Cookbook of the Week: Intuitive Sourdough Baking by Richard Hart & Laurie Woolever

Both Laurie (the owner of Cran & Rose, not Laurie, the co-author of this book) and I make sourdough bread, but we have different approaches. Laurie keeps a sourdough starter that she feeds and maintains, whereas I make a fresh new “poolish” starter each time I want to bake a loaf.

Because she’s got a steady stream of sourdough discard to use up, Laurie, who enjoys baking — especially for friends, family and visitors who drop by the house or the store — plays around with making sourdough versions of biscuits, cookies and all sorts of other delicious treats.

I’d much rather spend my time on creating soups, stews, salads and side dishes than baked goods, and my approach to sourdough is more utilitarian. Twice per week, I make a 12-hour starter before bed. The following day, I grind a bunch of whole grains, including emmer, spelt, rye, buckwheat, oats, and Khorasan wheat, and turn out dense and hearty loaves, two each time, packed with nuts, seeds and dried fruits.

This summer, I’m working on developing and improving my sourdough skills, so I bought Richard Hart Bread: Intuitive Sourdough Baking. I don’t have room to list the author’s whole, exceptional resume, but it’s impressive. For those who are in the know about dough, Hart did a stint at Tartine in San Francisco, and spent years running his own bakery in Copenhagen, with Noma’s René Redzepi as his business partner.

Although the volume initially focuses on turning out sourdough loaves in the classic boule shape, with variations in the flours used and the fermentation strategies, it also dives into other styles of bread from around the world. There are recipes for naan, tortillas, pita, focaccia, bagels and English muffins.

On my first foray into using techniques I’d learned from Hart’s book, I found the texture of my loaves were much improved. I can’t wait to see what will happen next week.