Slow dough : real bread

Baking bread is an ancient craft; kneading the dough to produce a loaf is a fulfilling experience.

But in industrial production, and even in the modern kitchen, one important ingredient is often left out of bread making - time.

As the experienced bakers from the Real Bread Campaign will tell you, long and slow is far more satisfying than a quick finish.

A long-proved loaf has more time to develop flavour, has a better texture and, in the case of genuine sourdough, might actually have health benefits.

Slow Dough: Real Bread shares with you secrets from the experts on how to make a huge array of slow-rise breads at home - from basic brown, white and rye breads, to impressive loaves such as fig and fennel sourdough or goat's cheese and honey maslin, to a range tea breads, pizza doughs and classic international breads.

You'll learn how to make different starters for different breads, as well as the fundamental processes: fermenting, kneading, proving, and baking.

Treating Real Bread with the respect it deserves, there are also recipes - such as gingery treacle tart, breadcrumb pakoras and panzanella - for using up any that you may have left over, so you don't waste a crumb. In a world of mass-production and unnecessary artificial additives, this book about real craftsmanship is like a breath of fresh air.