Close-up of a sliced piece of artisanal bread with a crispy crust coated in seeds and a light, airy crumb interior.

TARTINE
BREAD

The bread book that traveled the world

Close-up of a crusty, artisanal loaf of tartine bread on a wooden surface.

Once upon a time in San Francisco, Tartine was a mom-and-pop bakery in the Mission with a line around the block. I came up in the pastry kitchen under Liz Prueitt, while Chad Robertson baked bread alone in the back room. In exchange for surf lessons, Chad took me under his wing, and together we built Tartine Bread from an idea. The book launched my career, is now in its 32nd printing in six languages, and helped inspire a generation of bakers — along with every macho crumb shot on Instagram.

Close-up of hands shaping dough on a floured surface.
Baker in white uniform shaping dough in a bakery surrounded by shelves filled with bread baskets and dough.
Cover of the book 'Tartine Bread' showing a close-up of a crusty loaf of artisan bread.
Open book showing a black-and-white photo of hands holding a loaf of bread on the left page, and the title 'TARTINE BREAD' with author and photographer credits on the right page.
Black and white photo of a baker removing bread from an oven and another baker shaping dough at a worktable.
Open cookbook showing black-and-white step-by-step photos and instructions for making basic country bread with natural leaven starter.
Open cookbook showing text instructions for bread making on the left page and four black-and-white photos of hands shaping dough on the right page.
Two surfers walking along a sandy beach towards misty rocky cliffs under a blue sky.
Close-up of five rustic, crusty baguettes lined up in a row on a light surface.
Hands dusted with flour working dough on a wooden board, shaping it with a wooden tool.
Baker with rolled-up sleeves cutting dough on a wooden table with several dough balls ready for baking.
Close-up of a person wearing a white apron and shirt, handling a small object with both hands.
Close-up of several freshly baked rustic sourdough loaves with a wooden bread peel in the background.

The bread book that traveled the world

We wanted to put our readers by the baker's side. Black-and-white process photography was an homage to Jacque Pepin's legendary books LA TECHNIQUE and LA MÉTHODE.

Close-up of a jar containing bubbly sourdough starter with a spoon inside.
Close-up of hands stretching soft, bubbly sourdough bread dough in a bowl.
Close-up of hands kneading dough in a metal mixing bowl.
Hand scraping soft, sticky bread dough from a plastic container onto a wooden surface.
Close-up of tattooed hands scoring dough with a blade on a wooden surface.
Hands dusted with flour folding a piece of bread dough on a wooden surface.
Open book showing black and white photos of hands shaping and stretching bread dough on a wooden surface.
Open cookbook showing step-by-step photos and instructions for baking round artisan bread in a cast iron pot.
Open cookbook showing a fresh fava panzanella salad recipe with photos of the salad and fresh fava beans in pods and bowl.
Open book showing a photo of a surfer riding a wave on the left page and an acknowledgments text on the right page.
Open book showing a black and white photo of hands working with dough on a wooden surface on the left page, and the word 'Index' printed on the right page.
Square focaccia bread topped with shaved cheese and herbs on a wooden surface, with several hands quickly picking up slices.
Close-up of a wooden board with sliced crusty bread, various cheeses including blue cheese, almonds, honeycomb, and sliced peaches.
Close-up of a crusty loaf of artisan bread with a dark, cracked crust and rustic texture.
Man with a man bun adjusting a DSLR camera on a tripod in a kitchen with food and cooking equipment in the background.

Photo sessions began after I finished baking for the day

A cityscape view at sunrise with rooftops in the foreground and a hazy, mountainous background.
Black and white photo of a mixing bowl containing flour and two dough scrapers, one wooden and one white plastic.
Two men sitting on steps, one holding a plate of sliced bread with toppings, engaging in conversation.
Black and white close-up of a person holding a rustic loaf of bread with a knife ready to cut.

The original MACHO crumb shot

Two surfers in wetsuits sitting on sandy dune grass overlooking the ocean under a cloudy sky.

Next cookbook