The Sourdough School: Sweet Baking

The benefits of sourdough are well known – the slow fermentation process creates a healthier and lighter dough that is easier to digest – but until now they have been mainly linked to bread. If it rises, however, it can be made with sourdough, and in this ground-breaking new book, Vanessa Kimbell focuses on sweet sourdough bakes that not only nourish the gut but also improve your mood.

Using a variety of flours, including chestnut, spelt and einkorn, as well as blends you can make up yourself, the classic recipes and new ideas for flavour combinations cover everything from cakes, tarts and biscuits, to doughnuts, brioche and pretzels, and rely on natural sweetness wherever possible.

Recipes include Morello Cherry Shortbread, Chocolate, Tangerine & Pistachio Cakes, Carrot & Walnut Cake, Doughnuts and Mille-feuille as well as vinegars, compotes, cultured creams, butters and ghee. There is even Chocolate, Almond & Hazelnut Spread and Sourdough Vanilla Ice Cream.

Vanessa also explains how sourdough helps to maintain the health and diversity of your gut microbiome. From understanding the benefits of having diversity in your diet to the amazing work of enzymes, this book is about understanding the connection between our food, gut microbiome and the potential impact on our mental health. New studies are unveiling links between the microorganisms in our gut and our mood and behaviour, and Vanessa is at the forefront of this research.

‘Britain’s queen of sourdough.’ – Telegraph

‘Vanessa Kimbell wants to change the bread we eat, one loaf at a time. She’s the real deal: a total inspiration.’ – Diana Henry

‘Just five years ago if someone said to you that they were writing a book about sourdough bread and mental health you would have thought they needed psychiatric help. Today nobody is laughing as the latest science tells us that microbes are the key link between food and the health of our mind and bodies.’ – Tim Spector, author of The Diet Myth

Vanessa Kimbell is a fourth generation baker and chef, she founded and teaches at The Sourdough School in Northamptonshire and is a regular contributor to the Food Programme on BBC Radio 4