The Perfect Loaf: The Craft and Science of Sourdough Breads, Sweets, and More: A Baking Book Hardcover – 8 Nov. 2022

Five minutes after downloading the Kindle version, I realised two things:(1) The book contains everything one could possibly want to know about making naturally leavened bread. I wanted a book that answered my many questions about sourdough as well as giving me recipes for levains (my preferred way of using starter), bagels, brioche, cinnamon buns, pizza, crackers, waffles etc all in one place. I don’t want to own a whole lot of different books on the subject. This is hopefully the only one I will ever need. It contains recipes that are not included on the author’s website, which was my reason for purchasing the Kindle version.(2) You need the physical book as well as the Kindle version, not just one or the other on its own. The sheer number of pages makes it just as impractical to scroll back and forth on the Kindle as it is to manipulate the hardback in the kitchen, at the risk of damaging it.To get the maximum benefit from this voluminous and comprehensive resource, it’s best to browse and consult the physical book, learn from it, enjoy the gorgeous photos in it, and choose a recipe you would like to tackle, then put it back on your bookshelf. At that point, the Kindle version comes into its own. You can easily find the recipe, bookmark it and use that in the kitchen. There are plenty of links within the text of each recipe that let you jump to techniques explained in other relevant sections of the book. To access that info in the hardback would involve a lot of page turning and wear and tear. But the hardback is good to have because who knows what might happen to one’s digital information in the future. Most useful for me is the timetable at the beginning of each recipe. Other reviewers have complained of the repetitive nature of the book. That doesn’t bother me, as nothing is worse than having something mentioned only once in an enormous book and needing half an hour just to find it. Better too much info than too little.If you buy the hard copy book, be aware that it weighs 2kg, partly on account of the thick, high-quality glossy paper stock used for its pages. This makes it too heavy for its spine, which is of standard, square casement construction. A book of this weight should have had its sections rounded at the back before being fitted with a separate spine piece made from thicker card and possibly extra padding inside and a woven cloth tape outside. The rounding of the back and spine acts like an arched bridge, which is much stronger than an inherently weaker flat one. The flat spine and sharp corners of this lovely book will inevitably give way very soon after purchase if handled even moderately frequently. A proper construction would doubtless have added too much to the cost of the book, which is very reasonable. But the good news is that the sections are at least folded and sewn together rather than cut and glued, so that even when the spine does come apart from the covers, the pages of book will still hold together and you could have the book rebound if necessary, if you can still find a bookbinder to do the job. Or you could go to a bookbinding class and treat your book to a beautiful leather binding. This is a book that is worth preserving.

Some balk at the notion of Sourdough baking. "It's way too complicated"; "I love it but I haven't got the time" and isn't it expensive?". The list is not exhaustive.Maurizia Leo has created a work that demystyfies the process and techniques involved. Well illustrated, the style of delivery is very easygoing, to the point where I find myself reading pages that dealt with baking that I was already familiar with.And then there's the recipes. I was unaware that so much could be done. Maintaining the "starter" is considered by some to be wasteful, but Maurizia shows he keeps the feed residue, utilising it for incredible recipes.I should have bought this a long time ago. Buy it.

This book is much much more than I was expected!!!Awarded book is like an encyclopedia about Sourdough recipes from A to Z with detailed explanation of each step, so easy to understand in the same time so profesional.If I was to see this book before to buy it, I was ready to pay even double.Will be my teacher and my inspiration for years to come in baking healthy sourdough bread and treats.

The best sourdough book I have found. A very detailed and scientific approach to the process along with some great recipes for other sorts of bread such as the cinnamon buns. The instructions emphasize the importance of temperature in the process as you cannot just blindly follow a process for a baker who lives in San Francisco is you live somewhere colder. It has certainly worked for me.

Making the perfect loaf is not easy. There are so many factors to juggle: ingredients and quantities, processes, the chemistry - temperature, time ... but this book covers it all - slowly, carefully, laying out the 'craft and science' of breadmaking. I LOVE the separation into distinct stages: levain, autolyse, mix, bulk fermentation, preshape, shape, proof and bake. Maurizio certainly teaches us how to think like a baker. And, I LOVE the BAKING TIMELINE. Takes me back to school days when we had to create a timeline for whatever domestic science project we had. Knowing when you want to serve up, you do need to work back to when you need to start the process ... this book gives me confidence to bake more than any other I've seen (and, yes, I have a shelf full of cookbooks!).

I refer to this book weekly. It's become a staple in my kitchen. While this is full of amazing recipes, it's also filled to the brim with useful troubleshooting information and so much knowledge to read through so that you can understand why you're doing each step and how you can adjust your baking process for your own timeline, temperature etc. Love love love this book!

I found myself skipping through pages and pages of (perhaps fascinating but..) scientific information before cutting to the chase. The recipes, even for basic buns and loaves, seem extravagantly elongated, to the point I almost gave up the notion of making my own bread. I ended up writing a summary recipe for the ones I liked, and skipped some of the ‘mix for 5 minutes, add the butter, mix another 5 minutes add the spices’ and just threw everything in and mixed once, with excellent results. Not many of us have all the gadgets and gizmos he refers to but again, I substituted with things I had without a problem. I guess if you are thinking of becoming a full time baker, or having nothing else to do, it could be the best book ever. Meanwhile my abridged sour dough loaves and hot cross buns are delicious and perfectly formed so I am not complaining. I do think it’s a worthwhile purchase, just be prepared to sift the pages as well as the flour.

Outstanding book. The perfect loaf website has been my go-to for all things sourdough for some time, but this book takes it to another level. The selection of recipes and theory behind them is fantastic, and the breakdown of each step makes recipes easy to follow.