Modern Sourdough by Michelle Eshkeri is an absolute gem for anyone passionate about baking or looking to elevate their sourdough game. Whether you’re an experienced baker or just starting out, this book offers a perfect balance of inspiring recipes and practical techniques.

Sourdough is my Achilles heel. It’s also my absolute favorite. Go figure. This book makes me feel like I may once and for all be able to master my nemesis.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy to reveiw. I love this book-thorough without being complicated. There are simpler recipes and more that are more complex-perfect for the beginner or advanced baker. This would make a perfect gift!

This is a delightful cookbook! The recipes are clear, easy to follow, and really de-mystify the process of making sourdough. Prior to this book, I had mainly only made regular white bread with my sourdough starter. This book makes it a lot easier to branch out and try many delicious new recipes!

I wish I had tried more while I had access to it - I will definitely be seeking out my own copy of this book.

During the Pandemic, one of the hobbies I took up was making my own bread, but I was never quite brave enough to try my hand at making sourdough and sourdough starter! Modern Sourdough was just what I needed to finally take that leap! Lots of recipes to try out and great tips on getting started!

This is a great cookbook that provides a guide to creating your starter and using it creatively. It includes recipes for a lovely loaf of sourdough and for using your starter for other pastries and treats. It's creative and an excellent, detailed guide.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Modern Sourdough: Sweet and Savoury Recipes from Margot Bakery by Michelle Eshkeri is a treasure trove for both novice and experienced bakers alike. Eshkeri, the founder of Margot Bakery in London, is as a testament to the art of sourdough baking and a practical guide to creating a wide array of baked delights.

The book opens with the heart of sourdough baking – the starter. Eshkeri’s step-by-step guide demystifies the process, making it accessible and less daunting. The instructions are clear, concise, and accompanied by beautiful photography that illustrates the process and celebrates the rustic beauty of sourdough creations.

You’ll find over 100 recipes that span from the traditional to the innovative. There’s a sense of heritage in each recipe, reflecting Eshkeri’s own journey with baking and the influences that have shaped her bakery’s offerings. From the classic loaves to naturally-leavened pizzas, challah, focaccia, and even French pastries, each recipe is a doorway to exploring the versatility of sourdough.

What sets this book apart is the balance it strikes between simplicity and challenge. For the home baker looking to dip their toes into the world of sourdough, there are straightforward recipes that promise success. For the more adventurous, there are complex bakes that invite creativity and experimentation.

Eshkeri’s voice throughout the book is encouraging, her passion for baking evident on every page. She doesn’t just share recipes; she imparts wisdom, tips, and personal anecdotes that make the reader feel as though they’re learning from a friend.

Modern Sourdough is not just a cookbook; it’s a companion for your baking journey. Whether you’re looking to perfect your loaf or expand your sourdough repertoire, Eshkeri’s book is an invaluable resource that will inspire you to bake with heart and soul. It’s a book that promises that with a little flour, water, and patience, anyone can bring the warmth and comfort of sourdough baking into their home.

Making sourdough accessible....

Sourdough is confusing. It seems like a lot of work. Like a pet you have to feed and discard its waste.
You have to keep it alive!
Michelle breaks it down and makes it accessible for those with a bit of baking knowledge and a few recipes and techniques for those with more advanced skills.
Recipes for bread, pastry and more.
Recommend.

Modern Sourdough: Sweet and Savoury Recipes from Margot Bakery is a tutorial cookbook by professional baker Michelle Eshkeri.

The book guides you through creating your own sourdough starter and mastering its use. The book goes beyond the bread recipes, it has also sourdough Pastry and Sweet Sourdough creations (perfect for my sweet tooth). Of course, savoury sourdough recipes are abundant too.

The book is a feast for the eyes with its stunning photography that makes you hungry just by looking at it.  I appreciate how the recipes are clear and simple to follow, supplemented with helpful tips. Starting from the basics of creating a sourdough starter, the book ensures you're well-prepared for the journey ahead.

This book is a must for those who've heard friends brag about their sourdough but lacked the patience or time to try it themselves. Now, you can join the sourdough party with confidence.

Thank you Quarto Publishing Group and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own!

A great book for everyone. Something for novice and experienced sourdough bakers. So many great recipes inside!

The recipes in this book are easy to follow and the few I’ve tried came out wonderfully. Additionally, the layout and images in this are beautiful.

Title: Modern Sourdough: Sweet and Savoury Recipes from Margot Bakery
Author: Michelle Eshkeri
Publisher: White Lion Publishing
Pub date: 9/10/2019

I had high hopes for this one. I’ve never made sourdough starter and thought this might just get me to start. Unfortunately, I’m not very patient and felt intimidated even more despite the lengthy and detailed explanations. Part of me was really confused by why you discard part of your starter. Do you really discard it or use it with another one so as not to waste anything?

On the plus side, the pictures were gorgeous and made me hungry! There were other yeast recipes that I would have liked to try but, didn’t get the chance. The recipes and steps were well photographed to give one a clearer vision on what one needs to do and what the final product should look like.

For me, this one will have to wait until I feel more comfortable with the process to attempt any of the sourdough recipes. If I ever get the chance to go to Margot Bakery, I’ll be diving into as much as possible because it all looks so good and I wouldn’t want to choose just one!

Thank you #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this cookbook.

Such a gorgeous cookbook! The photography makes you want to head over to the kitchen immediately! It starts with the basics including how to start making sourdough starters. Steps are broken into themes, which is so helpful for newer bakers.

I like how ingredients are broken by into stages - that makes it much easier to separate and prep effectively.

At the end of recipes, there are a few different flavor variations which can gave you great ideas to execute or start your own ideation.
There are some ‘leftover’ variations too - like the twice baked croissants - that are so tempting! (Lemon/pistachio; tahini caramel)

I would like to see a summary time duration - sourdough baking isn’t fast, but it does help when browsing over what can be done over a day or weekend.

Overall this is a beautiful cookbook to add for any bread baker’s collection!

Thank you to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing/White Lion for the ARC.

This book is absolutely gorgeous! They really should make the cover just as gorgeous as the inside of it.

If I was not so scared of sourdough (or more exactly my incapability to keep anything alive, myself included) I would definitely have this book in my cookbook collection. That being said, this book has the most detailed and easiest to understand way to make sourdough. Even so, I am still scared to make it.

80% or more of the recipe features only sourdough recipes and I honestly had no idea you can make so many things using sourdough. I did save a few recipes that use sourdough and I saved even more of the recipes that don't use sourdough. The thing is, you can see the passion in this book and it really makes you want to bake - but I figured I should first learn to bake some of these things without sourdough because when you add sourdough things get a bit more complicated (but still tons of fun).

The pictures are gorgeous, the recipes are really diverse too and did you know that Australians have a cake-cookie-sweet similar to a Romanian dessert? I was shocked and now I want to cook them both and compare them.

Oh, the recipe featured in this book for simple syrup is actually a rich simple syrup (this is just fyi).

Beautiful pictures, and simple, step by step directions for starting and maintaining your sourdough starter then flows into lovely pictures and recipes of different types of bread, sweet pastries (croissants!) and cakes using your sourdough starter.

I appreciated the variety of breads, pastries, and savory recipes that are sure to satisfy all!

Thank you Netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion | White Lion Publishing for the ARC!

Modern Sourdough is a great read for beginners and experts in sourdough, alike. With details as to how to create your starter, to information pertaining to the benefits of sourdough, the reader will learn much about this timeless art of bread-making. I am glad I picked this up to read.

This is a wonderful book for experienced bakers. It almost feels written for bakery owners. these are time consuming recipes but if you have the time they are oh so worth it. The sourdough takes time but the flavor is wonderful. The flatbreads are great and I loved the bagels as well. So many recipes to try....

Although I own and have reviewed a few books about sourdough, I cannot resist a new book about it. And as Michelle Eshkeri writes at the beginning of this book: "There is not only one way to make bread and there are as many ways to make good bread as there are bakers".

The book was written to share the recipes that Michelle bakes in her London bakery, Margot. The pictures are beautiful and leave you no choice but to try the recipes for yourself (unless you are lucky enough to live close to her bakery!).

The book starts with a good section on basics that covers the techniques for making a starter, keeping it, refreshing it and making the dough, shaping and scoring the bread as well as cooking it. The explanations are very clear and nicely organised step by step. They are very complete and cover everything you need to know to succeed in your baking. I would maybe have welcome a few more pictures of the various stages of starter and dough and of the main techniques as this would help less experienced bakers to enjoy using this book.

I will certainly have another try at making sourdough myself with this book and experiment with some of its recipes. There is a nice selection of loaves, with the Geronimo standing out for me. The sweet pastries range is also lovely and I have never tried sourdough sweet pastries before, but I will definitely try the sourdough banana bread. The savoury ones are definitely attractive, with a special mention for the fennel and feta muffins and the smoked cheese and beetroot pull-apart bread. With a chapter on the Margot non-sourdough specialities (Lily's tahini cookies sound delicious) and on spreads and jams, the book wraps it all up nicely.

This book is a nice addition to my sourdough collection and it will bring joy to many bakers who are prepared to take the time to go with the sourdough flow.

I love good bread, especially sourdough, and have to go out of my way to get it from local bakeries: making my own would make so much more sense but I have never found a simple enough recipe. Sadly, this book is no different, but that is not a criticism, I am just searching for the holy grail!!


Every recipe (with accompanying photos) looks delicious and I would eat them all! However, I do find the whole process of feeding starters a faf and in reality, until I retire, and have more time on my hands, I am unlikely to change my ways.

I did not know sourdough could be used in pastry and sweet desserts and will definitely try cinnamon buns and the salted caramel chocolate chip cookies when I can find that all elusive time. Until then I’ll drool over the photos and head off to the bakery….

This book made me want to bake bread again for the first time since I was in pastry school a decade ago. My husband used to keep a sourdough starter and I am thinking of buying this book for him so that we can get back into bread baking together. Thank you so much for this ARC, I really enjoyed it and the level of detail included in the book - great for someone who is a a beginner or hasn't baked in a long, long time.