Also, if I'm not mistaken, the book does mention the importance of pre-planning and even how their colleague has created a lovely timechart for that purpose, as the dough will need attention at pretty strict times. BUT nowhere does it hand out instructions on how exactly to adapt the bread-making timeframe to your life (that exact chart would've been super helpful), and how much time to set aside for each step to understand when you should start the process to have fresh bread by time X - let's say, Saturday morning (I now know I have to feed the starter at 8am on Friday and make sure I set aside the whole Friday evening starting from 5-6pm for that purpose). I had to deduce that all by myself and fail hard the first few times, as for example my first loaves got ready for baking around 3am, so by the time I actually got to baking them, they turned into a deflated mess. There are a few reasons this book is so well regarded among home bread bakers. First, it's a gorgeous book. Second, it's not a recipe book or even a "cookbook." It has one master sourdough bread recipe, which can be adapted to create different types of loaves. It reads like an actual book and includes anecdotes, stories and gorgeous photos as well as a great section on test home bakers' thoughts and comments on how they made the base Tartine country bread recipe their own. Third, the Tartine method is simply fantastic.

Robertson's method explains everything. The photographs are beautfully artisitcic and instructive. And, wonderfully, it costs the baker way less muscle work to make sourdough breads. When your sourdough rises into a fluffy bilious mass of very soft dough, instead of kneading by pushing it away from with the heel of your hand, you delicately and deftly run your hand underneath the dough, grab it with your fingers and then pull upwards ever so gently, trying not to pop any bubbles appearing under the surface. Now, fold the dough, laying it delicately over the top. Voila! This sourdough will rise for you.

Chad Robertson

The bread at San Francisco's legendary Tartine Bakery sells out within an hour almost every day. At 5 P.M., these rugged, magnificent loaves are drawn from the oven. The first cut yields steam and room-filling aroma, exposing an open and tender interior underneath the burnished, substantial crust. This distinctive bread was developed by renowned baker Chad Robertson over a decade of working with one of the finest artisan bakers in the United States and France, followed by another decade baking solo in a small wood-fired oven on the coast of Northern California. The following for this singular bread far exceeds the bakery's limited daily production. Tartine Bakery opened in 2002, and in the intervening 17 years, it has become an anchor for the neighbourhood, a defining institution for the city of San Francisco, and a beacon of taste and flavour for people the whole country over.” An utterly fresh, inspiring, and invaluable cookbook: Every once in a while, a cookbook comes along that instantly says "classic." This is one of them. Acclaimed pastry chef Elisabeth Prueitt and master baker Chad Robertson share their secrets, fabulous recipes, and expertise to create a truly priceless collection of culinary delights. Whisk the eggs with an electric whisk for about 6 minutes adding the muscovado a little at a time. The eggs should triple in size. Stir in the chocolate mixture, then the flour until just combined. Pastry chef Elisabeth Prueitt's work has appeared in numerous magazines, including Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, and Travel & Leisure, and she has appeared on the television program Martha Stewart Living.

Cover two large baking sheets with parchment. Place small tablespoons of the mixture spaced two inches apart. Top each with a sprinkle of salt flakes. Bread making the Tartine Now it's your turn to make this bread with your own hands. Clear instructions and hundreds of step-by-step photos put you by Chad's side as he shows you how to make exceptional and elemental bread using just flour, water, and salt. This revised edition of the beloved baking bible is basically a brand new book, with 55 updated recipes you may already know and love (but better), plus 68 totally new ones, including gluten-free options and the sought-after recipe for the bakery's lauded morning bun. As you can tell, the photographs are stunning too." --Chowhound You will mostly find recipes that suit beginner’s levels, but in some cases, this book also works with advanced methods and techniques you’ll have to practice a bit before mastering them to your satisfaction – especially if you are a perfectionist. And make sure to pay attention to the kitchen notes and lessons-learned (such as On Grains) they add to each recipe and in between chapters. Since we cannot learn until we admit what we don’t know/are not able to do, this book poses a great opportunity to everybody, who enjoys a challenge in the kitchen. Tartine Bread is a brilliant book, which gives the reader tons of relevant information, such as how to tweak the taste of the bread you bake, from mild to fully sour (I prefer mild), or the differences between flours and how they react. I followed his Basic Sourdough loaf recipe and I must admit it worked better than the one I had done previously, and has become my ‘go to’ one. Once you’re ok with this, you can then go on to more challenging variants, which I shall be trying.It reflects on new dietary restrictions such as the increasing occurrence of gluten intolerance and diet-related diseases such as diabetes and aims for a rich bud conscious combination of ingredients. The sauces common ingredients are Armagh apples, spices and a generous measure of Local Bushmills Irish Whiskey. If you want to understand the whole chemistry, the ins-and-outs of sourdough bread-baking from Tartine's perspective and with its history weaved in, then it's a beautiful, lengthy, well-illustrated read for that purpose. The night before you want to make the muffins (about 8 hours ahead of baking), mix the poolish. Mix the flour, cold water, and yeast in a bowl by hand until well combined. Cover with a clean, damp towel and let rise in a cool spot overnight. In the morning it should have doubled in size and be very bubbly. If you’re not going to use it right away, keep it in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 6 hours. The seeds from one vanilla pod (save the empty pod and add to your sugar bowl for vanilla flavoured sugar).

I was irritated by some of the general statements that are given in some individual recipes such as “in country x, y and z, THIS AND THAT cake is the most popular” and I just went uhhh, no, it actually isn’t? I have read quite a few books on baking bread, especially French style and sourdough, and put many of them into practice. Many of the authors (not this one) succeed somehow by trial and error without apparently having much grasp of the subject. A dead give away, for starters, is any sourdough recipe that finds the need to add dried yeast and/or sugar, only necessary to cover the cook's incompetence and inability to do the job properly. Discard these recipes immediately. Chad's recipes seems to encapsulate, in one book, all the good tips I learned from other recipes, and none of those I had personally discarded in my search for the perfect recipe. I have never been to this bakery myself – albeit I’ve heard of it from an SF-based friend of mine I met in Dublin – but I can guarantee you: if you’re fan of Tartine, you’ll probably never want to leave your kitchen again except for seeking the original. Really good bakeries don't only sell incredible bread and pie but also hold small workshops. My dad, for instance, used to opened up our garden which sat right next to the window of our fantastic little bakery, invited interested folks to learn about different seeds and flours and their origin and methods of processing. This book, its layout, the pictures, the recipes and the atmosphere it offers its readers practically scream “village bakery-quality from loving hands”. I just can’t get over how beautifully rustic this book and its content is. The recipe are saliva-inducing masterpieces that are not always meant for inexperienced hands, I have to admit that. I’m seriously considering getting the hardcopy of this one.Tartine Bakery opened in 2002, and in the intervening years, it has become an anchor for the neighborhood, a defining institution for the city of San Francisco, and a beacon of taste and flavor for people the whole country over. In short, Tartine is about as authentic--and indispensable--as a bakery can get. No wonder people are still lining up." --Alice Waters, American chef and owner of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California from the foreword This book is brilliant! it has so many mouth watering recipes and gorgeous photos in here that it was difficult deciding what to bake first! , i opted for the Savoury scones that have bacon and cheese in them, and they went down a treat with my family! so delicious and very easy to make, with such a great recipe to follow. All that said, NONE of that applies to Tartine's original book. It really hasn't aged (it's not that old, either!). It was (and still is) a high-level cookbook that appeals on all levels. It is probably meant for people who are already good bakers, but it's written and styled in such a way that the rest of us can't help but want to give it a try. Anyway, I wondered why they would need a re-issue. I find it useful to know the time it takes to make a recipe, preferably divided into preparing/resting/baking