Smart Sourdough

NO STARTER -- NO WASTE -- NO CHEAT -- NO FAIL

NATURALLY FERMENTED BREAD IN JUST 24 HOURS WITH YOUR HOME PROOFER, INSTANT POT, SLOW COOKER, SOUS VIDE COOKER, OR OTHER WARMER

There's sourdough, and then there's SMART sourdough -- a whole new approach to an ancient bread!

Most sourdough recipes lead you through days or even weeks of developing a starter before you can make your bread -- and then into a lifetime of maintaining that starter. But this book is based on the belief that all that rigmarole is no longer needed. With modern methods of regulating temperature, and with the easy availability of baker's yeast, honest-to-goodness naturally fermented sourdough bread can be made from start to finish in less than a day.

With all the benefits of naturally fermented sourdough, it's only the hassle of making it that has discouraged home bakers. Well, hassle no more. The age of smart sourdough has arrived.

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Mark Shepard began baking his own sourdough bread in 1979 and went on to publish the bestselling booklet "Simple Sourdough." In 2012, he began developing a sourdough method that's even simpler and more reliable -- one that could be used by anyone, with no fear of failure. Mark now lives in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and fellow author, Anne L. Watson.

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"A fresh new look at making your own sourdough bread . . . I love Mark's attention to detail. No matter your setup, tools, or needs, he's got you covered . . . I questioned his use of a pinch or two of baker's yeast, but his research and experiments have me sold. His recipes combine the advantages of cultivated yeast and naturally occurring sourdough bacteria to make bread that actually rises and doesn't take days to make."-Holly Howe, author of "Fermentation Made Easy! Mouthwatering Sauerkraut"

"Mark Shepard shares how to make sourdough bread, with its characteristic flavor and health benefits, without maintaining a long-term starter. It's relevant to anyone looking to save time in the kitchen, learn a new technique, or just read a very detailed and interesting book on sourdough."-Emily Buehler, author of "Bread Science: The Chemistry and Craft of Making Bread"

"I have always wanted to do sourdough, but I am away from home A LOT and often hubby is with me, so there would be no one at home to maintain the starter. BRING ON THE INSTANT POT!!! It is so simple, I have zero idea why this book was not written years ago . . . Want a great wedding gift idea? This book, an Instant Pot, flour, and yeast. They will thank you forever!" -- Janet Cousineau, Poppy-Coloured Pages (Facebook group), April 27, 2021

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 refrigerated 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 . . . Five stars." -- Annie Buchanan, Nonstop Reader (blog), June 1, 2021

"If you survived the pandemic without making sourdough, then THIS is your book. You can get ahead of everybody else, with the quickest recipe possible for amazing bread, pizza dough, pancakes, and dosa! . . . As a homeschool mom, I'd also say that since you're basically growing bacteria and watching for reactions, it would be a great book for a Kitchen Chemistry or Biology class!" -- Nicole Henke, Bless Their Hearts Mom (blog), Aug. 6, 2021