Book: Sourdough Culture A History of Bread-making from Ancient to Modern Bakers
Sourdough Culture presents the history and science of sourdough bread baking from its discovery more than six thousand years ago to its still-recent displacement by the innovation of dough-mixing machines and fast-acting yeast. Pallant traces the tradition of sourdough across continents, from its origins in the Middle East’s Fertile Crescent to Europe and then around the world. Pallant also explains how sourdough fed some of history’s most significant figures, such as Plato, Pliny the Elder, Louis Pasteur, Marie Antoinette, Martin Luther, and Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, and introduces the lesser-known—but equally important—individuals who relied on sourdough bread for sustenance: ancient Roman bakers, medieval housewives, Gold Rush miners, and the many, many others who have produced daily sourdough bread in anonymity.
Reviews & Praise
“If you’re not already in love with bread making, you will be after this book.”
“The book is terrific!”
“Sourdough Culture is a tour de force of social, economic, political and gastronomic history that is both meticulously researched and highly readable.”
“A freshly-made loaf is one of life’s great pleasures. Reading this book is another.”
“Sourdough Culture is a tour de force of social, economic, political and gastronomic history that is both meticulously researched and highly readable.”
“If you only ever read one book about bread, this is the book. Expansive, authoritative, charming, fascinating, delicious, and leavened with stories, Pallant’s Sourdough Culture is a must read.”
“Sourdough Culture is a fast-paced, anecdote-filled romp through Western Civilization.”
“Pallant elegantly proves that sourdough matters! A truly fascinating read… ”
“Testing out some of the recipes Eric shares in this book is fun. If you like baking, history and science this book will likely keep you busy. It did with me!”
“For the passionate baker with a serious itch to know more about the history, culture, and intricacies of sourdough I highly recommend the well researched and well written “Sourdough Culture” by Eric Pallant. .”
“Pallant deftly covers a wide breadth of time and place in Sourdough Culture, interweaving experts’ research with his own travels, research, and experiments…Dry humor pervades the book… making the book enjoyable not only for the knowledge it imparts but also for the occasional chuckles it induced.”