every book in the current artisanal breadmaking wave: omg sourdough is truly the pinnacle of bread u gotta get that starter going and get to making that sour sour bread it’ll even taste different depending on where u are so u know ur making a True Local Product
James Beard:
Despite my own feeling that sourdough bread is much overrated and is difficult to perfect at home, I am including one recipe in this collection because interest in the subject is so tremendous. ... I have found, for example, that the starter can react differently in the same region. In New York City I never had the success with it that I had in Connecticut or Long Island or Massachusetts. I have even found variations in its performance from one neighborhood of New York to another. Certainly it is just as unpredictable as Salt-Rising Bread, and I am not sure it is worth the trouble. I would much rather have you spend your time producing the Buttermilk White Bread or some of the rye breads. But for those who like a challenge, here it is...
(quote is from Beard on Bread, Alfred Knopf (2017), p 70















