This is quite a good book however I did find it very in depth. It would be very helpful for someone who really wants to delve into the technicalities of preparing Sourdough, I somehow thought it would be the type of book for a lazy cook like me and that I could virtually throw a few ingredients into a jar and it would magically ferment and not have the upkeep.

It may turn out that it would be very simple but there is far too much information to sift through to get to the end product.

Thanks to Netgalley and Shephard Publications for the opportunity to read and review this book.

When I saw this book I was really excited. The idea of sourdough in my instant pot in 24 hours sounded amazing! However, the method outlined in Smart Sourdough requires a method of controlling the temperature of water to around 100 degrees for extended periods of time and uses a proofer to do so. It even includes set up instructions for a very specific version. Not providing flexibility for other methods or any other temperature range (hot summer kitchen?) meant that this book was not for me. It has a very specific audience - those who already have a proofer or the desire/room for one - and thus makes it of no real value for me. I wish this were advertised in some way on the cover or description. That being said, if you are in that niche group, the book looks great. The writing is a bit blunt, answering common questions about baking 'myths' in a Q&A format, but it is effective and informative. It also goes into the science of it which I found interesting.

A great idea but for a starter like myself a bit complex and complicated. I really want to achieve goof sourdough results but it is just a bit too scientific. I don't think I'll be going back to this one.

This is probably a pointless review for such a technical book - I've not tried the method yet! I will re-review this at a later date
It's a very technical book, but the instructions are clear and, I like how it has timings set out for you to follow.
Based on the level of details, the depth of knowledge of the author, and despite my initial scepticism, I have very little doubt that it's possible to bake sourdough in 24 hours!

[I received a copy of this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review]

I enjoy keeping a sourdough starter on hand. I'm not sure if I will try this method but it is definitely intriguing...especially for those times when I don't have two days to get my refrigerator starter growing again. This book has easy to follow recipes, although I would like to see more pictures of the typical progress of the dough during rising times. Thank you for the advance copy.

Lots of great info on starting and making sourdough bread. This has definitely inspired me to try my hand again at making some sourdough.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review.

Smart Sourdough is a tutorial and recipe guide to more efficient easier fermented bread using controlled warmth from a sous vide machine or instant pot type equipment. Due out 15th Sept 2021, it's 200 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats (ebook available now).

At the beginning of the pandemic, I (and most of the rest of the planet) decided to start a sourdough culture and make my own sourdough. I mixed the ingredients, kept everything scrupulously clean, followed the instructions - and it was a total, completely disgusting failure. So I was a bit skeptical of the author's no-fail 24 hour workaround which doesn't require a refrigerator starter culture. I followed his directions and used our instant pot to keep the dough evenly warm, added a little yeast at the end of the process, and managed to make a credible loaf of sourdough in 24 hours. For absolute purists, it should be understood that this method uses controlled temperatures to encourage lactobacillus growth with the use of commercial yeast at the end of the dough culturing. (This is the same method/shortcut used by many commercial bakeries).

The book builds chapter by chapter to more complex and customizable loaves. The book is layman accessible and easy to understand. Recipe ingredients are easy to source and will be available at most well stocked grocery stores and the equipment is widely available and relatively inexpensive.

Five stars. This is a well written usable method to successful sourdough culture and baking.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

This book taught me more about making sourdough bread than I’ve ever dreamed of knowing. After reading it I feel exhausted, but enlightened. I’ve had a sourdough starter that I’ve fed for over five years now. Sometimes my bread turns out pretty good, and sometimes it’s tough and chewy and terrible. I just learned from reading this book that the ph of my water could be the culprit. In fact, there were numerous times while reading this that I had a lightbulb moment. If you would like to really understand the science behind sourdough, this is the book for you. The author’s extensive knowledge is incredibly impressive.

I have tried the Smart Sourdough technique twice to mixed results. I used the Instant Pot both times, since that’s the equipment I have, and it was not easy like I was hoping it would be. I think the only way to have easy sourdough is to buy it from the bakery. This method does not make sourdough that is light and airy, but the author mentioned this so I wasn’t surprised. I have found that this denser sourdough isn’t really to my taste.

For the sourdough aficionado (or aspiring aficionado) this book, whether you like the alternative method or not, is well worth a read simply for the fount of information it contains.

Exhaustively researched and somewhat daunting book using a warm-rise method with a small dose of commercial yeast. I tested the master recipe. It worked OK, but I did not enjoy the taste or texture as much as my usual approach to sourdough, and the slow-cooker contraption was unwieldy and heated up the kitchen.

What an interesting concept! Everything is thoroughly explained in this in-dept book regarding smart sourdough. I have not tried it yet, but I am intrigued. The instructions are easy to follow. The author explains everything in detail, even some things you usually never see in these kinds of books, like why he has chosen to do x instead of y.

I think this is an excellent book, especially for people who might be a bit reluctant to make bread out of sourdough.

If you have an infatuation with sourdough bread like I do then you will love this book. It's like taking a mini class on just sourdough except without leaving home. You can tell a lot of research and time went into this book. Very informative. There are so many chapters on making the sourdough bread just the way you like. I have an instant pot so I'm ready!

*Thanks to NetGalley and Mark Shepard for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A very good book on the explanation of sourdough, types of bread flour. The process of how sourdough begins.
What ingredients to use. Very knowledgeable author.
Also, a great number of reader questions answered about the whole process.
I asked for this advance readers copy as sourdough has always been an enigma for me. Starters always need fed and are so wasteful, requiring diligence on my part. Difficult as I work 12 hour shifts....So thought I would give this book a try,
Honestly, if I get retired...I would happily try this method. But at this time, I do not have time to experiment with rigging an instant pot and adding to a starter every three hours to make a starter before I can bake my bread on the same day. So I have not tried the recipe.
I really enjoyed reading the process and really would try it if my work was not so interruptive, so Please take the time to read this and give it a go.

Surprise surprise another book jumping on the pandemic lockdown trend of bread making!
This book promises a 'smart' way of doing sourdough so immediately I needed to take a look at this. I have made bread using my Ninja 9in1/Instant Pot but have always felt somewhat intimidating by Sourdough. It has always felt far too complicated. This book promises to help with that!

Firstly, I loved the opening chapters that go through the science and myths of bread making and sourdough. It does this particularly well as it explains things really clearly... This book was becoming more and more promising!
However, when it started going through the steps of the 'smart method' it became quite complicated and once again made it all feel quite daunting! Now I have to admit, I haven't actually tried this method as of the time of writing this review, but I wish that this section felt as clear and precise as the earlier chapters.
I will definitely be trying and will add to this review if/when I do so.

The photo's in this book are black and white which was quite disappointing as the cover and the first couple of pages are in colour - yet the photos you will actually be using for reference within the book itself are black and white. It would have been better if these were in colour and as high quality as the photos on the cover.

I did like this book, and it has made me feel a little more intrigued and confident to try this method with my sourdough.