We have an extensive library at The School
With over 1000 books, spanning over 500 years with our oldest bread history papers in the collection from the 1500s.
We also have all our research papers printed and filed to read and our own bound collections of our favourite studies for our student to really immerse themselves in the subject. These are some of the books I recommend to students coming to The Sourdough School to borrow from the library.
Bread & Flour Books
Tartine Book No. 3: Ancient Modern Classic Whole by Chad Robertson
Perhaps one of my favourite books, not least because the developer of the formulas was Richard Hart who is now head baker at Hart Bageri bakery in partnership with Noma in Copenhagen. Richard wrote the forward to The Sourdough School book.
Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes by Jeffrey Hamelman
Probably one of the single most influential books in bread making. It is technically brilliant. It’s a book that we use here – I often dip in and have a read. It has that lovely technical side to it, which is reassuring when you need it.
The Handmade Loaf by Dan Lepard
This book revolutionised the way we think about artisan bread. Dan is really the father of the bread movement. A friend and mentor.
The Tivoli Road Baker: Recipes and Notes from a Chef Who Chose Baking by Michael James
An incredibly beautiful book. It’s not all sourdough, but it is exquisite and I find it very inspiring.
Sourdough by Martina Goernemann
A lovely collection of recipes and interviews with sourdough bakers from across the world.
How To Make Sourdough: 45 recipes for great-tasting sourdough breads that are good for you, too by Emmanuel Hadjiandreou
Emmanuel is another tutor at the school. His book is a good step-by-step guide for sourdough bakers.
‘Eating to Extinction – The Worlds Rarest Foods and Why We Need To Save Them’ by Dan Saladino
Dan spans the globe to uncover the stories of foods that are at risk of becoming lost to us. He meets the pioneering farmers, scientists, cooks, food producers and indigenous communities who are preserving food traditions and fighting for change.
Baking
Fermentation
The Art of Fermentation: An In-depth Exploration of Essential Concepts and Processes from Around the World by Sandor Katz
Sandor has spent quite some time here at the school and is one of the people I’ve really learned a lot from. He has been a tutor on some of our courses.
Eat Right by Nick Barnard
Another tutor at The Sourdough School. Nick is the owner of Rude Health. I’d highly recommend this book to anyone who is wanting to get into fermenting and eating with wellness in mind.
Kimchi: Essential Recipes of the Korean Kitchen by Byung-Hi Lim and Byung-Soon Lim
Dozens of recipes and a great source of inspiration. This is the book I use when I’m making kimchi.
Salted by Mark Bitterman
I couldn’t put this one down. I enjoyed it immensely. A very interesting book on salt, its uses and history – who knew there was so much to learn about salt!
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking by Samin Nosrat
I met Samin in London, we have a lot of friends in common. This is a beautifully illustrated and informative book.
