bubbled and overflowed all over the tray - we’re talking really sticky stuff that hardens like cement when it dries. It took me over an hour to clean the gunk off the jars and tray and make sure that I scoured any left-over damp residue on counter and sink. So, I guess the Starter is pretty easy to make, but take care to use a deep jar and only fill about one third full – and it would probably be a good idea to follow instructions.
Putting a tray under the jars (I made three starters) was about the only instruction I followed to the T (I’m incorrigible). For the first prep I used rye flour instead of white flour, no raisins (the cupboard was bare) and instead of water and yogurt I used some leftover whey from making labene or cream cheese last week, and (sheep-face emoji) because I wanted to try to speed things up I actually snipped off a marble sized piece of forgotten yeast dough that seemed to be fermenting in the back of the fridge – somewhere I read that you can make the starter with almost anything so an aging piece of fermenting dough would hopefully speed the process. I whisked this all together and placed in a jar. On subsequent days (two and three) I fed the starter with rye flour and water only, and on day three (today), I was ready to bake!*
If you did the math you might note that I did not feed at the same time each day and that I fed the Starter this morning and used it already this afternoon – two more aberrations – but believe me you will know when the Starter is ready.
I chose to try two of the recipes today: the Sourdough Walnut Rye Bread and the Speckled Beetroot Sourdough (I was feeling adventurous and I just happened to have a raw beetroot in the fridge). By the time I finish this review we will see if all that messy breadmaking work was worth it! If I am successful, I will try the Sun-Dried Tomato and Black Olive Sourdough next, and maybe the Sourdough Oat and Apple Bread. (you can skip to the end – I just pulled them out of the oven).
Some of the breads require kneading (e.g. SWRB) and some require only to form into a ball and let sit (a few times, e.g. SBS) and most require that you then allow to rise for three to six hours before baking on a very high heat with moisture in the oven (I placed two little tins of water on the bottom rack). The SBS (did not require kneading) rose higher like a thick sponge when proofing while the SWRB, that required kneading, had a denser texture even after rising 50% as mandated. This makes sense because the starter is basically a “sponge” so if you don’t “knead” and if you are mixing water and flour into the sponge before letting it rest, you are basically just making the sponge again and bigger.
The bottom line: OMG – HEAVEN – I just pulled the breads out of the oven and let them sit for an hour, as recommended, before slicing. The Rye Walnut had a crunchy crusty on the outside and was dense but soft on the inside. The Speckled Beetroot was lighter and higher which was to be expected because of the sponge-like texture to begin with. The breads came out exactly as gorgeous as they looked in the photos (well, almost exactly I had to ad lib and put sesame on top because I didn’t have the types of “dusting” flour recommended – and I have none of the specialized equipment described in the book). Each of the two breads were the best, I mean The Best, sourdough breads I have Ever eaten.
So was it worth it? YES YES YES. I would jump hoops and climb mountains for these breads!
Thank you NetGalley and Laurence King Publishing Ltd. for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review and especially to Roly Allen for an amazing Sourdough experience.
*Because it hurts me to simply toss out what should be as good as any other base for a Starter I simply divided into three jars and changed from one Starter to three. But, because if I had continued by this method, I probably would have had about 81 jars of Starter in five days (this sounds a little like the Corona Virus), I eventually took off a good portion and stuck in the fridge to revive at a later date. Also, I’ve been doing a little surfing on the internet and will be making biscuits, crumpets, and maybe even pizza dough with the cast-off excess Starter – a whole new world has opened up to me. I hope you enjoy too ! 😊🤤
May 27, 2020
Yum! Yum! How to Raise a Loaf: and Fall in Love with Sourdough is the perfect cookbook for anyone wanting to make delicious sourdough bread. Even if you have never made bread before, but want to learn, this is the book for you.
This is a beautiful cookbook with lots of colourful pictures. How to Raise A Loaf is well organized with a Contents page, Step-by-step photo instructions, Techniques, Tips and Tricks, Troubleshooting, Recipes and Glossary.
Roly Allen gives precise, easy to follow step-by-step directions and accompanying photos to make great-tasting bread, starting with making "basic starter" through to cutting the first slice of mouth-watering freshly baked sourdough loaf.
My advance copy did not have a conversion table for oven temperatures from Celsius to Fahrenheit, which would have been helpful. I used the Vert app on my phone to make the conversion.
Once I have made the basic sourdough loaf a few times, I want to try some of the other recipes. Oat and Apple Bread, Sun-dried Tomato and Black Olive Sourdough, and Cheesy Poppy Seed Grissini sound delicious. Provençal Fougasse with Green and Black Olives looks yummy. I am definitely looking forward to lightly toasting a slice of Chocolate Sweet and Sourdough Loaf and serving it with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. It may become my all-time favourite recipe.
I highly recommend this beautiful Cookbook and plan to buy a copy for myself and one or two extras for friends. This book would make a great housewarming, birthday, shower or graduating gift. 5 stars ⭐️️⭐️️⭐️️⭐️️⭐️️
**Sincere thanks to the author Roly Allen, Laurence King Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review which was my pleasure to provide.
#HowtoRaiseaLoaf
#NetGalley
Posted on GoodReads, NetGalley, Savvy Reader, Twitter
This is a beautiful cookbook with lots of colourful pictures. How to Raise A Loaf is well organized with a Contents page, Step-by-step photo instructions, Techniques, Tips and Tricks, Troubleshooting, Recipes and Glossary.
Roly Allen gives precise, easy to follow step-by-step directions and accompanying photos to make great-tasting bread, starting with making "basic starter" through to cutting the first slice of mouth-watering freshly baked sourdough loaf.
My advance copy did not have a conversion table for oven temperatures from Celsius to Fahrenheit, which would have been helpful. I used the Vert app on my phone to make the conversion.
Once I have made the basic sourdough loaf a few times, I want to try some of the other recipes. Oat and Apple Bread, Sun-dried Tomato and Black Olive Sourdough, and Cheesy Poppy Seed Grissini sound delicious. Provençal Fougasse with Green and Black Olives looks yummy. I am definitely looking forward to lightly toasting a slice of Chocolate Sweet and Sourdough Loaf and serving it with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. It may become my all-time favourite recipe.
I highly recommend this beautiful Cookbook and plan to buy a copy for myself and one or two extras for friends. This book would make a great housewarming, birthday, shower or graduating gift. 5 stars ⭐️️⭐️️⭐️️⭐️️⭐️️
**Sincere thanks to the author Roly Allen, Laurence King Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review which was my pleasure to provide.
#HowtoRaiseaLoaf
#NetGalley
Posted on GoodReads, NetGalley, Savvy Reader, Twitter
May 15, 2020
This is a beautiful book on sourdough! I am a novice sourdough enthusiast and was interested in this title to learn about sourdough in a more systematic, comprehensive way, and the book does a GREAT job explaining the ABCs of sourdough. The images are lovely and the text is clear. It includes lots of practical tips, such as taking a picture of your dough with your smartphone before a rise, so that you can compare its progress over time (has it actually doubled, etc).
It is written for a British audience, and because of this I found it a little more complicated than I would find useful for purchase (things like translating gas marks/Celsius temperature to Fahrenheit), and for something that already feels a little complicated and fussy (sourdough) I feel like this might be just one step too far for patrons. Although the book is very clear about equipment needed, it is a bit limiting - for instance almost all the recipes require the use of a banneton (a special basket used for shaping/rising), something that I don't even own and I bake quite a bit. Without alternative instructions (ie "If you don't have a banneton", etc) the book feels really limited. And though I love my kitchen scale, I also realize that I'm in the minority in owning one, which would be tough since all the recipes are by weight.
All that said, if you are looking for a beautiful book on sourdough, this is a lovely one.
Thank you to NetGalley and Laurence King Publishing LTD for providing me a review copy. This review is based on NetGalley ARC provided in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.
It is written for a British audience, and because of this I found it a little more complicated than I would find useful for purchase (things like translating gas marks/Celsius temperature to Fahrenheit), and for something that already feels a little complicated and fussy (sourdough) I feel like this might be just one step too far for patrons. Although the book is very clear about equipment needed, it is a bit limiting - for instance almost all the recipes require the use of a banneton (a special basket used for shaping/rising), something that I don't even own and I bake quite a bit. Without alternative instructions (ie "If you don't have a banneton", etc) the book feels really limited. And though I love my kitchen scale, I also realize that I'm in the minority in owning one, which would be tough since all the recipes are by weight.
All that said, if you are looking for a beautiful book on sourdough, this is a lovely one.
Thank you to NetGalley and Laurence King Publishing LTD for providing me a review copy. This review is based on NetGalley ARC provided in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.
May 25, 2020
When I saw that book, it immedeately peaked my interest.
I am not new to work with dough, but as I am newer to sourdough I was at least mildly curious what new can I learn and what else can I try. After all, home office and 15 min breaks off the computer could be filled wih something for the soul, right?
Now, I've fallen in love with sourdough long time ago, but I hadn't baked sourdough bread in quite a while. Why? Well, mostly lack of time for kneading and preparation. And now once I had the time, I had to mak it count by improving my knowledge and skills.
And this book is somewhat a perfect place to start with sourdough knowledge - it'll guide you through the basics, including what and, most importantly, why is it done. Very good starter point, as well as gradually complicating the recipes while enriching the reader's knowledge.
What I didn't expect was the chocolate starter/bread recipe and I was very very interested in testing it. It turned out not only great, but the anyone in the household just loved it - rich and tasty, and making the kitchen smell like heaven on a lazy Sunday morning.
Now, while I'm writing this, I am having the pleasure to be nibbling on a sanwitch made with rye and spelt sourdough, and let me tell you, you want that bread in your life.
The book is a good addition to your kitchen, as it will show and explain basic techniques, it'll provide guidance on how to start and where to be carefull and it'll make you explore the possibilities of sourdough.
I am not new to work with dough, but as I am newer to sourdough I was at least mildly curious what new can I learn and what else can I try. After all, home office and 15 min breaks off the computer could be filled wih something for the soul, right?
Now, I've fallen in love with sourdough long time ago, but I hadn't baked sourdough bread in quite a while. Why? Well, mostly lack of time for kneading and preparation. And now once I had the time, I had to mak it count by improving my knowledge and skills.
And this book is somewhat a perfect place to start with sourdough knowledge - it'll guide you through the basics, including what and, most importantly, why is it done. Very good starter point, as well as gradually complicating the recipes while enriching the reader's knowledge.
What I didn't expect was the chocolate starter/bread recipe and I was very very interested in testing it. It turned out not only great, but the anyone in the household just loved it - rich and tasty, and making the kitchen smell like heaven on a lazy Sunday morning.
Now, while I'm writing this, I am having the pleasure to be nibbling on a sanwitch made with rye and spelt sourdough, and let me tell you, you want that bread in your life.
The book is a good addition to your kitchen, as it will show and explain basic techniques, it'll provide guidance on how to start and where to be carefull and it'll make you explore the possibilities of sourdough.
May 31, 2020
This is a great little book to get you started cooking sourdough bread, filled with all kinds of info about sourdough and brimming with gorgeous color photos. Allen walks you through every step of understanding sourdough, making your starter and creating your breads. Fifteen sourdough recipes are included, with photos accompanying every recipe.
I had hoped for a gluten free recipe but none are included. I know that gluten free sourdough bread can be delicious because I make it, but I understand that it's outside of the range of this book/author. I still plan to adapt some of his ideas for my own recipes. It's a great primer.
I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.
I had hoped for a gluten free recipe but none are included. I know that gluten free sourdough bread can be delicious because I make it, but I understand that it's outside of the range of this book/author. I still plan to adapt some of his ideas for my own recipes. It's a great primer.
I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.
May 23, 2020
I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.
This book gives a fantastic introduction to sourdough baking in an experienced and detailed format that was full of detail and information to help you before you begin attempting to bake it including the science within it too.
The recipes sound amazing and the breads look absolutely mouthwatering!
As a busy single mum I'm not sure if I will get chance to attempt this bread as it seems a long process but I will definitely try to give it a go at some point.
This book gives a fantastic introduction to sourdough baking in an experienced and detailed format that was full of detail and information to help you before you begin attempting to bake it including the science within it too.
The recipes sound amazing and the breads look absolutely mouthwatering!
As a busy single mum I'm not sure if I will get chance to attempt this bread as it seems a long process but I will definitely try to give it a go at some point.
May 23, 2020
A brilliant guide for the beginner and more experienced Baker. This covers everything you could possibly need to know. It is well presented, well written and great pictures. Step by step instructions, written in plain English and no jargon. Wonderful for everyone to try there hand at, which I encourage as there is nothing like the smell or taste of home baked bread.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
May 19, 2020
Perfect for the Novice Sourdough Baker
As someone who has worked with sourdough starters off and on for a few decades, I love this book. It is perfect for the home baker who would like to work with sourdough but is unsure about some aspects of working with the sourdough or other aspects. This author thoroughly delves into everything you need to know about sourdough cookery, from the anatomy of the grain to making a variety of loaves and shapes using several different techniques. You can tell that this author means to instruct the new sourdough baker, as nearly half the book is introductory material. He dives deep into the concepts of how to make a basic starter, other starters, equipment, creative ideas for add-ins and the crust, and techniques like kneading and folding. In this introductory section, he gives a recipe for a very basic sourdough loaf, filled with multiple pictures for each step. If you follow his directions and look at the pictures, it is hard to go wrong. The recipe section expands on the basic ideas presented in this first loaf, starting with some other very simple sourdough breads then getting more complicated with add-ins and shapes, like fougasse with two types of olives and a cheesy poppyseed grissini. One that particularly piqued my interest just from the look of it was a beet sourdough, which was both red and white at turns. How unusual! Just looking at the recipes makes me want to dig out my starter and have a go.
One of the things I absolutely love about this book and what makes it perfect for beginners is that it is just full of photographs. Not only does every recipe have a photograph of the finished bread, but throughout the entire book, the author has given pictures of what different steps look like and how to do certain techniques. I love a recipe book that is so detailed about technique. Especially for something like sourdough, I think it really helps the new baker make each recipe a success.
The author is English, so he gives all the measures in metric. Most volume measures (like Pyrex) in the US do have metric alternatives listed right on the glass. As many baking books do, some things like flour are done as a metric weight. So if you don't already have a kitchen scale, you will need to get one for success with these recipes. If you plan to do any professional-style baking—following other baker’s cookbooks—you would do well to get one anyway. There were a few terms here that would be unfamiliar to my American compatriots. Where you see him refer to strong bread flour, that simply means standard hard winter wheat bread flour with 13% to 14% gluten; I’m not saying whole wheat flour (the author will be specific), but flour milled from hard winter wheat. You can usually buy this in the grocery store, or you can order it online from King Arthur Flour. When he refers to linseed oil or linseeds, just use flaxseed or flax oil; they are from the same botanical genus. Wholemeal flour is whole wheat flour.
But don't let the unusual terms or measures stop you from getting this book. If you've ever had an interest in sourdough baking, this book will more than get you started and will certainly inspire present and future baking.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
As someone who has worked with sourdough starters off and on for a few decades, I love this book. It is perfect for the home baker who would like to work with sourdough but is unsure about some aspects of working with the sourdough or other aspects. This author thoroughly delves into everything you need to know about sourdough cookery, from the anatomy of the grain to making a variety of loaves and shapes using several different techniques. You can tell that this author means to instruct the new sourdough baker, as nearly half the book is introductory material. He dives deep into the concepts of how to make a basic starter, other starters, equipment, creative ideas for add-ins and the crust, and techniques like kneading and folding. In this introductory section, he gives a recipe for a very basic sourdough loaf, filled with multiple pictures for each step. If you follow his directions and look at the pictures, it is hard to go wrong. The recipe section expands on the basic ideas presented in this first loaf, starting with some other very simple sourdough breads then getting more complicated with add-ins and shapes, like fougasse with two types of olives and a cheesy poppyseed grissini. One that particularly piqued my interest just from the look of it was a beet sourdough, which was both red and white at turns. How unusual! Just looking at the recipes makes me want to dig out my starter and have a go.
One of the things I absolutely love about this book and what makes it perfect for beginners is that it is just full of photographs. Not only does every recipe have a photograph of the finished bread, but throughout the entire book, the author has given pictures of what different steps look like and how to do certain techniques. I love a recipe book that is so detailed about technique. Especially for something like sourdough, I think it really helps the new baker make each recipe a success.
The author is English, so he gives all the measures in metric. Most volume measures (like Pyrex) in the US do have metric alternatives listed right on the glass. As many baking books do, some things like flour are done as a metric weight. So if you don't already have a kitchen scale, you will need to get one for success with these recipes. If you plan to do any professional-style baking—following other baker’s cookbooks—you would do well to get one anyway. There were a few terms here that would be unfamiliar to my American compatriots. Where you see him refer to strong bread flour, that simply means standard hard winter wheat bread flour with 13% to 14% gluten; I’m not saying whole wheat flour (the author will be specific), but flour milled from hard winter wheat. You can usually buy this in the grocery store, or you can order it online from King Arthur Flour. When he refers to linseed oil or linseeds, just use flaxseed or flax oil; they are from the same botanical genus. Wholemeal flour is whole wheat flour.
But don't let the unusual terms or measures stop you from getting this book. If you've ever had an interest in sourdough baking, this book will more than get you started and will certainly inspire present and future baking.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
May 24, 2020
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
How to Raise a Loaf: and fall in love with sourdough is a tutorial guide and recipe collection by Roly Allen. Due out 26th May 2020 from Laurence King publishing, it's 112 pages and will be available in flexibound format.
Although not isolating at home (I'm a healthcare worker for my day job), I've certainly traveled and eaten out much *much* less (as in not at all) since the lockdowns. This means that I've had a lot more time to devote to reading, writing, knitting, sewing, gardening, and other crafty pursuits. I was happy to receive this eARC because making a concerted effort to learn to make sourdough had been on my to-do list for years.
A very general introduction in plain language includes the basic who, what, why, when, and how to's. The author has a very down to earth and engaging manner of writing that is fun and encouraging. He does emphasize the potential physical and mental benefits of doing something thoroughly and well. Sourdough takes time. The continuity and rhythm of doing something which requires action (even simple action) over time can be a significant source of routine in world where everything feels very unsettled, upside down and backwards. His basic starter was unusual in my experience (comparing his method to the tutorials on youtube) in that it starts by stacking the deck in favour of the microorganisms by introducing both natural yogurt and a source of fructose. The introduction includes a couple of short easy-to-follow technique tutorials as well as a solid subchapter on necessary equipment.
Extras, fancier presentations, alternate starter routines, and other artistic enhancements are covered in the following chapter. The author also includes a good troubleshooting section and commentary on different types of containers for baking as well as tips and tricks for getting the best results.
The recipes are varied and well presented. Ingredients are listed in a bullet style list. Measurements are standard (metric) with American units in parentheses. Step by step cooking instructions are well formatted and easy to follow. The loaves are beautifully photographed (including a number of photo-series tutorials to help with clarity in some steps). There are numerous wildly different loaves here (14 by my rough count). The Provencale fougasse with olives was the first we tried after a couple of successes with the starter loaves. It was chewy and "toothsome" and disappeared whilst it was still warm.
The author has also included a short glossary and resource list for further reading.
All in all a very accessible guide, clearly and well written with good clear photos. I'm impressed and pleased at my success with the techniques presented by the author here.
Five stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
How to Raise a Loaf: and fall in love with sourdough is a tutorial guide and recipe collection by Roly Allen. Due out 26th May 2020 from Laurence King publishing, it's 112 pages and will be available in flexibound format.
Although not isolating at home (I'm a healthcare worker for my day job), I've certainly traveled and eaten out much *much* less (as in not at all) since the lockdowns. This means that I've had a lot more time to devote to reading, writing, knitting, sewing, gardening, and other crafty pursuits. I was happy to receive this eARC because making a concerted effort to learn to make sourdough had been on my to-do list for years.
A very general introduction in plain language includes the basic who, what, why, when, and how to's. The author has a very down to earth and engaging manner of writing that is fun and encouraging. He does emphasize the potential physical and mental benefits of doing something thoroughly and well. Sourdough takes time. The continuity and rhythm of doing something which requires action (even simple action) over time can be a significant source of routine in world where everything feels very unsettled, upside down and backwards. His basic starter was unusual in my experience (comparing his method to the tutorials on youtube) in that it starts by stacking the deck in favour of the microorganisms by introducing both natural yogurt and a source of fructose. The introduction includes a couple of short easy-to-follow technique tutorials as well as a solid subchapter on necessary equipment.
Extras, fancier presentations, alternate starter routines, and other artistic enhancements are covered in the following chapter. The author also includes a good troubleshooting section and commentary on different types of containers for baking as well as tips and tricks for getting the best results.
The recipes are varied and well presented. Ingredients are listed in a bullet style list. Measurements are standard (metric) with American units in parentheses. Step by step cooking instructions are well formatted and easy to follow. The loaves are beautifully photographed (including a number of photo-series tutorials to help with clarity in some steps). There are numerous wildly different loaves here (14 by my rough count). The Provencale fougasse with olives was the first we tried after a couple of successes with the starter loaves. It was chewy and "toothsome" and disappeared whilst it was still warm.
The author has also included a short glossary and resource list for further reading.
All in all a very accessible guide, clearly and well written with good clear photos. I'm impressed and pleased at my success with the techniques presented by the author here.
Five stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
June 2, 2020
How to Raise a Loaf and Fall in Love with Sourdough by Roly Allan is an extremely comprehensive book. It is extremely well organized and wonderful eye candy. The photos are gorgeous. With all the time everyone is spending at home lately there are many who have turned their thoughts to baking bread. The book has definitive instructions for the preparation and care of your Sourdough Starter.
If you have never tried baking Sourdough this book will make you want to really try this method. This might not be for the busy person. This effort takes time. The preparation through to a finished loaf takes days (to make the starter) and then many hours to come to fruition. Much advanced planning is required. This is not a spur of the moment task.
Roly Allan is very detailed , in a step by step manner, for people who haven’t tried this method before. The table of contents is thorough and broken down so you can easily find the information you are looking for. The author goes through the trouble of explaining the basic science behind the process of creating sourdough bread. It is not overwhelming and it makes the process interesting. There is a complete explanation of creating the starter, kneading, folding, making your first loaf, what equipment is needed, the different types of starter you can make (chocolate – who knew?), different types of flour, tips and tricks. There is even a section on troubleshooting in case you find that your dough is not cooperating.
This book is extremely inspiring and certainly begs you to got ahead and bake a loaf of sourdough bread. This is not only an informative book but it is also beautiful. A great gift for yourself and your favorite baker.
I would like to thank the publisher, author and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
If you have never tried baking Sourdough this book will make you want to really try this method. This might not be for the busy person. This effort takes time. The preparation through to a finished loaf takes days (to make the starter) and then many hours to come to fruition. Much advanced planning is required. This is not a spur of the moment task.
Roly Allan is very detailed , in a step by step manner, for people who haven’t tried this method before. The table of contents is thorough and broken down so you can easily find the information you are looking for. The author goes through the trouble of explaining the basic science behind the process of creating sourdough bread. It is not overwhelming and it makes the process interesting. There is a complete explanation of creating the starter, kneading, folding, making your first loaf, what equipment is needed, the different types of starter you can make (chocolate – who knew?), different types of flour, tips and tricks. There is even a section on troubleshooting in case you find that your dough is not cooperating.
This book is extremely inspiring and certainly begs you to got ahead and bake a loaf of sourdough bread. This is not only an informative book but it is also beautiful. A great gift for yourself and your favorite baker.
I would like to thank the publisher, author and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
May 30, 2020
How to Raise a Loaf by Roly Allen is great for beginner sourdough bakers. Sourdough baking is great because it is just a few ingredients, tastes amazing, has great health benefits, and does not have all the added junk that store bought bread has. The process of creating sourdough lends itself to teaching patience and perseverance.
The book did a great job of breaking it down, so the baker understands what is going on in their bread. I have made a few loaves before getting this book. I had several failures, and by a stroke of luck the last one came out okay. Reading the science in this book, I figured out what I believe I did wrong on each of these so I can do better in the future. The book breaks down the different parts of the bread. Allen explains what parts are super important to get perfect, and what you can focus on improving with each loaf you make. The book also explains how to make a starter and the various ways you can. The main one they recommended is one I had never heard of but is interesting. The steps throughout the book were in easy to follow wording and the pictures were extremely helpful and well photographed. The only photos that were a little difficult to see the differences on where the sourdough starter day by day photos. The only other negative, which is not a huge deal, is I expected more recipes. Although, thinking about it, since people are learning, the recipes included are good ones to start on and master before doing anything more difficult.
Sourdough baking is easy to learn but takes time to master. The long process can be intimidating at first but keep trying. This book is great for beginners and people that are still learning how to make the perfect loaf.
I received an electronic advanced reader copy from Laurence King Publishing Ltd through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.
The book did a great job of breaking it down, so the baker understands what is going on in their bread. I have made a few loaves before getting this book. I had several failures, and by a stroke of luck the last one came out okay. Reading the science in this book, I figured out what I believe I did wrong on each of these so I can do better in the future. The book breaks down the different parts of the bread. Allen explains what parts are super important to get perfect, and what you can focus on improving with each loaf you make. The book also explains how to make a starter and the various ways you can. The main one they recommended is one I had never heard of but is interesting. The steps throughout the book were in easy to follow wording and the pictures were extremely helpful and well photographed. The only photos that were a little difficult to see the differences on where the sourdough starter day by day photos. The only other negative, which is not a huge deal, is I expected more recipes. Although, thinking about it, since people are learning, the recipes included are good ones to start on and master before doing anything more difficult.
Sourdough baking is easy to learn but takes time to master. The long process can be intimidating at first but keep trying. This book is great for beginners and people that are still learning how to make the perfect loaf.
I received an electronic advanced reader copy from Laurence King Publishing Ltd through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.
May 18, 2020
I love this book! I can't wait to get my started ingredients and try my first loaf! The author is very detailed without being overwhelming for those bakers who might not know how to do this. The table of contents is thorough and broken down so you can easily find the information you are looking for. There are lots of pictures which I love as I am very visual. I love that the author gives the basic science behind the process of creating sourdough bread, but isn't so technical that readers will have trouble following what is being said. There is a thorough description of creating the starter and why it is so important. Alternatives are given later in the book for the starter as well. Other techniques and necessary tools are described so the reader knows exactly what they need to get started. There is even a section on troubleshooting in case you find that your dough is not behaving properly.
The last chunk of the book is devoted to different varieties of sourdough bread you can make, which I found exciting. I love basic sourdough bread on its own--so delicious!--but I also love to experiment in the kitchen and look forward to trying some of the varieties I might not have thought of otherwise. I definitely recommend this book to novices and seasoned bakers alike! And did I mention, I really LOVE all the pictures!
The last chunk of the book is devoted to different varieties of sourdough bread you can make, which I found exciting. I love basic sourdough bread on its own--so delicious!--but I also love to experiment in the kitchen and look forward to trying some of the varieties I might not have thought of otherwise. I definitely recommend this book to novices and seasoned bakers alike! And did I mention, I really LOVE all the pictures!
June 7, 2020
Sourdough baking is not easy, just ask all of us who are jumping on the lockdown bandwagon who are starting baking and caring for our little sourdough starters. In fact, ask professional bakers and they will tell you that the weather, the temperature of your oven, even your mood will affect your bread making success!
Looking for a step by step guide, I came across 'How to Raise a Loaf' by Roly Allen. I wasn't disappointed. The author himself writes that his aim is to simplify sourdough and make it easy for anyone to make a good homely, if not professional, loaf.
Sourdough is a commitment - not just keeping your starter alive and happy, but the patience of turning your dough and letting it rise. This recipe book gives you a 'faster' recipe which can be baked in a day, and then the more professional version which takes the more usual two day period. There's nothing more disappointing than having a sourdough disaster - a big heavy block that even the bread knife cannot infiltrate. This beginner's book gives you confidence to make a sourdough loaf, and then shows you how to progress to the next level.
After the instructions come the tempting recipes, and the photography helps to set the taste buds tingling. I'm going to be trying Grissini, sourdough pizzas, sun-dried tomato and olive. bread, poppyseed rolls and an amazing looking provencal fougasse with green and black olives.
This might not be the only sourdough book I use, but it might just be the one I turn to the most.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for my free copy in return for an honest opinion.
Looking for a step by step guide, I came across 'How to Raise a Loaf' by Roly Allen. I wasn't disappointed. The author himself writes that his aim is to simplify sourdough and make it easy for anyone to make a good homely, if not professional, loaf.
Sourdough is a commitment - not just keeping your starter alive and happy, but the patience of turning your dough and letting it rise. This recipe book gives you a 'faster' recipe which can be baked in a day, and then the more professional version which takes the more usual two day period. There's nothing more disappointing than having a sourdough disaster - a big heavy block that even the bread knife cannot infiltrate. This beginner's book gives you confidence to make a sourdough loaf, and then shows you how to progress to the next level.
After the instructions come the tempting recipes, and the photography helps to set the taste buds tingling. I'm going to be trying Grissini, sourdough pizzas, sun-dried tomato and olive. bread, poppyseed rolls and an amazing looking provencal fougasse with green and black olives.
This might not be the only sourdough book I use, but it might just be the one I turn to the most.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for my free copy in return for an honest opinion.
May 13, 2020
I found the how to instructions in this book so clear and easy to follow. I am a seasoned bread baker when it comes to sourdough but I felt that this was written so well that it would be easy to follow and understand for someone with no experience. The recipes were easy to follow with step by step photos that went along with most of them. There are detailed instructions for each recipe. It doesn’t feel intimidating at all. I appreciated the simple easy to understand explanations of the complex chemical reactions of bread making. I loved the tips and cool bread facts included throughout the book. It was an easy read that went by very quickly.
The recipes themselves are pretty basic staples to bread making. They make a solid base for a baker but include some tips about how to customize the loaf to your personal tastes. Of the recipes, there were only two that I will be trying that are different from other books I already own. I liked that the pizza dough recipe also included a simple pizza sauce recipe. If you are going to take the time to make your own dough don’t ruin it by using store bought sauce. The recipe given is so simple, quick, and easy using canned tomatoes. A must try if you make the pizza!
Very comprehensive and would be a great gift for a first time sourdough baker or first time bread baker.
The recipes themselves are pretty basic staples to bread making. They make a solid base for a baker but include some tips about how to customize the loaf to your personal tastes. Of the recipes, there were only two that I will be trying that are different from other books I already own. I liked that the pizza dough recipe also included a simple pizza sauce recipe. If you are going to take the time to make your own dough don’t ruin it by using store bought sauce. The recipe given is so simple, quick, and easy using canned tomatoes. A must try if you make the pizza!
Very comprehensive and would be a great gift for a first time sourdough baker or first time bread baker.
May 13, 2020
Laurence King Publishing and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of How to Raise a Loaf: and fall in love with sourdough. I voluntarily chose to review this cookbook and my opinion is freely given.
How to Raise a Loaf includes everything from analyzing the crust to a basic starter method for sourdough. This comprehensive cookbook has well laid out, colorful pages that are very inspirational. I found the technique section to be very helpful, as it goes through the special way of kneading and folding sourdough to achieve the best results. The author also provides troubleshooting, allowing beginners to fully understand sourdough and how to work with it.
The recipe section has some great options besides the Basic Overnight White Sourdough. I most look forward to trying the Sourdough Pizza and Tomato Sauce, as well as the Poppy Seed White Sourdough Rolls. The most unique offering is the Speckled Beetroot Sourdough and the most interesting sweet one is the Chocolate Sweet Sourdough.
The author does a great job of explaining the basics to beginners, but this cookbook would be good for all who desire to make different sourdough breads. I highly recommend How to Raise a Loaf and I look forward to making most of the recipes in this cookbook.
How to Raise a Loaf includes everything from analyzing the crust to a basic starter method for sourdough. This comprehensive cookbook has well laid out, colorful pages that are very inspirational. I found the technique section to be very helpful, as it goes through the special way of kneading and folding sourdough to achieve the best results. The author also provides troubleshooting, allowing beginners to fully understand sourdough and how to work with it.
The recipe section has some great options besides the Basic Overnight White Sourdough. I most look forward to trying the Sourdough Pizza and Tomato Sauce, as well as the Poppy Seed White Sourdough Rolls. The most unique offering is the Speckled Beetroot Sourdough and the most interesting sweet one is the Chocolate Sweet Sourdough.
The author does a great job of explaining the basics to beginners, but this cookbook would be good for all who desire to make different sourdough breads. I highly recommend How to Raise a Loaf and I look forward to making most of the recipes in this cookbook.
May 24, 2020
Baking bread may seem like a daunting activity, especially when it comes to a new ingredient like sourdough.
The book itself is beautiful: it is full of close-up pictures of sourdough bread and the fonts are very stylish.
I really liked that the book includes step-by-step instruction with pictures and used straight-forward non-nonsense vocabulary. I personally find it confusing when recipe books talk about specific tools that I am not familiar with so this was a refreshing approach!
Secondly, this is not just a recipe book, it is a mindfulness book as well. Roly shares a lot of personal wisdom with the reader. I was surprised to see this but at the same time it made a big difference in my life. So now not only do I know how to bake sourdough but I also feel like a new person!
In How To Raise A Loaf, Roly Allen brings a refreshing approach to sourdough baking, from ingredients to techniques, you will find yourself immersed in his words. This is a great accessible book for the whole family!
Disclosure: I’d like to thank Laurence King Publishing Ltd for an advanced copy of How To Raise A Loaf And Fall In Love With Sourdough by Roly Allen. This is my honest review.
https://jemimareads.wordpress.com/
The book itself is beautiful: it is full of close-up pictures of sourdough bread and the fonts are very stylish.
I really liked that the book includes step-by-step instruction with pictures and used straight-forward non-nonsense vocabulary. I personally find it confusing when recipe books talk about specific tools that I am not familiar with so this was a refreshing approach!
Secondly, this is not just a recipe book, it is a mindfulness book as well. Roly shares a lot of personal wisdom with the reader. I was surprised to see this but at the same time it made a big difference in my life. So now not only do I know how to bake sourdough but I also feel like a new person!
In How To Raise A Loaf, Roly Allen brings a refreshing approach to sourdough baking, from ingredients to techniques, you will find yourself immersed in his words. This is a great accessible book for the whole family!
Disclosure: I’d like to thank Laurence King Publishing Ltd for an advanced copy of How To Raise A Loaf And Fall In Love With Sourdough by Roly Allen. This is my honest review.
https://jemimareads.wordpress.com/
May 21, 2020
“How to Raise A Loaf” by Roly Allen set out to teach the novice sourdough baker the principles behind the bread. I have recently taken to baking bread, having found I enjoyed it, and decided to investigate expanding into sourdough. This book seemed ideal!
It is detailed in it’s explanation of the science behind bread and highlights the finicky nature of sourdough. It also includes the key elements around general bread baking. There are step-by-step how-tos with clear photos making it easy to follow and understand. At the moment, under level 4 lockdown in South Africa, I don’t have access to the ingredients needed to try these recipes out sadly but have already picked up several general tips which I will be implementing in my bread baking. There is certainly a lot of expertise included in this book.
Whilst Roly intends his book to encourage the newcomer to try out making sourdough bread, I found the detail overwhelming and concerning, I don’t think I’ll be rushing into this. It sounds like it can wrong too easily and requires quite a bit of equipment. It is a four out of five on the enJOYment scale.
It is detailed in it’s explanation of the science behind bread and highlights the finicky nature of sourdough. It also includes the key elements around general bread baking. There are step-by-step how-tos with clear photos making it easy to follow and understand. At the moment, under level 4 lockdown in South Africa, I don’t have access to the ingredients needed to try these recipes out sadly but have already picked up several general tips which I will be implementing in my bread baking. There is certainly a lot of expertise included in this book.
Whilst Roly intends his book to encourage the newcomer to try out making sourdough bread, I found the detail overwhelming and concerning, I don’t think I’ll be rushing into this. It sounds like it can wrong too easily and requires quite a bit of equipment. It is a four out of five on the enJOYment scale.
May 23, 2020
Having baked bread occasionally over the years I thought it was about time I got serious and attempted sourdough bread. This book gives some excellent advice and, in my opinion, pitched at the right level for a novice or more experienced baker. There is plenty of guidance on techniques and problems that you may encounter on your baking journey. My sourdough starter is active and it’s time to get baking. The book has some excellent recipes and I look forward to trying some of them in the coming months.
June 13, 2020
I loved how this cookbook wasn't just a cookbook but had a story to go along with it. If you are new to sourdough this is a wonderful book for you. I tried the basic loaf and it turn our amazing. The book had wonderful step by step photos and lets you know everything you need to get your own sourdough journey going and fall in love with baking this masterpiece.
Thank you for the NetGalley and Laurence King Publishing Ltd for my eARC of this wonderful cookbook in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you for the NetGalley and Laurence King Publishing Ltd for my eARC of this wonderful cookbook in exchange for my honest review.
May 6, 2020
Roly Allen got into bread making when a stressful period at home and work turned into an even more stressful period of divorce and unemployment. I think we can all relate to stress as we are going through the Covid- 19 pandemic. His book is not only an answer to yes, a healthier digestion, but his simple recipes and presentation make his book earn a 5-star place on your book shelf.
I have been making Challah every Friday, I make yogurt bagels too and have added soda bread, but was really missing my favourite sourdough bread. During this pandemic I am unable to go out to a bakery, so learning how to make one was the only solution. I saw some recipes, but they all looked too hard! Allen understands that not everyone is a bread baker and walks you through the process with ease and understanding. His pictures are AMAZING- they really help!
He has an extra section on getting creative - I will call it giving your bread a boost! This is where you find the recipe for vegan starter, so you can have dairy free bread.
The most important thing I learnt about making sourdough bread is you need patience! But the rewards are worth every bite.
Thank you #netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I have been making Challah every Friday, I make yogurt bagels too and have added soda bread, but was really missing my favourite sourdough bread. During this pandemic I am unable to go out to a bakery, so learning how to make one was the only solution. I saw some recipes, but they all looked too hard! Allen understands that not everyone is a bread baker and walks you through the process with ease and understanding. His pictures are AMAZING- they really help!
He has an extra section on getting creative - I will call it giving your bread a boost! This is where you find the recipe for vegan starter, so you can have dairy free bread.
The most important thing I learnt about making sourdough bread is you need patience! But the rewards are worth every bite.
Thank you #netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
May 18, 2020
I'm new to Sourdough and have always find the task daunting. How to Raise A Love by Roly Allen was wonderfully and thoughtfully written for beginners and even those who are already familiar with baking sourdough. I learnt different ways to make my own starter, the explanation was detailed and easy for beginners like to me to understand. I appreciate the different recipes that was presented in this book.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.
May 22, 2020
I received an ARC from Netgalley.
Like many other folks, I have been doing a lot more (read: stress) baking & cooking than I usually do during non-pandemic times so this was a perfect read. Allen has a great voice - calm, encouraging, and clear. The visuals in the book are lovely and truly enhance the writing, and Allen's troubleshooting tips are both helpful and thoughtful. I learned quite a bit from this quick read and look forward to giving my own starter a go. I've been eyeing up the dark chocolate starter on pg. 51, I didn't even know chocolate sourdough existed! Overall, I highly recommend "How to Raise a Loaf" for those interested in bread, baking, or the aforementioned chocolate sourdough.
Like many other folks, I have been doing a lot more (read: stress) baking & cooking than I usually do during non-pandemic times so this was a perfect read. Allen has a great voice - calm, encouraging, and clear. The visuals in the book are lovely and truly enhance the writing, and Allen's troubleshooting tips are both helpful and thoughtful. I learned quite a bit from this quick read and look forward to giving my own starter a go. I've been eyeing up the dark chocolate starter on pg. 51, I didn't even know chocolate sourdough existed! Overall, I highly recommend "How to Raise a Loaf" for those interested in bread, baking, or the aforementioned chocolate sourdough.
May 20, 2020
Thank you Laurence King Publishing for a copy of How to Raise A Loaf by Roly Allen to review.
How To Raise A Loaf really walks you through the sourdough process from starter to loaf and I appreciate the easy step by step instructions. Sometimes I find that sourdough bread books in particular skip over the starter maintenance more than I would like and focus on the bread making. The starter is the portion that has been giving me trouble though so I would recommend this book to those like me who are just beginning their journey and need help in that portion. There are not many bread recipes but there are lots of pictures for the kneading and starter process and even a couple of troubleshooting portions that I really thought laid out the most common problems and how you might fix them at home.
How To Raise A Loaf really walks you through the sourdough process from starter to loaf and I appreciate the easy step by step instructions. Sometimes I find that sourdough bread books in particular skip over the starter maintenance more than I would like and focus on the bread making. The starter is the portion that has been giving me trouble though so I would recommend this book to those like me who are just beginning their journey and need help in that portion. There are not many bread recipes but there are lots of pictures for the kneading and starter process and even a couple of troubleshooting portions that I really thought laid out the most common problems and how you might fix them at home.
August 22, 2020
Im inspired! As others have stated, this book is easy to understand which is exactly why I bought it. The instructions and steps are simply explained, accompanied by pictures that match the instructions. I have never baked sour dough bread but thanks to this book I am comfortable to do so. The book also has a troubleshooting section. AND the results are in: first attempt was fantastic. Wish I could post photos. 🥰
May 13, 2020
It could have been more complete and featuring more recipes. It remains a helpful reading for those who want to embark on the adventures of sourdough baking, nonetheless.
~I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to NetGalley and the editor~
~I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to NetGalley and the editor~
December 9, 2023
Love this book, it’s perfect for beginners From raising a sourdough with nothing but raisins, water and flour, to using it for sweet and savory bread and cheesy breadsticks.
January 12, 2024
A good initial primer into the world of Sourdough! I only wish there were a few more tips/troubleshooting techniques for if (WHEN) I mess something up!
May 15, 2020
Solid, clear explanations without being terrifying. I haven’t actually baked anything using this but I read the book! Made me excited to *actually* try and move beyond my non sourdough easy no knead type breads.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
May 11, 2020
I’m pastrychef, but this quarantine I practice bake bread, and this books is so really amazing and perfect , thank you so much for this ARC.
May 8, 2020
The recipes in this book are great for both beginners and more experienced sourdough bread makers. I have been baking sourdough for about 18 months and I found some new and exciting methods and recipes in this book. Chocolate sourdough starter.! I can’t wait to get that one going. The instructions and methods are clear and there is a very good list of suggested equipment that is not to daunting for the beginner baker.
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