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Sourdough is the original, the most delicious and the most nutritious bread, and John Downes is Australia's original traditional sourdough baker. In the Sourdough Loaf, John shares the techniques, recipes and insights, gained from over 40 years of artisan sourdough baking. He provides readers of all proficiency levels with a low fuss, step by step approach to baking great sourdough, with tips on ingredients, methods and techniques, as he takes us on a gastronomic journey through the history, culture and practice of sourdough baking, infused with enthusiasm and enjoyment of good whole-food.
The Sourdough Loaf is a tour de force of over 40 sourdoughs bread recipes, from the crusty perfection of the "Casalinga" to the flavour-packed wholemeal "Pans cum toto", the archaic Ginger bread, traditional Irish Barmbrack and the fermented cacao bread. There are breads suited to more tropical areas, such as the ancient breads of India, and brand new breads, such John's innovative "Bread of the Rings", all clearly explained and interspersed with stories of the origins of these delicious and most fundamental foods.
The Sourdough Loaf is a book that will earn itself a place on kitchen benches and bedside tables of both professional and home bakers for many years to come.
About the author
John Downes is regarded by many as 'the father of the Australian sourdough bread movement', and in the words of one food critic, a "high priest of sourdough". Having pioneered the re-introduction of traditional sourdough bread in the 1970s, John has owned several restaurants and bakeries that have achieved iconic status in the annals of Australia's food lore. His abiding interest in the history of food and culture is reflected in his belief that much of modern baking has lost touch with long held traditions that imparted deeper flavours and greater wellbeing than modern baking methods. He is an advocate of baking with organic, biodynamic and heirloom wheat strains, and other ancient grains, and exclusively uses wood fired ovens in his own bakeries.
