New book "Wild Bread" published
Lisa Rayner, a Flagstaff Ariz. author and activist, is pleased to announce the release of her third book, Wild Bread: Hand-baked sourdough artisan breads in your own kitchen. Wild Bread is much more than just another bread cookbook. The book reveals the secrets of baking San Francisco sourdough, crusty French artisan loaves, dense Russian ryes, Italian ciabatta, Indian naan, pita bread, great homemade pizza crusts, soft whole wheat sandwich bread, bagels, sweet doughs, Ethiopian injera crêpes and much more.
This book explores what goes on inside dough as it is transformed from water, flour, wild yeast and probiotic bacteria into the kind of bread that makes your mouth water. You may never be satisfied with ordinary bread again. Once you learn what factors affect aroma, flavor, shape, crust and crumb, you too will be transformed — into an artisan.
Wild Bread encourages your creativity and provides the basic principles you need to bake any bread you desire without needing a recipe. Wild Bread teaches you how to make authentic whole grain sourdough artisan breads that are easy to knead by hand and make in the variable temperatures and humidities of an ordinary kitchen.
Part I explains the science and care of sourdough ecosystems, including how to capture your own sourdough culture from the air and where to buy authentic cultures from around the world. Sourdough cultures composed of wild yeast and lactic acid-producing bacteria. No baker’s yeast or chemical leaveners like baking soda are ever added to real sourdough breads.
Part II explains how to make bread, including how to grind your own wholegrain flours and bake artisan-style breads in a home oven.
Part III contains instructions for making a variety of artisan loaves, flatbreads, pan breads, batter breads, sweet rolls and more—from wheat, rye and gluten-free whole grain flours.
Part IV introduces you to the world of sustainable bread baking, with an exploration of energy-efficient solar cookers and wood-fired earth and brick ovens.
Part V includes a list of commercial sources for authentic sourdough cultures, bread troubleshooting tips, sources for sustainably-produced grains and flours, and books and DVDs on sourdough and artisan bread baking.
Lisa Rayner is the author of Growing Food in the Southwest Mountains, a permaculture guide for home gardeners (3rd ed. 2002) and The Sunny Side of Cooking solar cookbook (2007). She has been interested in cooking ever since she became a vegan more than 20 years ago. Today, she continues to have a passion for learning about food, and she continues to share what she has learned through her books and workshops. Permaculture design and a lifelong interest in renewable energy inform her work.
Wild Bread: Hand-baked sourdough artisan breads in your own kitchen ISBN 978-0-9800608-1-2 Published by Lifeweaver LLC © 2009 170 pp. 8 ½” x 7”. Color cover, black and white illustrations, comb binding $16.95 + $3 shipping and handling. Contact Lisa@LisaRayner.com for wholesale prices Order online or pay by check.
For more information on Lifeweaver LLC contact: URL: www.LisaRayner.com e-mail: Lisa@LisaRayner.com P.O. Box 22324, Flagstaff, AZ 86002
Comments
If the author is still propagating the myth that you "capture your own sourdough culture from the air", just how valid will the rest of the book's content be?
Paul
Usually when I see a new book notice I don't think about commenting on it. After all everybody has a right to try to earn a living and I try to live by the "if you can't say nice things don't say anything". But, in this case the author is introducing a commercial product on a free baking forum. TFL is a place where we try to be about good practices and sound science, not political agenda's and activism. I agree with Paul above that the premise of the statement quoted above is so flawed I wouldn't suggest or buy this book. I don't need a list of commercial sources to buy something that exists in every bag of whole grain flour in the world. And "catching wild yeast in the air", please. Pass the A-1 sauce.
Eric
That's good. I like that.
Well said, Paul and Eric.
Nothing like popping into an established community and making no contribution other than to set up a virtual booth to hawk a self-published cookbook of questionable content.
I think Scorned Woman sauce is much more appropriate.
Are there formal rules for TFL? Not implied, but written? If not, if we're on the honor system, then we're fair game for press releases.
Rosalie
A few days ago, my wife posted a press release about her new book, "Wild Bread." She spent two years researching and writing this book. She did the book layout herself. We are self-publishing the book with money out of our own pockets. We even did the binding for the book ourselves. Now, we are trying to do a little marketing -- again, just the two of us. So she posted her press release about the book on a site frequented by people who presumably are interested in sourdough artisan breads. Maybe that is not often done. Maybe that is frowned upon by some of you who frequent this site. But we have no doubt that other people who frequent this site will be interested in this book. Meanwhile, those of you who have not read the book should refrain from commenting until you have read it. It is extremely childish to insult and belittle the work of a person when you have not even seen the work that person has done, and know nothing about the person who has done the work. There is a real person behind the book that you have scorned and mocked so mercilessly. She does not deserve this kind of treatment.
...deserve this kind of treatment for the work she has done, but you both might want to rethink the "issuing a press release" approach to posting on baking forum websites. What we got from you was someone's impersonal, 'professionally written' press release describing a book by someone we haven't heard from before (on this website), instead of a personal note from a fellow baker telling us about their latest work. Dale Carnegie said that you attract more flies (ie. sales) from a drop of honey than from a gallon of gall.
Just a little food for thought for you from your fellow bakers.
There isn't a formal rule, but my rule of thumb has been that one press release post by an author publishing something related to the subject matters at hand is perfectly acceptable. Repeated posting of the same press release is rude, as is posting a press release for something unrelated to the site; in those cases the postings would be removed. Lisa posted this in her blog, not even in the books forum, which seems like a legitimate way for someone interested in baking to share what they are up to with us.
I agree with Dan that while we may not agree with some of the science in her book (though, as he points out, none of us have actually read it), we needn't be incivil to her. That said, by posting her release here she did open her work up to discussion and criticism by the community, and we are not obligated to silently accept commercial solicitations: if community members find flaws in the premise of the book, it is a legitimate service to the community for them to bring them up.
Also, it is worth pointing out that most online communities, not just the one here, react with hostility to perceived "carpetbagging" (people who join a site solely to announce something they wish to promote). Tacticly, I would warn a new site or book author that that is not be the best way to get the word out about their product because it often results in a backlash from community members, as has been illustrated here.
All that said, I wish Lisa good luck with her new publication and happy baking.
to see it. I've been looking for a book like this, and knowing the background sweetens the deal.
So basically this forum just worked exactly the way it should.
In the words of Rizzo "Some people are so touchy."
I am new to this site so I really don't know what the "rules" or custom is here but a quote from Ann Lamott comes to mind. "You don't always have to chop with the sword of truth. You can point with it too."
Intellectually speaking - isn't it true that different sourdough cultures develop from different parts of the world? Perhaps she is speaking of the bacteria cultures that feed off the wild yeast found in the flour? It does seem insulting to this kind of community, to buy into the idea of being able to capture the same cultures from different parts of the world. Maybe for the first or second feeding - but then it is pointless. You may as well have the bread from that region shipped to you.
This woman obviously has spent a lot of life passion on this subject - and she wants to share her knowledge - but she probably should have been part of our community during these years of scientific and practical research. But then again, we don't know what other on line communities she is part of.
Good luck to you Mountain Rain.
Good points and well-taken, Mr. Frazier. Please accept some friendly suggestions:
2 Give a copy to Floyd or some one else who frequents the form to review.
I love the fact that you all pitched in to publish, bind and distribute your book, There probably aren't many on the forum who have done that. Good luck