Review- Tartine Bread by Chad Robertson

Tartine Bread — by Chad Robertson (Author), Eric Wolfinger (Photographer) Chronicle Books (2010)

There is a time that all bakers reach when you want to up your game. It’s that time when your loaves are eaten by friends and family, and you are not throwing away loaves that are below par. It is the time when you eat your own bread and say to yourself, “This could be better.”

I have sampled my own loaves and tasted the flavor, felt the texture, density, crumb and desired more. Looking at pictures of bread online, seeing bread in the bakery’s and eating bread in restaurants I sometimes notice a subtle difference in height, weight, texture, and density. I will see my own work and have a hunger for a better product. I don’t normally just look at cookbooks for guidance. I read cooking magazines, watch YouTube videos and listen to podcasts discussing bread baking. I observe any mention of technique as to clues in what I can do better.

Working in the Bay Area, and specifically working in San Francisco, I have been to Tartine Bakery and have eaten its products. The baked goods from Tartine in a word are exceptional. They are not the only Bakery in town, but they are considered one of the best and the reputation is deserved. Once I was at work and someone came in with a box of baked good from Tartine. I wasn’t particularly hungry at…