Alaska Sourdough

This is not like most sourdough baking cookbooks I have seen. It is a cultural introduction to specifically Alaska sourdough cooking, as the title suggests. It is also an old book, originally published in the 70's, so do not hold this book to modern standards.There is a a large cultural intro at the beginning, a very brief explanation of how to build a starter, and then many pages are spent teaching you the basic hotcake and it's variations. After that you will get only half a dozen bread loaf recipes, plus a few muffin options. The rest of the book is dedicated to many desserts and a few breakfast ideas, interspersed with more small stories. There is a least half a dozen variations on Baked Alaska.The entire book is handwritten (not typed with hand writing lookalike font). There are no photos. Explanations are short and sometimes vague, much like you expect from older cookbooks (early 1900's) or your grandma's recipe cards. For the experienced cook (don't need to be experienced with sourdough), it should still be understandable, though.The recipe for starter is unlike any I have used before. It utilized fresh mashed potatoes diluted with water, then mixed with sugar and flour. And the amounts are by no means exact. I was not sure what to expect. Potatoes ferment quickly, but I have never used a starter that had anything besides flour and water for fear of spoilage. Usually I don't even see a single bubble for a few days. This starter was noticably bubbly and close to double on the second day. I haven't had any spoilage or off smells with my starter so far.But if you are looking for a detailed, step-by-step instructions book, this one is not for you. If you want artisan breads of all variety, this is not for you. Alaskans were simple folks by necessity. The ingredients are simple, but the food IS good.

After having a chance to read through the book I am not sure I would have bothered purchasing it in a store. The "sourdough lore" is very interesting but in order to make the book seem more "authentically old" the author has hand-written each and every page. That's right, the only thing typed in this book is the copyright info. Her handwriting is more or less legible but it's much more difficult to read at a glance and the frequent misspellings bother me. The instructions also assume that you already know how to do a lot of things. For example, on the recipe for doughnuts it says to mix the ingredients, allow to rise, and the deep fry the cut doughnuts. I have to cut doughnuts? Is there anything I do to them first? I don't know, because none of that is included in the recipe. Also, there is no master index.Finally, all the recipes I have gone through are scaled to make massive portions. There is no eating for two out of this cookbook and you can't cut them down because they call for an odd number of eggs. Example - the pancake recipe will make about 15-20 medium sized pancakes (and calls for two cups of sourdough starter - not workable for people who don't have huge batches of starter) yet calls for only 1 egg.UPDATE: After working with this cookbook more, I wish I could have given it a lower review. It's not really a cookbook as there are probably only about 5 unique recipes. Everything else is a VARIATION that she calls a new recipe. And some of her suggestions are just plain gross. Corned beef and Worcestershire pancakes? Cottage cheese and smoked fish pancake roll ups? Ick! There are about 10,000 things she recommends doing with waffles but these are not unique recipes - these are tips, hints, and VARIATIONS. Cover waffles with ice cream, meringue, pancakes, ham, make them a sandwich, cook them with curry and dip them in fish paste. YUCKO!

Frankly, "Alaska Sourdough" will not suit everyone's tastes. Don't get me wrong, "Alaska Sourdough" is as much interesting from an historical standpoint as it is for the unique recipes derived from "on the trail" sourdoughs who purportedly derived these concoctions over many, many years of preserving their stock of sourdough. One gets the feeling that sourdough was the lifeblood--the sustaining force--that kept many of Alaska's intrepid miners and inevitable shysters alive when all other earthly endeavors and pleasures had evaporated.The unique uses for sourdough (makes a wonderful glue, did you know?) keeps the book moving forward, and the recipes can be a bit bizarre, especially the numerous uses of mixing clams in pancake and muffin recipes. If you're looking for more practical recipes, Ruth Allman includes those as well in what appears to be a handwritten book, simulating the feel of recipes jotted down on note cards or loose pieces of paper. The section on waffles and pancakes I found to be very useful; however, the section on creating basic sourdough bread seemed to be laborious compared to the many no-knead methods other sourdough experts espouse. A good sourdough starter is its own leavening agent, creating a dough that will rise on its own. Allman's recipes frequently encourage the use of baking soda, baking powder, and even commercial yeast to speed up the respective recipe processes. This concept might not set too well with traditional sourdough bakers."Alaska Sourdough" does not take too long to peruse. After doing so, I did a little research on Ruth Allman and her husband and found their influence to be substantial in the Juneau, Alaska community in the early 20th Century. I would encourage anyone who found the historical aspect of "Alaska Sourdough" to be compelling to look into the House of Wickersham and Ruth Allman's interesting involvement in its development and perpetuation.

Good

Printed as a handwritten text and just fun to read. Contains a good variety of tips and recipes.

Very sweet and interesting book. Some of the recipes have quite strange directions, but this truly feels like an authentic, self-published book with interesting insights into the culture of those who settled Alaska.

This book is great. A little history, a lot of great sourdough recipes and advice! I gave my book away and ordered a second one because I didn't want to be without it. If you want to learn how to start sourdough by boiling a potato, and how to use it for....seriously....everything.....this is the book to buy!

MI aspettavo quello che mi e' arrivato:un buon libro prodigo di ricette sfiziose e robuste , talmente provate che fanno parte dell'alimentazione di una nazione : l'Alaska. Mi piace lo stile informale da ricettario di casa che mescola la ricetta con le chiacchiere che le stanno intorno (storia , ricordi legati a persone , ambienti). Ma mi piace soprattutto il fatto che oggi come oggi la diffusione dello sourdough starter sembra essere patrimonio di sopraffini appassionati dell'arte panificatoria mentre le origini dell' Alaska sourdough vengono dall' ingegnosita' di umili cercatori d'oro e minatori che avevano la necessita' ogni giorno di togliersi la fame . Mi piace il cibo creato per soddisfare la fame ed il palato; e' un cibo che si fa mangiare, non che ci mangia . Ops...ovviamente solo per chi "mastica" l'inglese.