February 1, 2021 - 1:29pm
Famous Bread, Disappoints!
Hi All,
Earlier this year I traveled to San Francisco and visited Tartine Bakery. I tried a few pastries and their country loaf. I give them a great review on the pastries, but the country loaf was disappointing. I had much better sourdough in Oregon.
Has anyone else had Tartine bread? Did you find it was worth the hype?
To me it was kind of burnt tasting that overwhelmed the sourdough flavor.
Thank you for reading!
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I had some pastries, as bread is made to order, and went on the spur of the moment. Agreed the pastries were very nice but can't comment on the bread. I do happen to like a Tartine Country loaf but that's when I make it. While Chad likes to have a sweeter levain I prefer a more apparent tang (in certain loaves, there's a time and place for everything, and more lactic than acetic acid) so use his recipe as a guide only and work towards a flavour profile I like. So it's less Chad more Abe. At the end of the day taste should be objective not subjective and it's what you like!
Im sorry you didn't get to taste the bread. How long ago did you visit Tartine? I went last year and their breads did seem made to order then, perhaps they changed it due to covid.
My wife and I went to the original Tartine and had some delicious food, including a pastry, and then we walked over to the Tartine Manufactory, which is where all of the bread is now produced. While there we had some of the Country bread and really liked it.
The visit was part of a couple of days in San Francisco where we went to several bakeries. Here is a link to my blog post (https://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/59969/visit-san-francisco) in case you are interested.
Thank you! Your post was a good read. A friend suggested to visit Acme, but we didn't have time to.
I've eaten there twice. I considered it a pilgrimage the first time even! I absolutely loved everything I tried there. The big thing I was going for though was to see if my Tartine Countrybread loaf tasted the same as theirs. Even though I often don't get the ovenspring and ears that I like the texture, crumb structure, and most importantly the flavor were all exactly the same. Depending on if that's the flavor profile you are going for I can see not liking it. It's not as tart as other sourdough breads and the crumb structure can be too open for some people. All that said, I don't understand people waiting in long lines to get stuff there. It was good but it's not *that* good. I just kept waiting until the line was reasonable.
Did you find the sourdough was worth the hype? Did you try other sourdoughs in San Fran?
Exactly the same impression here, too: bland loaf with a burnt aftertaste. It's funny that just at the opposite corner of the same block there is an excellent bread bakery. Disclaimer: no lines, no hype, no sticker shock. They don't do retail but partner with retail stores and farmers' markets around. Considering their skill, equipment, and dedication to quality, not even sure one could get any close to reproducing their bread at home. This bakery together with Acme Bread are totally worth the trip.
I'm glad I am not the only one! If we are similar in bread taste, I recommend you visit Tabor Bread in Portland,OR if you ever have a chance. Very delicious, memorable loaf.