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Wild Bread: Sourdough Reinvented
Is the world ready to rethink bread making?
MaryJane Butters thinks so. Wild Bread completely reinvents the concept of healthier-for-you, naturally fermented sourdough.
Until now, sourdough was perceived as too much work and sour-tasting, artisan-style-only loaves. In Wild Bread, her quick and easy 1 minute 2x/day technique demonstrates the use of eight different types of flours for each bread featured--everything from gluten-free brown-rice flour to quinoa to common white to heirloom whole wheat--for a whopping 295 recipes and 475 photographs.
Using her step-by-step method, every style of bread imaginable, including gluten-free, will loft with wild abandon without the purchase of a single packet of not-so-healthy, store-bought yeast. In nutritionally superior wild-yeast bread, fermentation triggers the release of vital nutrients and breaks down carbohydrates. In MaryJane's world, there's no such thing as too much bread because once you convert to slow-rise wild-bread making, that bagel you've been thinking about is more like a vitamin pill than a source of "carb-loaded" guilt.
Lessons gleaned from MaryJane Butters' diverse pioneering background, from carpenter to dairy owner to former wilderness ranger turned organic farmer, led her eventually to stewardship of the 4-story, historic Barron Flour Mill. It was only natural that her years spent living on remote Forest Service fire-watch towers with only a living, breathing sourdough "mother" for companionship would lead her to write a pioneering wild-yeast bread book. She is the author of eight books; editor of MaryJanesFarm magazine, now in its 18th year of publication; and lives on an organic farm in Idaho. Two of her grown children and their spouses are employed full-time at her farm and she is "Nanny" to half a dozen grandchildren.
MaryJane Butters thinks so. Wild Bread completely reinvents the concept of healthier-for-you, naturally fermented sourdough.
Until now, sourdough was perceived as too much work and sour-tasting, artisan-style-only loaves. In Wild Bread, her quick and easy 1 minute 2x/day technique demonstrates the use of eight different types of flours for each bread featured--everything from gluten-free brown-rice flour to quinoa to common white to heirloom whole wheat--for a whopping 295 recipes and 475 photographs.
Using her step-by-step method, every style of bread imaginable, including gluten-free, will loft with wild abandon without the purchase of a single packet of not-so-healthy, store-bought yeast. In nutritionally superior wild-yeast bread, fermentation triggers the release of vital nutrients and breaks down carbohydrates. In MaryJane's world, there's no such thing as too much bread because once you convert to slow-rise wild-bread making, that bagel you've been thinking about is more like a vitamin pill than a source of "carb-loaded" guilt.
Lessons gleaned from MaryJane Butters' diverse pioneering background, from carpenter to dairy owner to former wilderness ranger turned organic farmer, led her eventually to stewardship of the 4-story, historic Barron Flour Mill. It was only natural that her years spent living on remote Forest Service fire-watch towers with only a living, breathing sourdough "mother" for companionship would lead her to write a pioneering wild-yeast bread book. She is the author of eight books; editor of MaryJanesFarm magazine, now in its 18th year of publication; and lives on an organic farm in Idaho. Two of her grown children and their spouses are employed full-time at her farm and she is "Nanny" to half a dozen grandchildren.
224 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 30, 2018
372 people are currently reading
310 people want to read
About the author
MaryJane Butters
15 books28 followersMaryJane Butters is the internationally recognized organic farmer, book author, environmental activist, and food manufacturer behind the self-titled MaryJanesFarm magazine. Working from her family farm in Moscow, ID, and through her websites, Butters has achieved success through a variety of business ventures relating to the domestic arts, organic farming, and a grassroots self-sufficiency movement directed at creating a rural revival.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
April 17, 2019
Hmm, I was really excited to see this pop up as a nearly acquired book at my library and quickly got on the waitlist to check it out. This mill is located in my neck of the woods in eastern Washington state. Sadly, my initial excitement fizzled a bit once I got a chance to get my hands on a copy.
First, what I loved. The book is indeed beautifully photographed and I love that the author has shown each recipe using a variety of flours (including gluten-free flours). There is also a nice variety of recipes here for everything from basic breads and rolls to more advanced breads and even doughnuts and a chocolate cake, all using your new sourdough starter/mother. Photographs are included showing shaping methods, making it easy to follow. I also love that the process creating the starter/mother doesn't call for tossing portions each time you feed. I currently have a starter in the creation phase and the directions I'm following call for tossing the excess each time I feed it. There are some great tips throughout this book as well.
What did I not love? Someone made the odd decision to constantly switch back and forth between text size and fonts, sometimes switching after only a few words. This makes for an odd reading experience at times. I suppose the point of this is for emphasis, but it's annoying to read when it's constantly changing back and forth unnecessarily. The bigger issue? The recipes are all only measured in volumes, not by weight. I'm always surprised when a professionally-published cookbook only lists ingredients by volume, but when the cookbook is a baking book? I'm a bit floored. Any decent baker knows that 1 cup of flour can vary a good bit by weight depending on how much the flour is packed down in the cup. Equipment lists are very specific, calling for certain brands and stating that this matters. Okay, the author has her favorite tools and sure, include the tools you love most, but honestly? You can go spend over $50 on the Glasslock bowl and Marinex dish to sit under it simply to hold water to keep your towel damp or you can make a run to your local thrift store and spend less than $10 for similar supplies. I can achieve the same idea with a crock and glass pie plate that cost me around $5 total. Use a little of that extra cash and buy a small kitchen scale... and you'll still have about $30 left.
If nothing else changed other than adding weights to the ingredient lists, I'd be really happy with this book. In the end, there are a few recipes I'll be trying out from this collection but I won't be adding a copy to my own shelf.
First, what I loved. The book is indeed beautifully photographed and I love that the author has shown each recipe using a variety of flours (including gluten-free flours). There is also a nice variety of recipes here for everything from basic breads and rolls to more advanced breads and even doughnuts and a chocolate cake, all using your new sourdough starter/mother. Photographs are included showing shaping methods, making it easy to follow. I also love that the process creating the starter/mother doesn't call for tossing portions each time you feed. I currently have a starter in the creation phase and the directions I'm following call for tossing the excess each time I feed it. There are some great tips throughout this book as well.
What did I not love? Someone made the odd decision to constantly switch back and forth between text size and fonts, sometimes switching after only a few words. This makes for an odd reading experience at times. I suppose the point of this is for emphasis, but it's annoying to read when it's constantly changing back and forth unnecessarily. The bigger issue? The recipes are all only measured in volumes, not by weight. I'm always surprised when a professionally-published cookbook only lists ingredients by volume, but when the cookbook is a baking book? I'm a bit floored. Any decent baker knows that 1 cup of flour can vary a good bit by weight depending on how much the flour is packed down in the cup. Equipment lists are very specific, calling for certain brands and stating that this matters. Okay, the author has her favorite tools and sure, include the tools you love most, but honestly? You can go spend over $50 on the Glasslock bowl and Marinex dish to sit under it simply to hold water to keep your towel damp or you can make a run to your local thrift store and spend less than $10 for similar supplies. I can achieve the same idea with a crock and glass pie plate that cost me around $5 total. Use a little of that extra cash and buy a small kitchen scale... and you'll still have about $30 left.
If nothing else changed other than adding weights to the ingredient lists, I'd be really happy with this book. In the end, there are a few recipes I'll be trying out from this collection but I won't be adding a copy to my own shelf.
August 13, 2019
Years ago I made sourdough regularly. When I saw this book available for very cheap, I thought it was just what I needed to get started again. The pictures are lovely. The book is handsome. All the charts for different types of flours are impressive. But once I actually got around to using it, there were big problems:
No weights. Everything is given in volume.
Weird text. It fluctuated between the regular print and a larger typewriter font for...emphasis? It's painful and difficult to read.
Overly complicated. I have done this before...and it just wasn't this hard. Even the way she covers her starter is a complicated water-wicking ordeal.
Hard-to-use recipes. One-third of the recipes are just to use while the mother is developing. The next third are just for fully mature mother. And the last section is for soda-leavened goods with some starter dumped in for flavor. So, for example, if you've been keeping up on your mother for a few months and want to make pizza crust...there is no recipe for you, because the pizza crust recipe is only for using up large amounts of weak, developing mother. Argh.
Expensive name brand equipment. I'm not sure why it was necessary to specify on every page to use a "glasslock" bowl when any regular glass bowl would do.
Overall: I'm not sure if I'm going to try to glean a good recipe or two from this book or if I'm just going to give up on it all together. This is not the book I'd hoped it would be.
No weights. Everything is given in volume.
Weird text. It fluctuated between the regular print and a larger typewriter font for...emphasis? It's painful and difficult to read.
Overly complicated. I have done this before...and it just wasn't this hard. Even the way she covers her starter is a complicated water-wicking ordeal.
Hard-to-use recipes. One-third of the recipes are just to use while the mother is developing. The next third are just for fully mature mother. And the last section is for soda-leavened goods with some starter dumped in for flavor. So, for example, if you've been keeping up on your mother for a few months and want to make pizza crust...there is no recipe for you, because the pizza crust recipe is only for using up large amounts of weak, developing mother. Argh.
Expensive name brand equipment. I'm not sure why it was necessary to specify on every page to use a "glasslock" bowl when any regular glass bowl would do.
Overall: I'm not sure if I'm going to try to glean a good recipe or two from this book or if I'm just going to give up on it all together. This is not the book I'd hoped it would be.
July 10, 2018
I received this book from the publishers back at the end of March and after looking through the initial "Beginner Equipment List" and the steps to growing a "counter mother" I knew I'd need a whole month to properly attend to my starter (At first glance it seemed complicated but after having tried her method it’s not). So I decided to wait until I had a month to dedicate to sourdough making: 4 weeks of twice-daily feedings and a weekly bake day. After that first month the "counter mother" would be moved to the fridge thus becoming the "refrigerator mother" (by that time the feedings would drop to once weekly, with a monthly bake schedule). I would need to start with the requisite 10 pounds of flour (she offers a selection of 8 types of flour both regular and gluten-free) and a place to grow the starter (in this case you need a bowl, dish, and a damp flour-sack cotton towel.
Her equipment list is very specific (even down to the exact brands she used) and I found that while I owned some of the equipment I did need to purchase a few things. Since I would be dedicating some of this equipment to a whole month of growing a starter I decided to invest in a new 3.75-qt mixing bowl. The one she mentions can be found online but here in Canada the online Canadian price seemed high to me so I got lucky and was able to pick up a 4-qt bowl at my local grocery store on sale. I recommend shopping around for the best prices because inexpensive substitutes can be found. While the list at the beginning of the book is relatively short (less than 15 items) she dedicates a whole section to equipment later on in the book (both regular items and specialty items, such as grain mills, are discussed).
Being completely new to this process I have nothing to compare it to -- great for me because I was really open to trying Butters' method. Her "1 minute 2x/day, 5 minutes on Bake Day" wild yeast method is one that she's been working on for over the past decade (launched her idea in 2008) and one that's been developed to be easy for beginner-level bakers. While I've found her method simple and easy to follow, it was difficult to stick with it (this is where I realized I'm an instant gratification cook!). The wild yeast is a living thing so a little care and attention is needed to keep it active and healthy – consistency is completely essential in maintaining your starter. Feedings are consistent as is the day you choose to bake on with little room for spontaneity (the only thing wild thing that happened in the month I grew my starter was the yeast). If you can't make anything on Bake Day then she suggests freezing 1/2 cup portions of starter to be used as a flavor-enhancer in waffles, pancakes, muffins, and the like. Speaking of flavour my "counter mother" developed that trademark smell and the resulting baked goods had that typical sourdough flavour (mine ended up being extra-tangy).
I chose organic sprouted whole wheat flour to start with and while she indicates that distilled water should be used I decided to use my regular tap water. After consulting with one of my husband's colleagues who is a seasoned sourdough maker (he uses tap water!) I decided that our Halifax water would be okay to use. Each week on Bake Day I would end up with around 8 cups of "batter" (the starter) with 1/2 cup going back into a freshly cleaned bowl and dish topped with a new towel. I know I've complained a bit already about the time investment but come Bake Day I found that it was worth it. The first week I made sourdough waffles and in the following weeks I tried doughnuts, muffins, and pizza dough.
Knowing what I know now, a month later, I would have chosen to start with the White-Wheat flour (I'm guessing it would be more lofty) as I found that the one I chose created a really dense bread. Whatever flour you choose to make your starter with will be the flour you use in whichever recipe you make -- I went with sprouted whole wheat which meant that along with my sprouted whole wheat starter I would use sprouted whole wheat flour in each recipe. However when I made my doughnuts I chose to use an all-purpose unbleached flour because I was afraid I'd end up with super-dense doughnuts. The doughnuts were delicious, so much so that my visiting mother-in-law took a half-dozen home with her!
The feeding and mixing of the starter was a task that I tried to get my daughter to help with (she's 4) but it wasn't one that really interested her. However I think this task would be great for older children! Since Butters' method is very straight-forward I think that this is a great activity to try with kids. It also gives a person a little more appreciation for the beautiful sourdough boules you buy at bakeries. While it's not difficult to grow your own starter there is an art to it.
One question you may be asking yourself is: What about gluten-free sourdough? She offers recipes for white rice, brown rice, and quinoa flours and while I didn't try to make any of the gluten-free options I feel like the methodology is very sound and that Butters' has really tested and refined her recipes so that I think you'd end up with a good example of a gluten-free sourdough bread.
Speaking of the recipes she's divided the book into three main recipe sections: Beginner Breads, Advanced Breads, and Quick & Easy Sourdough-Enhanced Treats (she also offers some historical information and context around her 1890 Historic Barron Flour Mill which I found very interesting). While tending to my "counter mother" during that first month I stuck mainly with the last chapter (the Treats) because the recipes were quick to make (no rise needed for muffins, waffles, etc). At the end of the month I did make her recipe for Beginner Batter Bread and found it was easy to make and turned out the way she described. How good is that?
Please note that this is an excerpt of a review posted to www.shipshapeeatworthy.wordpress.com
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Raincoast Books and Gibbs Smith for providing me with a free, review copy of this book. I did not receive monetary compensation for my post, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
Her equipment list is very specific (even down to the exact brands she used) and I found that while I owned some of the equipment I did need to purchase a few things. Since I would be dedicating some of this equipment to a whole month of growing a starter I decided to invest in a new 3.75-qt mixing bowl. The one she mentions can be found online but here in Canada the online Canadian price seemed high to me so I got lucky and was able to pick up a 4-qt bowl at my local grocery store on sale. I recommend shopping around for the best prices because inexpensive substitutes can be found. While the list at the beginning of the book is relatively short (less than 15 items) she dedicates a whole section to equipment later on in the book (both regular items and specialty items, such as grain mills, are discussed).
Being completely new to this process I have nothing to compare it to -- great for me because I was really open to trying Butters' method. Her "1 minute 2x/day, 5 minutes on Bake Day" wild yeast method is one that she's been working on for over the past decade (launched her idea in 2008) and one that's been developed to be easy for beginner-level bakers. While I've found her method simple and easy to follow, it was difficult to stick with it (this is where I realized I'm an instant gratification cook!). The wild yeast is a living thing so a little care and attention is needed to keep it active and healthy – consistency is completely essential in maintaining your starter. Feedings are consistent as is the day you choose to bake on with little room for spontaneity (the only thing wild thing that happened in the month I grew my starter was the yeast). If you can't make anything on Bake Day then she suggests freezing 1/2 cup portions of starter to be used as a flavor-enhancer in waffles, pancakes, muffins, and the like. Speaking of flavour my "counter mother" developed that trademark smell and the resulting baked goods had that typical sourdough flavour (mine ended up being extra-tangy).
I chose organic sprouted whole wheat flour to start with and while she indicates that distilled water should be used I decided to use my regular tap water. After consulting with one of my husband's colleagues who is a seasoned sourdough maker (he uses tap water!) I decided that our Halifax water would be okay to use. Each week on Bake Day I would end up with around 8 cups of "batter" (the starter) with 1/2 cup going back into a freshly cleaned bowl and dish topped with a new towel. I know I've complained a bit already about the time investment but come Bake Day I found that it was worth it. The first week I made sourdough waffles and in the following weeks I tried doughnuts, muffins, and pizza dough.
Knowing what I know now, a month later, I would have chosen to start with the White-Wheat flour (I'm guessing it would be more lofty) as I found that the one I chose created a really dense bread. Whatever flour you choose to make your starter with will be the flour you use in whichever recipe you make -- I went with sprouted whole wheat which meant that along with my sprouted whole wheat starter I would use sprouted whole wheat flour in each recipe. However when I made my doughnuts I chose to use an all-purpose unbleached flour because I was afraid I'd end up with super-dense doughnuts. The doughnuts were delicious, so much so that my visiting mother-in-law took a half-dozen home with her!
The feeding and mixing of the starter was a task that I tried to get my daughter to help with (she's 4) but it wasn't one that really interested her. However I think this task would be great for older children! Since Butters' method is very straight-forward I think that this is a great activity to try with kids. It also gives a person a little more appreciation for the beautiful sourdough boules you buy at bakeries. While it's not difficult to grow your own starter there is an art to it.
One question you may be asking yourself is: What about gluten-free sourdough? She offers recipes for white rice, brown rice, and quinoa flours and while I didn't try to make any of the gluten-free options I feel like the methodology is very sound and that Butters' has really tested and refined her recipes so that I think you'd end up with a good example of a gluten-free sourdough bread.
Speaking of the recipes she's divided the book into three main recipe sections: Beginner Breads, Advanced Breads, and Quick & Easy Sourdough-Enhanced Treats (she also offers some historical information and context around her 1890 Historic Barron Flour Mill which I found very interesting). While tending to my "counter mother" during that first month I stuck mainly with the last chapter (the Treats) because the recipes were quick to make (no rise needed for muffins, waffles, etc). At the end of the month I did make her recipe for Beginner Batter Bread and found it was easy to make and turned out the way she described. How good is that?
Please note that this is an excerpt of a review posted to www.shipshapeeatworthy.wordpress.com
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Raincoast Books and Gibbs Smith for providing me with a free, review copy of this book. I did not receive monetary compensation for my post, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
January 11, 2021
I have to say, I was so excited to find this at the library as I had been toying with the idea of purchasing it. However, I found myself sorely disappointed.
Good things first, though!
The pictures are absolutely beautiful and I love the layout of the book.
I love that she added some history to it as well and made it very personable.
Now the bad...
In most of the professional baking books I’ve read, the measurements are by weight in order to get an exact reading. That was not the case here. However, that’s a small flaw that I can easily overlook!
The book calls for so. much. equipment. I’ve made so many different types of sourdough and never have I seen starter recipes call for such expensive and expansive equipment. The author also seems to want us to buy certain name brand products and I’m not sure if it’s because they’re giving her royalties or because she just likes those particular brands.
Conclusion:
Sourdough shouldn’t be as complicated as she’s making it out to be. I don’t believe I want to spend the money to buy all the equipment and the name brand flours just to have it potentially turn out how my other sourdoughs do. I’m also unsure if there are any redeeming recipes that would cause me to purchase the book as it seems completely catered to this specific type of sourdough starters.
Good things first, though!
The pictures are absolutely beautiful and I love the layout of the book.
I love that she added some history to it as well and made it very personable.
Now the bad...
In most of the professional baking books I’ve read, the measurements are by weight in order to get an exact reading. That was not the case here. However, that’s a small flaw that I can easily overlook!
The book calls for so. much. equipment. I’ve made so many different types of sourdough and never have I seen starter recipes call for such expensive and expansive equipment. The author also seems to want us to buy certain name brand products and I’m not sure if it’s because they’re giving her royalties or because she just likes those particular brands.
Conclusion:
Sourdough shouldn’t be as complicated as she’s making it out to be. I don’t believe I want to spend the money to buy all the equipment and the name brand flours just to have it potentially turn out how my other sourdoughs do. I’m also unsure if there are any redeeming recipes that would cause me to purchase the book as it seems completely catered to this specific type of sourdough starters.
March 9, 2021
Can't wait to try some of the recipes there are some beautiful ones there -- still working on a functional sourdough. This author has kind of a pretentious approach to sourdough that can be a bit annoying though hence the 3 star rating.
Read
April 3, 2025this lady is crazy
April 13, 2019
The Blurb for the book asks and answers, "Is the world ready to rethink bread making? MaryJane Butters thinks so. Wild Bread completely reinvents the concept of healthier-for-you, naturally fermented sourdough".
I was pretty excited about this, especially because there are so many different grains featured in the recipes, even gluten-free grains. In my experience from the past, most gluten-free bread is pretty horrible. So, a gluten-free bread that knocks it out of the park? Wow. How cool is that?
I really like that Butters does not call for tossing off huge amounts of her Mother Starter when it is being fed.
But what a shame it is that in her reinvention of sourdough, Butters decided to reinvent the standard recipe format and that she didn't realize that weights should be included in her reinvention.
As well, much of the book is almost unreadable when viewed on my Kobo e-reader (it is easier to read on the computer though). Naturally, I expect the images to be a little difficult to decipher because the Kobo e-reader does not have the ability to show colours. But the mixture of a sans-serif font with a type-writer font is distracting, especially when changing the size of the font to make it large enough to read. The recipe charts are ridiculous - to be able to view them, the font has to be reduced to the tiniest (thus making it impossible to read without a magnifying glass); the important tips are in white text on a light grey background. Shame on the publishers!
Butters' beginner equipment checklist is frighteningly long. Certainly, there are things listed there that would be useful, but is it really necessary to have all those specific brand-name bowls and dishes? Of course not. Still, it's very nice that a stand mixer is NOT mentioned....
But it's the missing weights that are the most disturbing. My 3/8 cup of flour is going to differ drastically from day to day and/or from MaryJane Butters' 3/8 cup, or your 3/8 cup. Sigh.... Why oh why is she calling for a scoop of this and a cup of that? Use a scale! It's way easier - and there's less clean-up.
When she says to feed the starter with "3/8 cup flour and 1/4 cup water" - I'm guessing that she is meaning to say equal parts by weight (3/8 cup of unbleached all-purpose flour weighs just under 50 grams and 1/4 cup of water weighs 60 grams). Each bread recipe calls for x cups of activated starter. She then has the gall to caution:
Precision during feedings? "Precision"?! How on earth can Butters even hope to be precise when measuring by volume? Obviously, with bread making, it's not completely necessary to measure right down to the gram - there are so many outside fluctuations that affect the ingredients: air temperature and humidity. But why add to the fluctuation by introducing a heavy or light scooping hand, or how densely packed a bag of flour is?
I find it very surprising that there are no measurements by weight in the recipes. Even more surprising is the single metric conversion chart with the headings "Volume Measurements | Weight Measurements | Temperature conversion" at the end of the book, with the following first line: 1 teaspoon | 5 ml | 1/2 ounce | 15 g | 250 | 120, implying by glancing at the chart that a teaspoon weighs 15 g (a teaspoon of what??)
(I would have given the book only 1 star, but many of the ideas that MaryJane Butters offers about making bread with just flour water and salt appear to be sound. Somebody just needs to do a rewrite... someone who is capable of revising/converting the poorly laid out ingredients lists and getting rid of the wild mixture of sans-serif and monospace typewriter fonts.)
I was pretty excited about this, especially because there are so many different grains featured in the recipes, even gluten-free grains. In my experience from the past, most gluten-free bread is pretty horrible. So, a gluten-free bread that knocks it out of the park? Wow. How cool is that?
What I know now is that I can take my idea for a simple, olde-world starter (mother) and turn it into a formula to satisfy most every personality type on Earth. I can break bread with white flour only eaters (in honor of my Wonder-Bread-only, I might die tomorrow father-in-law, who lived to age 98), and I can offer bread to above it all, uncompromising purists by serving up a lofty loaf using 100 percent heirloom grains. And I can bake a loaf of bread that rises to the rafters for those who believe it's best to sprout their grains first. I can serve up a soft, skyward loaf of I can't believe this is gluten-free rice or quinoa-only bread for those who are gluten free. and for those needing instant gratification, my pancakes, waffles, muffins, panbread bites, and even chocolate cake satisfy that I want something sourdough now urge. [...] [C]ome on in. Have I got the bread for you! (Author's Note)
~ ~ ~ ~
My favorite [flour] to work with is Kamut. It's doughy but never sticky, and has a distinct buttery flavor. Sprouted is exquisitely nutty. White is lofty. Einka is primal (in a good way). Rice surprises: "This is rice?!" But, Quinoa knocks it out of the park. (Beginner Breads)
I really like that Butters does not call for tossing off huge amounts of her Mother Starter when it is being fed.
You know it was a mother who said, "Waste not, want not." (Beginner Breads | The Mother of all Starters)
But what a shame it is that in her reinvention of sourdough, Butters decided to reinvent the standard recipe format and that she didn't realize that weights should be included in her reinvention.
As well, much of the book is almost unreadable when viewed on my Kobo e-reader (it is easier to read on the computer though). Naturally, I expect the images to be a little difficult to decipher because the Kobo e-reader does not have the ability to show colours. But the mixture of a sans-serif font with a type-writer font is distracting, especially when changing the size of the font to make it large enough to read. The recipe charts are ridiculous - to be able to view them, the font has to be reduced to the tiniest (thus making it impossible to read without a magnifying glass); the important tips are in white text on a light grey background. Shame on the publishers!
Butters' beginner equipment checklist is frighteningly long. Certainly, there are things listed there that would be useful, but is it really necessary to have all those specific brand-name bowls and dishes? Of course not. Still, it's very nice that a stand mixer is NOT mentioned....
But it's the missing weights that are the most disturbing. My 3/8 cup of flour is going to differ drastically from day to day and/or from MaryJane Butters' 3/8 cup, or your 3/8 cup. Sigh.... Why oh why is she calling for a scoop of this and a cup of that? Use a scale! It's way easier - and there's less clean-up.
When she says to feed the starter with "3/8 cup flour and 1/4 cup water" - I'm guessing that she is meaning to say equal parts by weight (3/8 cup of unbleached all-purpose flour weighs just under 50 grams and 1/4 cup of water weighs 60 grams). Each bread recipe calls for x cups of activated starter. She then has the gall to caution:
Volume of mother will vary from week to week. Precision during feedings will help keep the volume consistent, but the bubbles inside the mother will also impact the final volume measurement. (Beginner breads)
Precision during feedings? "Precision"?! How on earth can Butters even hope to be precise when measuring by volume? Obviously, with bread making, it's not completely necessary to measure right down to the gram - there are so many outside fluctuations that affect the ingredients: air temperature and humidity. But why add to the fluctuation by introducing a heavy or light scooping hand, or how densely packed a bag of flour is?
I find it very surprising that there are no measurements by weight in the recipes. Even more surprising is the single metric conversion chart with the headings "Volume Measurements | Weight Measurements | Temperature conversion" at the end of the book, with the following first line: 1 teaspoon | 5 ml | 1/2 ounce | 15 g | 250 | 120, implying by glancing at the chart that a teaspoon weighs 15 g (a teaspoon of what??)
(I would have given the book only 1 star, but many of the ideas that MaryJane Butters offers about making bread with just flour water and salt appear to be sound. Somebody just needs to do a rewrite... someone who is capable of revising/converting the poorly laid out ingredients lists and getting rid of the wild mixture of sans-serif and monospace typewriter fonts.)
April 8, 2021
I could not finish reading the first chapter. The constant changes in font made it impossible fir me to finish and give any sort of real review.
June 12, 2018
The process used to create the starter needed for the recipes in this book seems over complicated. Half of the book is repeated listings of the steps needed to maintain the “counter mother” until it’s ready to be placed in the refrigerator. The history of the mill is brief and I feel like that could have been developed more for this book. Specific, expensive tools are suggested with little to no information on what to do if you don’t have or can’t afford them. The recipes seem easy enough to follow. There are plenty of photos of the seven different types of flours she used for each recipe.
June 14, 2018
Amazing book - I'm finally having success with sourdough! So pretty and interesting to read, too. One warning: you do NOT need to spend $70 for all the brand name bowls, etc, she wants you to buy. Whatever you currently have in your kitchen will work just fine.
March 20, 2024
Well, there is no way I would NOT like this book. I LOVE MARY JANE BUTTERS. I named my own sourdough mother "Mary Jane" fourteen years ago, and she's been going strong ever since. I even featured her in my own book "Favorite Flu Fighters" available at Amazon.
WILD BREAD is a stellar title and is the essence of Mary Jane Butters. It melds history with the current, the pioneer with the modern, the heart with the mind, the practical (plain bread) with the ethereal (doughnuts), and the savory with the sweet. Her take on sourdough is as original as Adam and Eve and you can't get more original than that. I love the quick and easy Batter Bread--in fact, I just made it today.
I don't especially care for the equipment list in the sense that you don't really need those specific items to be successful in creating and keeping your "mother". They are nice, don't get me wrong, but sometimes the budget just won't cover it. So, don't be afraid to branch out and use what you have on hand. For instance, my "Mary Jane" lives in a crock bowl passed down from my grandmother. When I want to use the damp cloth covering I set the crock bowl in an ordinary pie plate. I have found the Mary Jane tends to dry out more in the winter, so I don't always use the damp covering during the hot, humid Missouri months.
I love the simplicity of her recipes and I adore the CHARTS!!!! Talk about easy and quick!!
And, the photos!!! Don't even get me started--I can stare at them over and over. Like the pic on page nine of the kids in jeans, embroidered aprons, and bare feet. Too cute. The photographs of the bread using different flours are so unique and wonderful!!! I can almost smell those loaves.
And, thank you, Mary Jane, for including GLUTEN FREE options. Those aren't recipes that we generally have on hand.
I have a stack of bread books, and this one rates #1.
WILD BREAD is a stellar title and is the essence of Mary Jane Butters. It melds history with the current, the pioneer with the modern, the heart with the mind, the practical (plain bread) with the ethereal (doughnuts), and the savory with the sweet. Her take on sourdough is as original as Adam and Eve and you can't get more original than that. I love the quick and easy Batter Bread--in fact, I just made it today.
I don't especially care for the equipment list in the sense that you don't really need those specific items to be successful in creating and keeping your "mother". They are nice, don't get me wrong, but sometimes the budget just won't cover it. So, don't be afraid to branch out and use what you have on hand. For instance, my "Mary Jane" lives in a crock bowl passed down from my grandmother. When I want to use the damp cloth covering I set the crock bowl in an ordinary pie plate. I have found the Mary Jane tends to dry out more in the winter, so I don't always use the damp covering during the hot, humid Missouri months.
I love the simplicity of her recipes and I adore the CHARTS!!!! Talk about easy and quick!!
And, the photos!!! Don't even get me started--I can stare at them over and over. Like the pic on page nine of the kids in jeans, embroidered aprons, and bare feet. Too cute. The photographs of the bread using different flours are so unique and wonderful!!! I can almost smell those loaves.
And, thank you, Mary Jane, for including GLUTEN FREE options. Those aren't recipes that we generally have on hand.
I have a stack of bread books, and this one rates #1.
April 11, 2020
I haven't baked anything from this book yet, so I can't pass judgement on whether the recipes work, but I did read it cover to cover.
The pros: The photographs are beautiful! I also appreciated that Butters offered very specific instructions for a bunch of different types of flour, and photographed each recipe with each type. I also enjoyed the personal anecdotes in the front and back of the book -- honestly, I'd have loved to read more about Butters' life in the wild, and wish she incorporated more stories with the recipes.
The cons: The font choices in this book are truly awful. Random sentences or parts of sentences are pulled out in a different, larger font, which I suppose is probably for emphasis but just made the book feel unprofessional and made it annoying to read. Also, it seems like a good portion of every recipe is copied and pasted from the previous one. This probably wouldn't be a big deal if I were just pulling this book out to bake from, but reading it got very tedious, and I started to wish Butters had just dedicated a page to the first half of all of the recipes and said something like, "Follow the instructions on Pg. 10," before launching into the unique parts of each recipe.
My biggest disappointment with this book was that Butters recommends a lot of specialty equipment, and doesn't give many alternatives for those who don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on the exact brands she recommends. If I ever bake from this book, odds are things won't turn out quite right because I'd like to try and use what I have.
The pros: The photographs are beautiful! I also appreciated that Butters offered very specific instructions for a bunch of different types of flour, and photographed each recipe with each type. I also enjoyed the personal anecdotes in the front and back of the book -- honestly, I'd have loved to read more about Butters' life in the wild, and wish she incorporated more stories with the recipes.
The cons: The font choices in this book are truly awful. Random sentences or parts of sentences are pulled out in a different, larger font, which I suppose is probably for emphasis but just made the book feel unprofessional and made it annoying to read. Also, it seems like a good portion of every recipe is copied and pasted from the previous one. This probably wouldn't be a big deal if I were just pulling this book out to bake from, but reading it got very tedious, and I started to wish Butters had just dedicated a page to the first half of all of the recipes and said something like, "Follow the instructions on Pg. 10," before launching into the unique parts of each recipe.
My biggest disappointment with this book was that Butters recommends a lot of specialty equipment, and doesn't give many alternatives for those who don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on the exact brands she recommends. If I ever bake from this book, odds are things won't turn out quite right because I'd like to try and use what I have.
April 1, 2025
I was drawn to this book by the cover image and a desire to create the bread featured in the cast iron skillet. I just started making sourdough about a month ago and thought this book could expand my skills.
I really enjoyed the aesthetic design, the pictures, and the layout. I also appreciated the information about the benefits and process of making slowly fermented breads. Learning about more flour options was also beneficial.
I agree with other reviewers that the recipe amounts should be by weight. Also, the very specific specialized equipment list felt elitist and unrealistic. Your average home baker needs to be able to try their skills without having to spend so much money. It would’ve been nice to have some equipment recommendations with reasonable alternatives. I liked the idea of checking your local second hand store for affordable options another reviewer suggested. Additionally, we don’t have counter space for the large mother and realistically how many people have spacious homes with a plethora of free counter space? What about bakers who live in small homes or apartments or who have cats that won’t leave a giant starter mother alone?
Overall, I still really enjoyed reading this book and when I have more time I will try making the mother and some of the recipes. In the meantime I plan to use my regular starter with the recipes and see what happens! I already had success with the Epi. My kids loved it.
I really enjoyed the aesthetic design, the pictures, and the layout. I also appreciated the information about the benefits and process of making slowly fermented breads. Learning about more flour options was also beneficial.
I agree with other reviewers that the recipe amounts should be by weight. Also, the very specific specialized equipment list felt elitist and unrealistic. Your average home baker needs to be able to try their skills without having to spend so much money. It would’ve been nice to have some equipment recommendations with reasonable alternatives. I liked the idea of checking your local second hand store for affordable options another reviewer suggested. Additionally, we don’t have counter space for the large mother and realistically how many people have spacious homes with a plethora of free counter space? What about bakers who live in small homes or apartments or who have cats that won’t leave a giant starter mother alone?
Overall, I still really enjoyed reading this book and when I have more time I will try making the mother and some of the recipes. In the meantime I plan to use my regular starter with the recipes and see what happens! I already had success with the Epi. My kids loved it.
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March 28, 2020I’m almost 3 weeks in (after a false start) to my first real batch of sourdough starter. So far so good. But I don’t understand something. All the beginner breads are for the counter mother, and advanced breads are for the refrigerator mother. But I won’t have the chance to use all the recipes in the beginner section. Week 1 was pancakes, week 2 she recommends waffles. That leaves me two more baking days before the starter becomes a refrigerator mother. Do I only get to choose 2 recipes? Why include so many then? I can only make pizza or English muffins with counter mother? Why not make a modified version for the refrigerator mother? Do I need to keep making new counter mothers to try these other recipes? Seems silly, I don’t get it! And why does this book recommend 4+ weeks on the counter before baking real bread? Other instructions online are for a much shorter period of time. Like a week!
October 8, 2024
I have tried to make sourdough starter three times. The first two times, I used the instructions from MaryJane's Idea Book, Cookbook, Life Book. Both times, it didn't quite work and a weird film formed on top, which then molded. Ms. Butters addresses this in this newest book and recommended using purified water and organic flour. I followed the instructions and have been making sourdough successfully for two months. I recommend this book for any aspiring sourdough bakers. My reason for the 4, rather than 5 stars is that she recommends a TON of equipment that isn't necessarily essential, but doesn't give recommendations for bakers who do not want or cannot afford to spends hundreds of dollars on equipment. I was able to use items from my kitchen and workarounds, but am an experienced baker. If you can't afford all of the equipment, no worries, let Google be your friend. Happy baking!
January 19, 2021
The grace of COVID was my time at home to perfect sourdough. I still have a way to go, but this book was a great companion. It’s aesthetically pleasing with clear and delicious photos. I like how the book is set up with charts clearly explaining different flours and the results they will yield. The varying fonts and clear charts give your eyes and mind a rest from the extensive instructions. The book just packs a multitude of history, flour explanations, recipes, and equipment into a beautiful book.
My favourite flours are einkorn and spelt. I’ve enjoyed making the fougasse, the epi, and boule.
And yes, many batches of pancakes and waffles were made with discard.
My favourite flours are einkorn and spelt. I’ve enjoyed making the fougasse, the epi, and boule.
And yes, many batches of pancakes and waffles were made with discard.
July 6, 2020
While this is a nice sourdough cookbook, it wasn’t quite for me. This would be a great book for a beginner who wants to make a starter with ancient grains or gluten-free grains. If you’re in that boat, I suggest you check it out. Two notes: I think the startup equipment list is a little lengthy and I really wish the ingredients were listed with weight measurements not just volume. It’s odd for a bread book not to use weights.
January 2, 2019
This is a pretty book, totally fit for a nice spot on a kitchen bookshelf if you are going for a farmhouse theme. The method is a bit dogmatic compared to the other books I'm researching and to the method my mother used when I was a kid. That said, I think Butter's tests of so many different flours make this worth keeping, even if I only use a couple of unusual flours over the years.
November 17, 2019
I really wanted to love this book. A friend loaned it to me and she loved it. I have been making sourdough for a few years and this book really overcomplicated the process. It made me hesitate to try any of the recipes, but I did try a few recipes and they did turn out pretty well and tasted good. The gf recipes were interesting but who wants to have a whole loaf of just rice flour? :p
February 28, 2022
I enjoy MaryJane's Farm Magazine and became intrigued with making sourdough bread; ordered the book on ebay and am getting set to begin following the easy-to-follow instructions in this book! Well written; lots and lots of recipes; beautiful illustrations and photographs.
If I am not successful with my sourdough it won't be because of this book!
If I am not successful with my sourdough it won't be because of this book!
August 7, 2022
Excellent pictures and I loved the little bits of history told. However I didn’t love the recipes. I bake with sourdough using weight, and all the recipes are in cups. Wish I had seen that before picking up the book. I also think the woman keeps much to large a starter than is needed. There are better books out there for newbies.
February 22, 2024
Informative, but also extremely repetitive. The repetition had its pros and cons.
Pro: there are such a large variety of items you can make by following the same simple steps over and over with small tweaks to the process.
Con: you’ll probably get bored while reading.
I’m not sure if it was an issue with the kindle, but the formatting was awful throughout the book.
Pro: there are such a large variety of items you can make by following the same simple steps over and over with small tweaks to the process.
Con: you’ll probably get bored while reading.
I’m not sure if it was an issue with the kindle, but the formatting was awful throughout the book.
December 5, 2018
To be fair, I did not test the author’s starter method because I already have starter. However, I did try a recipe which succeeded—when I trusted my intuition and bread baking experience instead of her precise directions.
February 6, 2021
The changes in text font just mentally immediately put me off. Also I'm used to cooking in metric by grams. The measurements here are by volume. This is just a different style of cookbook that doesn't mesh with me for some reason.
August 5, 2018
An extremely helpful book for those interested in understanding and making their own sourdough bread.
August 31, 2018
Setting up the 'mother' was useful but after that it got repetitive. Also, the hyper focus on organic flours and name brand equipment is a huge turnoff.
July 22, 2019
This book has finally convinced me to have a starter again.
October 26, 2019
Measures by volume not weight
April 27, 2020
It's a pretty book but the long lost of very specific equipment made it not a great quarentine purchase. I ended up using a simpler method for my starter that I found online.
January 22, 2021
MaryJane and Ashley do a comprehensive job of teaching you how to make a mother starter from just flour and water!
The recipes are great! It’s a great process to learn!!
The recipes are great! It’s a great process to learn!!
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