{"product_id":"the-medieval-bakery-sourdough-manual","title":"The Medieval Bakery: Sourdough Manual","description":"\u003ch1\u003eTHE MEDIEVAL BAKERY: SOURDOUGH MANUAL\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe complete reference for the living engine behind every loaf — what is actually living in your jar, how to read it, how to fix it, and how to bake the way it worked for two thousand years.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou built the starter. You followed the recipes. The first loaf came out dense. The second one collapsed. The third smelled like nail polish. You do not know whether to throw the starter out or rescue it. You do not know if the dough overproofed or underproofed. You do not know why the crust came out pale and the crumb came out gummy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cookbook gave you the recipes.\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Sourdough Manual gives you the engine that drives them.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the deepest volume in the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eMedieval Way Field Manual\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eseries — the masterclass for bakers who want to understand\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003ewhy\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003etheir bread does what it does, not just follow the steps. 59 pages of sourcing-grade science, technique, and rescue protocols, in the same parchment-and-ink style as the cookbook.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWhat's Inside\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSix chapters covering every dimension of sourdough mastery — from microbiology to regional tradition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eChapter I — The Science of Sourdough\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat is actually living in your jar. Named studies from the Belgian KU Leuven (2014), the Institute of Food Research Norwich (2003), the University of Naples (2011), the University of Bari (2018), and the University of Hohenheim (2017). The three reactions that matter —\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ephytic acid degradation, gluten degradation, FODMAP digestion\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e— and the two acids (lactic and acetic) that define every sourdough's flavor.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eChapter II — The Starter, Master Class\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBuilding, feeding, reading, traveling with, reviving. The four build methods. The feeding-ratio math (1:1:1 to 1:10:10). The three states —\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eactive, dormant, dead.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eThe resuscitation protocol for starters neglected for months. How to gift, dehydrate, freeze, and pass on a heritage culture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eChapter III — The Dough\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHydration percentages explained from 50% to 100%+. The autolyse science (Bologna 2008). Bulk fermentation as a function of temperature × time × inoculation. Stretch-and-fold vs. kneading.\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe cold proof — the single biggest flavor upgrade available to a home baker.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eChapter IV — The Bake\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhy the Dutch oven matters more than the oven itself. Steam in the critical first 12 minutes. Scoring at 30° for the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eear.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eThe Maillard reaction. Why you cannot slice for 2 hours (or 8, for rye). Storage in linen, wood, and beeswax — and why refrigeration destroys bread.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eChapter V — The Rescue\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTwenty-five named failures, organized by stage\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e— starter, bulk fermentation, shape \u0026amp; proof, bake, storage. Each with cause, fix, and prevention. The diagnostic decision tree for when to throw it away vs. rescue it. The 11pm-Sunday-night reference manual every home baker eventually needs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eChapter VI — The Regional Traditions\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eItalian\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003elievito madre,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eFrench\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003elevain,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eDanish\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003esurdej,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eBavarian\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eAnstellgut,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eRussian\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003ezakvaska,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eand the San Francisco\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eLactobacillus sanfranciscensis\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003etradition. How to build a starter that approximates each. Heritage starter lineage — and how your great-grandchildren may inherit yours.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWhat You Get\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e59-page premium PDF\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ein the same parchment-and-ink design as the cookbook\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSix chapters, six exercises, twenty-five named failure cases\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNamed sources for every scientific claim\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e— Florence, Naples, Bari, Hohenheim, Copenhagen, KU Leuven, Lund, Norwich\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe 25-failure diagnostic\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ethat turns home bakers into bakers\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSix regional traditions\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ewith build protocols for each\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompanion to\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Medieval Bakery: Practical Recipes\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eVolume III\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ein the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eMedieval Way Field Manual\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eseries\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eInstant download · works on any device · printable for the kitchen wall\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWho This Is For\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou, if you bought the cookbook and one of your loaves failed. You, if your starter died on day 12 and you do not know why. You, if you keep baking the same recipe and the result keeps shifting based on temperature, hydration, and time — and you want to\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eunderstand\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ethe variables instead of guessing them. You, if you have read every Reddit thread on sourdough and still do not have a single coherent reference book to hold in your kitchen.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the reference. It is what we wished we had when we started.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWhy This Is The Premium Volume\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Cookbook is the entry point. The Sourcing Guide is the supply chain.\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Sourdough Manual is the masterclass.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery recipe in the cookbook works because of the science in this manual. Every supplier in the Sourcing Guide matters because of the chemistry described here. This is the volume that turns\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003efollow the recipe\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003einto\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eunderstand the bread.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe medieval baker who kept his\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eMutter\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003efor forty years did not know the word\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eLactobacillus.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eHe could not have named\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eSaccharomyces cerevisiae.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eBut he managed an ecosystem of fifty distinct microbes by smell, by feel, by the rhythm of feeding — with a competence that modern science is still catching up to.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis manual is that competence written down.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eBake the science. Master the engine.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe choice is yours.\u003c\/h3\u003e","brand":"Medieval Way","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53652637450583,"sku":null,"price":17.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0727\/6209\/8007\/files\/sourdoughmanual.png?v=1779903835","url":"https:\/\/medievalway.store\/products\/the-medieval-bakery-sourdough-manual","provider":"Medieval Way","version":"1.0","type":"link"}