Food book: how to make no-knead bread with natural starters

By Sangjin Ko

Most of the bread recipe books on my crowded shelves are written by European or American chefs, so it's refreshing to find one with an Asian perspective.

In the introduction of his book Jayeon Bread, South Korean Sangjin Ko writes that his interest in naturally fermented bread started when he was nine years old: "I was intrigued the microorganisms could make dough rise … As a middle-school student, I used my pocket money to set up my own home laboratory to study bread more scientifically. I collated the findings from my research and shared the little knowledge I had with chefs in various bakeries. I also participated in national science competitions and began to share my research on a national level … my first book … [published when] I was still an undergraduate … has been credited as the first natural bread baking book in South Korea."

He continues, "With the recipes in this book, you will learn how to make healthy and delicious bread at home without the need to knead the dough … All you need is a mixing bowl and spoon."

His chapters on making natural starters are fascinating. Most baking books give one or two recipes for liquid starters; Ko gives six, including ones based on raisins, strawberries, apple and tapai pulut, a Malaysian and Indonesian fermented product that has glutinous rice as its base.