Customer Reviews

Tartine Bread

5 star:		(66)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Some background: I am an advanced home baker with a couple years of professional baking under my belt, many years ago, so that is the perspective from which I write this review.

What this book is: a compilation of recipes from Tartine Bakery. There are only a few bread recipes, and then a collection of dishes made with those breads.
What it is not: a comprehensive bread baking book, or a book for beginners.

There really are only a few bread recipes in this book. The author goes into lengthy detail about his breads, his philosophy, and how to make them. For those of you who are familiar with Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking's treatise on how to make an omelet (it's about 20 pages long), that is what you will find here, just a lot fewer recipes. Why? Because Tartine specializes in making a few breads and pastries, and this book is about their bakery.

If you are looking for a comprehensive baking book of artisan breads, try Jeffrey Hamelman's "Bread." If you want easy, tasty recipes for most home bakers, take a look at the King Arthur Flour baking books, or Beth Hensperger's excellent "Bread Bible."

So, if you are not into creating and nursing sourdough starters, or you have no interest in reading through 20 pages of instructions to teach you how to make an artisan loaf of Tartine bread, this is not the book for you. There are plenty of other wonderful books on the market for that.

I would recommend this book for intermediate or advanced home bakers, or for professionals who are really looking to expand their bread baking repertoire.

The book does have some of the most detailed photos on folding and shaping loaves that I've seen, but the "artsy" quality of those photos is really irritating - I don't want to see special shadowing, I just want a clear picture of a technique.

I started baking bread using a bread maker a few years ago and decided to revisit bread baking again earlier this year. The recipes I have been made thus far have used commercial yeast and have turned out fairly well. Since I started baking my own bread again, I have not needed to buy a loaf of bread at the store.

Initially when I read about Tartine's country loaf, I was reluctant to pay $7 for a loaf of bread. However, my curiosity got the best of me and I decided to call in and reserve half a loaf for $4. After trying the bread, I could see what all the fuss was about. It was the best bread I have ever tasted (granted that I have never been to Europe). After searching online, I discovered that Chad Roberston, one of the owner of Tartine, was going to release a Tartine Bread book later in the year. I proceeded to pre order the book.

After receiving the book, I made my own starter following the directions and attempted to use it about a week later. Unfortunately, the first try did not turn out so well because my starter was not mature enough. I continued to feed it the next week and tried making the bread again. This time it came out a lot better. I probably made the basic country loaf about 5 times now and my results are becoming more consistent as I learn how to balance time and temperature. As another reviewer mentioned, there is a lot of flexibility when making this bread. I mix my leaven in the morning, mix the dough that evening, let it rise overnight, divide and shape the next morning, do the final rise under refrigeration, and bake when I get home from work on the second day. This seems to work well with my schedule.

I would recommend this book for the bread baker that is looking to take their bread to the next level. At first, the thought of making my own starter was daunting. But the author's detailed description of every aspect of the bread making process is very enlightening and helpful and takes a lot of the guesswork out.

One more thing, I have kept this bread a week after baking it and after toasting or baking it, it still tastes good. The yeasted breads I have made in the past lose a lot of their flavor and texture after only 2-3 days.

I live in San Francisco, an avid home baker, and Tartine and I go way back. When they first opened their shop on 18th and Guerrero, I lived a half-block away, and would sneak over for a croissant, morning bun, or some bread pudding early in the morning. Since those days, Tartine (along with the other shops on 18th St.) has become a big attraction for food tourists visiting the Mission, but continues to have a strong and devoted local following. These guys believe in what they are doing, and the quality of their breads and pastries far surpasses anyone in SF. You haven't really experienced bread until you've popped in at 5pm to grab a steaming country loaf and squatted on a stoop outside to tear into it. I can never get more than 10 yards away from the shop before pinching off a bit to taste. When my wife bought me a copy of this book, I was ecstatic. Here is a story of a man who is dedicated to bread, telling you how he arrived at his perfect loaf, and then how you might make your own perfect loaf. Rather than providing exhaustive formulas, you are required to smell, touch, look at your dough, and adjust for variations. Living in SF, where the weather will change in an instant, you have to be able to improvise as a baker, and this book shows you how to do that. If you don't have time in your life to become a devoted bread lover, cultivating a natural yeast culture, this book might not be for you, but maybe it would change your mind. The bread really is that good.

I'm very grateful to Chad Robertson and Eric Wolfinger for reaching deep to convey the secrets of making incredible bread. The book is remarkable in that it is both textually and visually composed to provide the home baker with extremely helpful and informative step-by-step guidance. Moreover, Chef Robertson has done an extraordinary job of describing the aromas, textures and moistness that signal readiness for each stage of the process. Armed with this information, the home baker can confidently identify these key points of transition to ensure success. He also offers advice on how to correct problems, while sharing imaginative techniques to work around the limits of the home kitchen. This is book that can take your bread making to a level almost unattainable to home bakers.

That being said, prepare to commit to baking bread for an extended period to gain the knowledge that can only come from experience. Fortunately, your freinds and family will be supportive because they benefit. Once you start, you begin to appreciate how carefully this book is composed. You'll find nuggets of guidance in the text and - all of a sudden - one photo makes the difference between failure and an AHA! moment.

You will need to plan ahead. Bread for dinner tomorrow requires preparation today. That takes some practice to anticipate. You'll also want to invest in some tools: a digital scale, silicone mat, bench knife, flexible scrapper, muslin towels, instant-read thermometer, and large bowls. These items are not expensive, but make a world of difference.

Lastly, FWIW - the best way to clean up a dry flour mess is your bench knife. If you use a damp towel or sponge, you'll make glue. And before you wash out that goopy bowl, use your scrapper to clean it and dump the mess in your garbage or compost. Plumbers love bakers for a reason.

this book is about making possibly the best bread in the world in your own home. How dare people write a review without themselves attempting to make the bread described in this book?

This is the book. This is what I've been missing. I have made Jim Leahey's no knead bread ever since Mark Bittman published it in the New York Times. Good bread, very good. But after a few years, I'm not enthused about it anymore, its lacking something.
I tried sourdough... I purchased Ed Wood's " Classic Sourdoughs", good work on sourdoughs but not helpful for my bread making. I tried two different starters, tried bread, tried pizza. It didn't work for me. What Ed Wood lacks in his book is the intricacies, the small details, the tricks that are essential to making that perfect french loaf.
Yes this book is about making that perfect french loaf of bread. For whatever reason, the French make the best bread in Earth. The author of this book "Tartine bread" apprenticed with French artisan bakers. Chad Robertson shares his tricks that he has picked up from fifteen years of artisan bread making. Apparently, he makes good bread, his bakery in San Francisco sells out his daily production within one hour of hitting the shelves.

Anyways, about the bread, about MY BREAD.
I made the bread yesterday, actually I've been in the process of making it for four days.
I had an Ed Wood's starter that had been stashed away in the back of my fridge for over a year.
It took me three days to reactivate it, with repeated feedings finally got the batch to double in volume two nights ago, so had my starter ready to go (which is cheating because the author describes how to make your own starter from scratch in 3-5 days).
On the first day I made an active leaven, then in the evening added this to flour and water and salt to make the dough. I let the dough rise overnight, then prepped it the next day and baked it in the afternoon. Bakes just like no knead bread.
The results? Well, it looks pretty much like no knead bread, but when I cut into it, it has a sour smell, but when I taste it, the sour taste is there but not sharp and not unpleasant. The crumb is fantastic and the texture, when you bite into it fresh, is unbelievable. The bread is now a day old, and looks and tastes great, it definitely has more character then no knead bread.
My bread is not perfect (who do you know that does things perfectly on the first go?). My dough was a little flat, lacks oven spring. My slashes didn't expand during bake. My dough was tough, lacked extension, when I folded it for final shaping. But I am pretty happy with this new methodology. A lot more involved than no knead bread, but achievable for anyone with the motivation to make a great loaf of bread.
If you want to take your no knead bread to the next level this is the book.
thanks Chad

The first half of the book describes his unique technique for excellent breads. It's not the bread bible with every possible bread listed. It's better. It's an in-depth account of how to make this great bread. If you want a quick zucchini bread, this isn't it. If you want a great bread, and really learn about bread-making, you lucked out.
The second half of the book includes recipes using bread, making the book practical for anyone, breadmaker or not. Tartine Bakery has an incredible aesthetic and this book shows it off well.
I'm pretty excited about this book and would compare it to Judy Rodger's seminal Zuni Cafe cookbook. It's the difference between EZ fun recipes and actually learning cooking techniques from real pros.

This book is a labor of love. It's a quest for perfection, for the mastering of a craft. It could be about archery, motorcycle maintenance or watchmaking. It's about bread, and it's everything I was looking for. Thanks a lot, gentlemen.

I love Tartine, the bakery. Who doesn't?! And I can see why so many other reviewers love this book. Chad Robertson's passion for bread is obvious. If you're looking for inspirationj and a pleasant read, this book is for you. But if you are looking for thoughtful recipes for beautiful breads - if your goal is to produce great bread at home - I am afraid this book falls short. The book's format, and the author's style, make it very imprecise and harder to follow. For example, there are dozens and dozens of photos, but none have captions or numbers, and it's often difficult to know which pictures illustrate which steps. Don't get me wrong, the photos are attractive, but they're not helpful if you are hoping to see and repeat his techniques. Recipes are presented in a chatty style that may be pleasant to read, but which tend to be cumbersome and imprecise if your goal is to actually produce good bread yourself. (That's particularly true of the 24-page recipe for basic country bread, and while it was interesting to read, it's not practical as a precise, useful recipe.) Also, there seem to be more recipes for things to make with bread, and fewer actual recipes for the breads themselves. And there are typos. I know this chef is an amazing bread baker, and I eat his spectacular bread whenever I can, but his skills are in the kitchen, and not necessarily in writing books.

Though I have baked my own bread for many years and had often read about creating a starter to make sourdough bread, I had never tried it - the closest I have come is using a poolish. I used this book for my first foray into wild yeast bread and, though the process was quite involved (though not difficult, or even very time consuming - just protracted), it was a terrific success, I was VERY happy with the final result.

Prior to purchasing the book, I was not aware of the fact that the baking technique featured used a Dutch oven and this probably would have made me decide against buying it. Admittedly, I was a little disappointed when I discovered this on my read through when it arrived. Luckily my husband had one in his camping gear! The resulting Basic Country Bread was fantastic.

I am now on my second round of the Basic Country Bread; adapting the timing in order for us to have the bread fresh for lunch rather than the evening meal.

Next weekend I am planning to have a go at the Baguettes/English Muffins, neither of which use the Dutch oven so I am excited to see the results.

I am very happy with my purchase.

Chad Robertson's book is a detailed walkthrough of the artisan bread-making method. I've been to pastry and baking school and can assure you that we used many of the same methods. What sets this book apart is his focus on testing all of these recipes with the home baker. Even the bread on the cover was produced by a home tester. I inherited a starter so I used it to make the french country loaves and achieved amazing results. The crumb was beautiful and the crust came out crispy thanks to his dutch oven steam method for home bakers. This will be my new go-to book when I'm baking bread.