Sourdough Bread: A Beginner's Guide - The Clever Carrot
It's made with 5 simple ingredients: bread flour, active sourdough starter, water, salt and olive oil (which makes the interior crumb incredibly ...
professional culinary background,
Now, with over 13 years of sourdough bread experience paired with my <anchor>professional culinary background,</anchor> I can wholeheartedly say: I understand this craft from the ground up. I understand the fear, the hesitation, the procrastination, the excitement, the curiosity and teaching others from a practical, no-nonsense approach is my specialty.
About - The Clever Carrot
#### Sourdough tips, videos & recipes

Sourdough tips, videos & recipes

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# About

Emilie Raffa |theclevercarrot.com

### About Emilie

Classically trained at the ICC, Emilie’s enthusiasm and no-nonsense approach to cooking and baking sourdough bread has inspired people all over the world. Her blog reaches millions of viewers each month, with features in Oprah, The Washington Post, Saveur, Food & Wine and more. Emilie and her husband also own Sfoglia, a boutique, seasonal Italian restaurant in NYC.

When she’s not talking (or thinking) about food, you can find her gardening, parenting, and planning her next trip around the world!

### About The Blog

### What You’ll Learn

Sourdough| theclevercarrot.com

### Emilie’s Story

In 2006, I walked out of my miserable corporate job and into the magical world of cooking.

I graduated from the International Culinary Center with my Classic Culinary Arts Degree and went on to work in a variety of creative fields: private chef, line cook, recipe developer, food stylist and behind the scenes on cooking shows. For the first time in a long time, I finally felt like I was with “my people.”

Curious about writing and photography, I started The Clever Carrot in 2012. My blog focused on healthy comfort food and balanced living. However, my world changed overnight when a packet of dried sourdough starter showed up on my doorstep… all the way from Sydney, Australia!

Sydney BridgeEmilie and Celia

### A Bread Baker Is Born

Celia and I “met” through our blogs and became instant, virtual friends (kindred spirits, really).

She graciously dried out a portion of her starter, named Priscilla, and popped it into the mail. Little did I know that this unassuming packet of white flakes would magically jumpstart my sourdough journey.

Now, I had dabbled in bread baking before. But sourdough was completely different.

I became utterly obsessed with baking the natural way (no rapid rise yeast) and was fulfilled on a level that was deeply connected to something way bigger than me. Through Priscilla, which Celia has graciously shared with hundreds, if not thousands of people all over the world, I became part of an international family tree of bakers!

PS: the picture above is Celia and I meeting for the first time in 2018. We were standing on the steps of the Sydney Opera House.

Sourdough Bread | theclevercarrot.com

### Sourdough For Beginners

I felt compelled to share everything I knew from a beginner’s perspective because at the time, a comprehensive online guide did not exist.

IT WENT VIRAL.

I accidentally tapped into a market of beginner bakers, who just like me, needed someone to explain the sourdough process in plain English.

To this day, my beginner’s guide is THE MOST popular post on my blog.

Here’s a short video trailer of the cookbook you might like (don’t mind my weird face here…)!

### Come for the Bread. Stay for the Food…

As my passion for sourdough grew, so did my audience.

Today, millions of people visit this site in search of baking simple, yet delicious sourdough bread.

In addition to sourdough bread, I create simple, seasonal recipes including, sweet treats, muffins, tarts, soups, salads, lite bites, dinner ideas, and more!

There’s a little something for everyone, so come hungry OK?

Apple Tart

### Press & Cookbooks

My work has been featured in Oprah Magazine, Redbook Magazine, Clean Eating, Women’s Health Magazine, The Huffington Post, Food 52, Saveur, Food & Wine, Today Food, and in the pages of Artful Blogging Magazine.

I was a finalist for ‘Best Food Photography’ in the Saveur Blog Awards and contribute to the digital cooking publication, feedfeed.

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### Meet Emilie



Hi! I’m Emilie, author of the best selling book: Artisan Sourdough Made Simple. I’m a bread baker, pasta maker, and head over heels for old world Italian recipes. Let’s cook together! More here: about Emilie.

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