Modern Sourdough is a very good book for beginner sourdough baking. It gives a clear, step by step instruction on how to start your sourdough and maintain it. I also like the varied recipes using different flours. My favorite section is the Sweet Sourdough! I'm definitely buying this book when it comes out!

This is a fantastic book for any level of sourdough baking. I like that it gives you instructions for how to create your own starter, in case you’re like me and don’t have one from a friend. The pictures are beautiful, the instructions are very detailed, and there are so many recipes beyond basic sourdough bread. I can’t wait to purchase the hard copy for my father in law, who loves baking bread!

This immediately has beautiful pictures of all different kinds of bread. They range from sweet to savory and are recipes from Margot bakery.

This cookbook has sections on, sourdough pastry, sweet sourdough, savory sourdough, Margot specialties, and jams and spreads. It also has a step-by-step guide on how to make a sourdough starter that seems intimidating but the way it is laid out is helpful. There are even pictures that show how to braid sourdough challah. This is more of a serious but thoughtful cookbook with information about each recipe and the background of different cultures here and there. Even if you are not ready to try some of the recipes it is a starting point for you to look for more basic ones. There are some included in this cookbook. The sourdough pastries section looks so delicious!

Overall, this has almost everything you can imagine with sourdough. It’s creative and the recipes are laid out as simple as possible. I imagine it will take a ton of practice though. This is just a beautiful book to own and it definitely makes you want to learn how to make each and every one of these recipes. It truly is an art.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion, White Lion Publishing for sharing this book with me in exchange for my honest review.

I recently received a sourdough starter last Thanksgiving. OMG has it been fun making delicious sourdough bread for family and friends. There are so many other recipes I'd like to try so this book is perfect to get in the kitchen and start baking up some things!

This book has a lot of recipes that I will try out! I have never made sourdough starter before, but have always wanted to. I really like the step by step instructions in this book, I think it will be very helpful. I also really like that there are a lot of different recipes- not only bread.

This book is really a back to basics, without making things too complicated.

Really detailed and easy to follow, in comparison to others, this title feel approachable and doesn't overcomplicate recipes by making them too bold and grand.

Definitely one I will be referring back to over and over.

I really like the specificity in this book. I'm the type of person that typically has to see a process step by step to be able to do it and this book will be perfect for not only starting my sourdough starter, but the baking process. I feel extremely confident going forward and I will definitely be buying the physical version of this book to keep on my counter.

This sourdough cookbook contains quite an array of delectable looking recipes to try, and has a great step-by-step breakdown of how to create your own sourdough starter. I appreciated explanations such as the baker’s percentages and the upkeep and maintenance required for sourdough, but I do wish there was slightly more information geared towards those new to sourdough baking, or a difficulty meter that would highlight what recipes might be better suited to someone new to bread making vs an experienced bread baker. Particularly when the book went into lamination techniques, this felt very complex and I found myself wanting more visual imagery to understand all the steps outlined. That said, while I generally feel comfortable with bread making, as a beginner sourdough baker, I found myself wanting an easy delineation of what would be best for me to tackle. I also had hoped for more information around using any discard I might have and any tips and techniques for dealing with sourdough I think might’ve gone wrong (or addressing any issues such as ‘have I killed my starter’ and identify hooch or if it has actually gone bad). Even so, the recipes seem really varied, well laid out in terms of organisation, and every singe recipe looks incredible. I do find myself wishing there was more information guidance provided about the time each recipe may take, though I realize this might not be as suitable given that sourdough is known to take time and the book does encourage the reader/baker to experiment according to their own circumstances, but for someone wanting to flip through and find something that would be complex or easy or relatively faster vs relatively longer, these sorts of additions would’ve been welcome. Overall, though, it seems to be a solid addition to an interested baker’s collection of cookbooks with some truly interesting and tasty-looking recipes to try out!

The recipes require a little planning as most require (2) starter feedings/refreshments, but they are well worth taking your time to do it right. Instructions for the recipes are easy to follow. The sourdough banana bread is delicious.

3.5 ⭐️
I think this book will be a hit when it comes out as making sourdough bread has taken off. I like that the author gives you daily step by step instructions for making a starter. I am trying out this method and going to see if I have any luck! It is also mentioned that you can use any wheat or rye flour. This isn’t the type of flour I have, so maybe I will try this if my current method (Unbleached flour) doesn’t work out. I think this is the first time I’ve seen this recommended. The first few recipes call for wheat flour. I am new to sourdough and a bit confused why some recipes only call for 5g of starter? This seems low but I don’t really know. It also states to use starter 8-12 hours after refreshment. The book also doesn’t mentioned saving discard or baking with it, which was something I was hoping to learn more about since I see videos and posts of people saving their discard but never truly understood it. Overall tons of recipe ideas.

This book was received as an advanced reader copy for an honest review.

Not to be dramatic, but this book has recreated a sense of passion for baking. I want to make my on starter and make beautiful breads and pastries. I had no idea that these could be made with sourdough!!!

I bake bread and I've baked with sourdough so I was thrilled to be offered this book to review. I thought it was wonderful. I appreciated the opening pages with the author's back story. But everyone will want to read and bake these recipes!

The book instructs the reader how to make the sourdough starter, and how to work with it. And then the fun starts. Of course everyone thinks of bread and this book provides recipes on some basic sourdough breads, but also some that are creative. But the chapters that really got my attention were the chapters on Sourdough Pastry and Sweet Sourdough. There are also chapters on Savoury Sourdough recipes, recipes that are specialties in the author's bakery, and some recipes for interesting jams and spreads.

Some of the included recipes include Cheddar and Paprika Bread, East End Date and Fennel Bread,
Danish Pastries, Blue Cheese and Red Onion Marmalade Twists, Babka, Apple and Cinnamon Bread and Butter Pudding, Doughnuts, and Pugliese Potato Focaccia. This is just a sampling. There is a collection of recipes from different ethnicities. Just a great source of ideas and beautifully photographed.

I will certainly be trying at least a few of these recipes in my own kitchen.

The classic sourdough starter can be a struggle but this book made it look easy and more recipes than just bread!

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

This book has such clear recipes. I am so excited to start baking sourdough bread with these recipes. They give you such a variety of recipes to use. The pictures are absolutely amazing. They make me hungry just looking at them. I am absolutely amazed! I appreciated that the recipes for easy to follow and gave lots of details that were important to making the sourdough. They also start out with the basics of making a sourdough starter which is super important.

Read if you:
Have been seeing everyone post about their sourdough and you have FOMO.
Love variety of sourdough and want to try something new

Thank you again!

I requested this book because I have never, ever, ever managed to ever get a sourdough starter off the ground. This book is my new bible. I can't tell you if I've been succesful yet, but this book is so clearly laid out, with simple instructions with just the right amount of detail that if I fail again, it is clearly a flaw in my own character. Excited to try the recipes when I finally get Stan (my starter) to live!

I am very, very new to sourdough and doing a lot of research before diving into the world of using and baking with it! I was very pleased with how detailed this book is from making the starter to turning it into over a hundred different masterpieces!

There are so many mouthwatering recipes in this book, both sweet and savory. This is absolutely a staple book I would love to add to my kitchen!

Be on the lookout for this one to hit the shelves!!

5 ⭐️
This book is for bread lovers around the world. (Guilty!) Scrumptious images are included on every page for your visual taste bud’s delight. This is a book I’ll be referring back to often!

The author brought flavors inspired from various countries like Australia, England, Poland, and Hungary all together when she opened her own successful business in North London.

The book starts with the author’s personal backstory, and then dives into how to get started with very clear day-by-day instructions for your “starter” yeast. She shares great info on maintenance and storage between bakes, as well as tips for hydration %, temperature, dough prep (folding, shaping, etc), baking, and cooking.

The rest of the book details ~100 visual recipes for breads and pastries like: brioche, focaccia, flatbreads, danishes, croissants, cinnamon buns, sourdough brownies, banana bread, and so much more. She even includes special treats like edible flower cookies, apricot lavender slice pastries as well as jams and spreads. So many mouth-watering things to try that I truly hope I succeed with my starter dough!

My only dislike of this book was the cover of this ARC. It seems too boring for the delicious secrets that lie inside. But you know what “they” say… (Never judge a book by its cover - yeah, you knew 😉).

Thank you to NetGalley, Quarto Publishing Group, and Michelle Eshkeri for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Props to the author for mentioning that the flour doesn’t need to be expensive. I know that some guides and online bakers encourage beginners to use a particular brand of flour which isn't always affordable or accessible. But I think it would have been great if they could mention which flours will work best for sourdough. It also would have been great if there were photos included on the folding, pre-shaping, shaping, and scoring the dough sections.

When you say stage 2: refreshment, is that the autolyse?

Other than that this seems like a pretty solid book on sourdough and I was also surprised by the addition of some pastry recipes from their bakery. I am very excited to try out a few recipes like cheddar scones, sourdough brownies, and roasted red pepper, garlic and parmesan bread.

Thanks to Net Galley and White Lion Publishing for an ARC of this wonderful cookbook.

Margot Bakery is a popular bakery in East Finchley, London, and was opened in 2016 by Michelle Eshkeri, who supposed her friends would like to be able to purchase the specialties she had always baked at home. It happened that not only her friends wanted her baked goods, but people all over London wanted her baked goods. Because the bakery has been so popular, and customers have requested recipes so they could duplicate them at home, Eshkeri has published them in an excellent cookbook, Modern Sourdough: Sweet and Savoury Recipes from Margot Bakery.

Anyone who wants to learn the art of baking sourdough will want to purchase this excellent cookbook. It has step-by-step instructions on creating a sourdough starter, and then using the starter in dozens of mouthwatering recipes. The photographs (Patricia Niven has outdone herself) in the cookbook are excellent, and readers will want to stay home and bake for days.

This cookbook is not for those who are inpatient; rather, it is for those serious bakers who want to learn and are willing to put in the time (lots of time!) to make sourdough. I followed the instructions to the letter, and found that even though there was a lot of waiting time (even baking a loaf of bread involves not only the main starter, but another starter and then the shaped loaf has to sit in the fridge 12-16 hours before it’s ready to bake) the loaves turned out pretty good. Because I don’t live in London, I have had to adjust the recipes to work in my different altitude, using American flour, and a dry climate where I live. I’m happy to say, the patience has paid off and my loaves are starting to look better, and most importantly, taste amazing. The Cheddar and Paprika bread is presently in the fridge having a 16 hour sit before baking.

While sourdough is the main focus of the book, there are other excellent recipes for baked goods that aren’t sourdough, i.e., Lily’s Tahini Cookies and Hazelnut Friands.

While this cookbook is well-written and has mouthwatering recipes, it isn’t for everyone. It is for serious bakers who want to bake something a little outside of the box. Those willing to take the time will love it.


Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

Wonderfully vivid photo's as well as step by step instructions. Sourdough is so on point with the trends at the moment and this provides a wide variety of breads, pastries as well as tasty sounding accompaniment's in jams/spreads section. I am very excited to try my hand at some of these recipes to have them become my go to for functions and gifts. These sound delicious as well as something a baker can accomplish. If you are interested or know someone interested in Sourdough this would be a fabulous gift or reference to pull some delightful recipes for your next gathering.

Thank you to netgalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity. Excited to give them a try.