Sourdough Fermentation Mini Guide A Short Guide to the Sourdough Fermentation Process

This mini guide helps the home baker to get an overview of the sourdough fermentation process, as well as to begin to use Warwick Quinton’s own unique sourdough technique. It is based upon the use of a few simple methods, and differs from more general sourdough recipe books because it explains exactly why and how each of these methods can be combined to create professional quality sourdough bread at home, flexibly and simply.Warwick Quinton has been making artisan sourdough breads professionally for almost thirty years, and was one of the original sourdough bakers in Australia. His method is ideally suited to ‘sole’ baking – that is, bread baked on the sole of the oven. This method removes the need for bread tins, bannetons and other bits and pieces bakers find themselves accumulating. It also relies on the use of a thickened type of sourdough starter, known as a ‘desem’. Of course, the method can be applied to the general use of bread tins and bannetons as well, and will yield better results – that is, a better shape of loaf, more rise, and stronger oven ‘kick’ than you might have already been getting. The guide covers important parts of the sourdough bread making process, including pre-fermentation, proofing and how to keep your starter in good condition. There is information on what different types of flours do in the fermentation process, as well as how to adapt your baking process to suit different seasons of the year – a common issue among home bakers. There is a simple sourdough recipe to get you started, and useful tips on starter storage.This is the first in a series of mini guides which aim to illuminate and expand the detail of the sourdough process, from dough making, through to proofing and retardation, and sole baking. It is suitable for beginners and advanced bakers alike, with an emphasis on the ‘why’ as well as the ‘how to’. Too many books these days are purely concerned with teaching the reader the details of how to do something, rather than providing decent information which will help a keen student to really get their teeth into the subject matter. Warwick’s extensive baking experience, both as a professional master baker and dedicated teacher of home bakers, sets this mini guide apart. The information is both practical and insightful. In a nutshell, his writing about sourdough baking helps beginners and advanced bakers to sort the wheat from the chaff.