Tartine Bread

Tartine Bread is the 'Zen of Bread Making'. Chad Robertson's Tartine Bread introduces you to a bread-making system (the 'Tartine Method') with a strong emphasis on sensory feedback and adaptation. Robertson is less prescriptive than Ken Forkish, in his Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast book --which is also an excellent bread book. Chad Robertson's "overly ripe fruity smell" test for leaven is the kind of intuitive and sensory guidance he gives the reader. Robertson will tell you to use 'warm water'; Forkish will specify the temperature (to the degree). I find the Tartine Method and Robertson's instruction both intuitive and enduring (beyond the recipe), a bit metaphysical and philosophical, and Zen-like in its ambiguity and continual learning. I understand why other commenters have suggested Tartine Bread might be less appropriate for 'beginners', since experience certainly does help one feel and understand what Robertson is asking for as he guides you through the steps of artisan bread making. Through repetition, I now achieve pretty consistent success. I have had some lesser variants, esp. early on, which I have learned from. I was glad I worked through Ken Forkish's book first, since he is more 'programatic' in his approach, and the program works. But I was delighted to discover Tartine Bread afterward. Tartine Bread felt like a master class in the Zen of bread making, with Robertson as the Zen master. I really enjoy Robertson's style of writing and bread making, but it isn't for everyone. And don't expect the very same success every time. With natural leaven and variably temperatures and humidity, consistency is hard to accomplish. However, repetition builds your intuition and increases consistency of outcome, in spite of the variable conditions. The Zen of Roberton's Tartine Method is in repetition of that core Country Loaf over and over until almost meditatively acquiring knowledge and experience you master and the process and it becomes instinctive. For me, the Country Loaf is almost like a mantra, a ritual. Mastering the basic loaf, you can then experiment. Robertson offers a few variations in the book: olive, sesame, walnut, etc. The new ingredients transform the bread. The core bread becomes orchestra, with a bright new soloist playing a concerto. Other variants are up to the practitioner. There are other great breads besides the the core Country Loaf, but the Country Loaf is where you will build your skill and master Robertson's Tartine Method. Robertson's olive variant to the Country Loaf is the 'best' olive bread I have ever tasted. Since bread making is a creative, adaptive, learning experience, and Tartine Bread is written in that spirit, it is not surprising that bread baking and surfing are Chad Robertson's twin passions. Much as there is no Rx for how bake great bread, there is no formula for how surf. There are some basics and lots of acquired wisdom in surfing and bread-making, however, in both you have to feel the moment and everything around you, adapt (sometimes rescuing success from near-failure), and above all enjoy the journey ...wherever it takes you. Each batch of Tartine bread I bake is a little different; a little softer, more aerated, stiffer,... As Robertson says, you sense (and measure when you can) what is going on and adjust. When feeding the leaven, Robertson says use equal parts flour and water, but he adds don't be too concerned about the exact proportions, the leaven should "look like a thick batter." That kind of description is very helpful. Adjustments like that are what bread making is about, esp. at home, where we do not generally control systematically for temperature and humidity as a professional bakery does. A caution to bread-bakers: Robertson's leavened breads will take the day to make. The 'hands on' time is relatively small, but there are many steps requiring continuous intervention and observation. You really need to be home or near home to make this bread, esp. during the 3 hr bulk rise. Robertson starts first thing in the morning with starter fed the night before (so it is still 'young', sweet and milky), and the bread is ready by dinner time. During that time, there is mixing, folding, resting and rising, proofing and of course baking itself (which is quick, just 40 min). If you want the great product in the end, it takes time and patience --and some adaptation and intuition as conditions and outcomes change. And you will need a 4-5 quart dutch oven to make Robertson's artisan loaves, at least one (@~$50) if you don't already have one. The Robertson no-kneed bread will just not work without that. I would suggest that advancing bread-makers get both Tartine Bread and Flour Water Salt Yeast: The Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza. I would start with Forkish, gain some experience and confidence, graduate to Robertson, and continue to experiment using both books. If you are just starting out, it is hard to beat Peter Reinhardt's The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread. The photos are great and he walks you things step by step, commenting all the way. I learned basic bread making from that book, a kind of Bread Making 101, but I grew out of it more quickly than I thought. Robertson's 'Tartine Method' is more enduring, since it is built around learning a core practice and all the knowledge that goes with it (a bit Zen enlightenment) that goes beyond the recipes. Reinhart is all about following the recipes. Robertson is more about developing your knowledge, intuition, and skill by mastering a core practice. If you need more recipes, I recommend Jeffrey Hamelman's book Bread: A Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes. These are not wet dutch oven breads like Robertson and Forkish, but they are nice alternatives, well-tested and reliable.

Fantastic book, especially to continue to advance in sourdough bread making.