Notes about Recipes in this book

• Everyday sourdough

  • dbuhler on August 20, 2023

    A delicious tasting bread! My house was pretty cool when I mixed my dough so I had to do super long bulk ferment. Finally I couldn't wait any longer so when it had risen about 66% of double I took it out and shaped it and then set it to rest on top of my oven as I pre-heated it. It had a beautiful rise to it and wonderful structure on the inside...which was a pleasant surprise. I am pretty new to sourdough, so I look forward to trying more recipes and learning as I go!

  • nutrica6 on December 18, 2024

    This is a great basic loaf. Pretty easy to make, but still impressive and delicious. I actually put it in the fridge the next morning after the overnight rise, in the banneton, as I didn't have time to bake it right away. This worked fine, and I baked it that evening instead right out of the fridge. I didn't think it needed the extra ten minutes in the oven on the rack at the end.

  • megbgraham on June 25, 2025

    This was my very first sourdough loaf after getting starter from a friend to begin making sourdough. I am SO happy with how it turned out! I had guests over and they were very impressed. It was easy to understand the instructions, and I’ll definitely be repeating this recipe over and over again!

  • Tinala523 on December 10, 2025

    I have tried to make sourdough many times and it either didn't rise or was so complicated that I gave up. This recipe was simple to follow and makes lovely loaves. I feel like a pro! By the way, I don't do the ten minutes on the rack, it gets way too brown in my oven. I temp it instead.

• High-hydration sourdough

  • kbrooks on September 23, 2025

    I make breads just about weekly. I screwed this bread up and I should have known better. I didn't get the big open holes I should have because I made the mistake of adding quite a bit more flour after the bulk rise because the dough was so wet and blobby. I should have trusted the recipe as it is quite similar to the one for Jim Lahey's No Knead Bread, which also produces a very wet dough. The flavor of the bread was absolutely wonderful and I will make this again and not mess with the hydration.

  • Tinala523 on January 27, 2026

    Easy and delicious! I also quartered this recipe and made four small boules for soup bowls- adorable! used

  • mirjoy on February 03, 2026

    This has been my go to sourdough recipe for years. Her instructions are so clear and work well!

  • sharon_olniyq on March 12, 2026

    My absolute favorite sourdough, a classic recipe I will keep forever. The recipe’s simple explanations make the process easy and successful!

• Decadent chocolate chip

  • Jviney on March 21, 2024

    Delicious. I found the bake time too long as the bottom had burned, so I’ll adjust that next time. The recipe notes say this tastes like a chocolate croissant and that is true.

  • monica_vhgqdv on January 18, 2026

    Need to reduce bake time with lid on as bottom burned.

• Dill and white cheddar

  • Lynnette on January 16, 2026

    Early this morning I baked this bread which had received a longer fridge ferment than the recipe indicated. Like yesterday’s bagels from this same book, I altered the flour composition to half whole wheat, half bread flour. The texture is a little tight; not sure if that’s the grated cheese inhibiting the rise or something else. But the flavor just sings! It’s going to make some great sandwiches.

• Seeded pumpkin cranberry

  • dyanarose on November 07, 2022

    The quantities didn't translate very well to the UK. I ended up with incredibly wet dough. I suggest you mix the starter and pumpkin puree first then add the flour and only enough water to get everything to a stiff dough. Also only used half the number of clementines. Very tasty though! I'll definitely make it again

  • Lepa on February 08, 2023

    I followed the recipe and it worked. The pumpkin seeds burned but they still tasted good. I didn't use parchment and I regret that, as it was very difficult to get the tiny scorched pieces of cranberry off my Dutch oven.

• Cinnamon raisin swirl

  • breakthroughc on April 09, 2023

    This turned out delicious. Can’t wait to have toast tomorrow morning. Subbed pecans for the walnuts.

  • Tinala523 on March 29, 2026

    Didn't have walnuts but we didn't miss them. Be sure to pinch ends securely, as mine leaked and oozed this glorious cinnamony lava! I know we should wait, but eat this one warm, friends!

• Pickled jalapeño, cheddar and chive

  • Maefleur on November 10, 2018

    The recipe says to use whole pickled jalapeños, I chopped them, and also used scallions instead of the chive. It's a tasty bread.

  • laur0684 on June 08, 2020

    I would probably go for fresh jalapeños next time I make..the pickled taste competed with rest of flavours

  • DelphiDogs on May 05, 2021

    I've also made it with green onions/scallions instead of chives. It's one of our favorite breads from this book.

  • breakthroughc on November 08, 2022

    We love this bread and my husband makes it often. We use green onions when our chives are not in season and have substituted a non dairy cheese when we needed it to be vegan. Great with winter soups and stews and makes great BLTs with the leftovers.

• Roasted garlic and rosemary

  • Jviney on April 13, 2024

    Really delicious sourdough loaf, it makes for a lovely toasted cheese sandwich as the recipe notes say. Yum.

• Sticky date, walnut, and orange

  • sharon_olniyq on March 12, 2026

    Amazing! Perfect combination of flavors! No alterations needed just perfection!

• Soft honey whole wheat

  • Summerlandsky on April 01, 2024

    This is a really good loaf. I’m going to put this in regular rotation. Just enough whole wheat to give it interest and nutrition, but not so much that my kids turn their nose up at it. Came together easily and seems to stay fresh and soft for several days. Crumb is tight and perfect for toast and sandwiches. May let it rise just a smidge more in final proof to add a little more height but still keep the size uniform.

• Saturday morning fruit and nut toast

  • Lepa on January 20, 2023

    I was disappointed with this loaf. First, the dough was really sloppy and shapeless and the loaf was squat. I am a new sourdough baker but I think the dough would have benefited from some folding. The final bread was okay but the apricots gave it a sour flavor that I didn't love. I recently made a raisin pecan loaf that I thought was much better so I probably won't make this one again.

  • Wokmom on November 23, 2023

    This is one of my favorite recipes in the book. I do the stretch and folds as mentioned in the beginning of the book and have great success in the final rise and shape

  • breakthroughc on December 01, 2023

    Thanks to Wokmom I talked my husband (the sourdough baker in our house) to make this. It is delicious and makes great toast.

  • Summerlandsky on March 03, 2024

    This is a favorite. I usually triple the recipe and keep two and gift one. Definitely take the advice and chop the dried fruit small. I got lazy one time and didn’t do that and the full fruit pieces were way too big. It’s a fairly wet dough even after draining the soaked fruit. I’ve tried different methods of lamentation and I think it works best to do it just before bulk fermentation by stretching it out in a large square, sprinkling on all the fruit, and the folding and rolling it up. This keeps the fruit from popping out the top and burning when you bake it. Be sure to give it a good long second rise once in the loaf pans. To store I slice it once cooled and then freeze the sliced loaf. That way I can take out on toast only what I need.

• Multigrain sandwich bread

  • nutrica6 on August 07, 2023

    so delicious, slight crunch in interior from grains and a flavor of coconut oil at the end. perfect for sweet or savory toasts and sandwiches. my go-to sandwich bread recipe

  • Tinala523 on January 30, 2026

    I used Bob's Red Mill 10 grain cereal. It was messy to knead it in but it really made the bread moist. It seemed to last forever! Nice mild taste for sandwiches.

• Light and fluffy brioche

  • kbrooks on July 08, 2025

    While this takes 2 days to make, it's pretty easy. Just lots of long rising time. I used my KAF 2 liter rising bucket for the refrigerator rise and it was too small...the dough rise literally blew the lid off! Shaping the loaf and baking per recipe instructions resulted in a lovely loaf. The flavor and texture is wonderful. Will definitely repeat and use a larger container for the refrigerator rise next time.

• Golden flax and spelt

  • eliza on November 11, 2018

    I had a major problem with the proportions in this bread. The recipe calls for 60 g of flaxseeds soaked for 45 minutes or so to be added to the dough. After soaking, the flax is so gelatinous that it is impossible to drain, regardless of how much rinsing you do. My dough was already very slack, so I added just a bit of the soaked flax and used some other seeds instead. Even so, the dough needed a bit of extra flour to make it workable. I managed to get a nice loaf in the end, won’t be making this one again. (I froze the extra soaked flaxseeds, and will be using them up for quite some time!)

  • Maefleur on February 21, 2019

    I’ve made this twice now and my second bake was more successful than my first. As for the flaxseeds, I would say don’t add more water than you need to cover them as they seem to just soak up whatever you give them. Also, it does take both hands to knead them in well till they’re combined in the dough. It will become “somewhat” less sticky. I stuck to the recipe but, did use a little more flour than usual when shaping and popped the banneton into the fridge for a few hours after it was “puffy” which helped to firm up the dough.

• Light rye

  • Jviney on February 20, 2026

    It was good! I don’t know that it tasted hugely like rye bread, but was yummy and hearty and warming.

• Basic no-knead focaccia

  • Maefleur on December 03, 2018

    I didn't have any rosemary as the recipe suggests, so used a combination of fresh thyme, oregano and sage, along with the flakey sea salt and the garlic in their papery shells. The garlic cooked up perfectly tender and the honey added just a touch of sweetness.

  • Dewnie on March 17, 2019

    This was such an easy recipe....I used rosemary and black garlic for topping....beautiful book!!

  • rebekahbryce on February 02, 2026

    Love making this and fudging with toppings for garlic, rosemary, or pizza focaccia

  • krista_fcgy12 on May 23, 2026

    I think this recipe has potential to be delicious, however what I would do different is coat the top with olive oil rather than just turn it over in the oil as the recipe suggests. This was my first time and the dough was dry, would have been much better with brushed olive oil. Will definitely be trying again.

• No-knead tomato basil focaccia

  • laur0684 on June 08, 2020

    Absolutely delicious! I added a drizzle of homemade balsamic reduction. Would also be nice served with some fresh mozzarella

• Stuffed croque monsieur focaccia with ricotta and Swiss

  • laur0684 on June 08, 2020

    Total winner! I used a prosciutto

• Soft share and tear rolls

  • megbgraham on June 28, 2025

    I liked these! They were denser then I would have liked and were quite brown on the top, next time I’ll probably put tin foil on top to prevent them from getting so dark.

• Easy bread basket rolls

  • Tinala523 on January 30, 2026

    Made 24, enough for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Family loved them!

• Blistered Asiago rolls with sweet apples and rosemary

  • Tinala523 on December 29, 2025

    The book.is right, these smell heavenly! I used fresh apples, sautéed as per recipe, but little apple flavor. Will try dried next time. Still delicious!

• Overnight mini sourdough English muffins

  • Maefleur on December 09, 2018

    I made these square as I thought it would be fun and perhaps, less wasteful. But, I rerolled these with no problem or noticible difference from first to last. Very tasty too!

  • sharon_olniyq on March 12, 2026

    It was really hard to cook them through without scorching the outside, had to finish in oven. I’m not sure they are really worth the effort, especially when every other recipe in the book is SO phenomenal.

• Sunday morning bagels

  • megbgraham on June 28, 2025

    HUGE success. Only my third sourdough recipe I’ve done and they were very do-able. I will make these again and again, they were so much better than the store bought. Didn’t need to flip them to bake the bottom though, they were plenty browned enough on the bottom without doing that.

  • Lynnette on January 16, 2026

    A perfect recipe straight out of the gate! That’s a rarity… I made these half whole wheat. They are perfect. Will make again because quality bagels in Sonoma County cost $3-4 a piece.

  • mirjoy on February 03, 2026

    My family makes these bagels disappear so quickly, I wish I had time to make them every weekend

• Roasted garlic sourdough knots with pecorino

  • laur0684 on June 08, 2020

    I had high hopes for this but they had not much flavour and didn’t rise properly despite using bubbly active starter. Ended up trying one and tossing the rest.

• Soft semolina breadsticks with buttery crumbs

  • Tinala523 on February 16, 2026

    Somehow I made 12 instead of 14 so they were larger. Chewier than I expected! Nice flavor with the breadcrumbs. Will make again.

• Ciabatta

  • mjes on September 26, 2021

    Ciabatta is a fundamental bread in our family -- needed for most charcutterie boards or herbed oil bread dip. This recipe makes a very decent loaf given the limitations of my oven.

• Make-ahead stuffed spinach and artichoke dip braid

  • mirjoy on February 06, 2026

    Easy to construct and very delicious

• Cinnamon sugar sourdough waffles

  • megbgraham on June 28, 2025

    My kids LOVE these. They make about 2 1/2 Belgium waffles. They requested them two days in a row. Very easy! Good use of extra starter.

  • rebekahbryce on February 02, 2026

    My favorite scratch waffle recipe! I sometimes use oil instead of butter for a lighter waffle

• Cinnamon sugar sourdough waffles

  • laur0684 on June 08, 2020

    Nothing super over the top special but tasty.

• Easy Dijon-parsley popovers

  • dbuhler on April 24, 2024

    These were okay but not great. Despite the amazing smell of the batter, the popovers themselves were not very flavorful. Mine also didn't pop and get hollow in the center. They rose but were dense inside. I don't think I'll make them again.

• Sourdough key lime ricotta cookies

  • Clog on August 20, 2023

    Rather ordinary. Nice texture but apart from a faint hint of lime they didn't taste of anything.

  • kbrooks on November 13, 2025

    Read Clog's note, so I added a 1/4tsp. lime oil and the zest of a lime to the sugar and lime juice glaze. Nice bright flavor. However, the cookie itself was rather bland. Husband likes these; I don't.

• Sourdough zeppoles

  • dbuhler on February 12, 2024

    These are delicious and my whole family just loved them! I made a variation of her recommended variation in which I substituted the vanilla extract for some Fiori di Sicilia extract (mine is from King Arthur). She recommends using one drop, but I didn't detect the extract, so I used four drops. I also added the zest of half an orange. In the final product I couldn't really detect the extract, so next time I will either add more, or I will keep the vanilla extract and also add the zest of an entire orange, and perhaps even add a little bit of orange oil. These would be a great starting point for many different flavor variations. I will definitely make these again! A quick note about the recipe in my book...it calls for 1 cup of ricotta but the gram measurement says 125 g. One cup of ricotta weighs 250 g so that is what I used. I'm not sure what the texture of a zeppole should be, but these were very nice with this ratio of ingredients.

• Puffed sourdough crackers with Gruyere and thyme

  • Apollonia on February 09, 2023

    Every time I make these, I think "never again" as I roll out my ten billionth sheet of crackers. Then I think "never again" after I _eat_ my ten billionth sheet of crackers. And yet, somehow, time after time, I keep making and then demolishing these incredibly tasty little treats. Make when you have folks to share them with.

  • kbrooks on October 28, 2025

    Big hit at our house! Granted, it's a lot of rolling out. Thinness is crucial. But,oh my, such a lovely cheesy taste! I got 118 crackers using a1-1/2" round cookie cutter. Bet you can't eat just one!

• Break-apart sesame spelt crackers

  • eliza on November 04, 2018

    This is my first recipe from this book. I had some extra starter so I mixed up this dough; it was very dry and crumbly and I had to add quite a lot of water to bring it together. I’m not sure if the recipe is missing something or perhaps my starter wasn’t wet enough (I keep it at 100% hydration), but anyways, once I got the dough workable, I rested it for a couple of hours and rolled it out in a mix of poppy, sesame, and golden flax seeds and baked as directed. The resulting crackers were very tasty. I will probably try these again, however, there are other cracker recipes that are simpler.

  • cahlurbear on December 08, 2022

    Yum!

• Rum raisin bread pudding

  • melissa_8tppo3 on May 07, 2026

    I had some stale saffron buns and vort limpa bread and I liked the sound of rum and raisin bread pudding with swirls of caramel sauce so, I followed the recipe. It makes a sizable pudding, and was delicious. The rum just makes it a bit special and I am a big fan of raisins when they get plump and crispy at the same time - you know those ones that bake at the edge of the pudding. I feel it was cooked a bit too long (husband apologised as he was on pulling it out of the oven duty). Custard was a bit too firm for our liking but the tastes were good, though I might try and dial down the sugar slightly next time.

• Weeknight Tuscan ribollita

  • Lepa on January 18, 2023

    This recipe is quick and easy but really good. I was afraid it would feel too virtuous or lack depth of flavor because it uses canned beans but we really enjoyed this.

  • cahlurbear on January 07, 2026

    Tastes a little too much like “diet” cabbage soup trend from a few years ago

  • Tinala523 on January 14, 2026

    Good! Needed more seasoning, next time I would add parmesan rind, or some herbs. I enjoyed it with cheese sprinkled on top.

• Zesty garlic and herb dipping oil

  • Tinala523 on January 14, 2026

    Aptly named, zesty & good, will make again!

• Food in Jars

  I’ve seen a wide range of (sourdough) loaves and for those folks who are still at the start of the sourdough journey, there’s no better book than this one.

  Full review

• Salt Sugar and I

  The steps...aren’t intimidating like some recipes can be, Emilie has written a simplified version for each recipe, an in depth version, jam packed with info that covers each individual step at length.

  Full review