“Tara’s a natural teacher, and this book reads as if she’s at the bench next to you, patiently articulating the core concepts and techniques of bread-making, as well as the joys and rhythms of the craft.” — Claire Saffitz, bestselling author of Dessert Person, from the foreword   80 easy-to-follow recipes and loads of know-how, troubleshooting guidance, and bread science intel for baking your best naturally leavened loaves—from sourdough whisperer Tara Jensen IACP AWARD FINALIST • ONE OF THE WASHINGTON POST ’S TEN BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR Yes, you can make crusty, tender, bakery-quality sourdough bread—even if you’ve never baked before! Especially when you have a teacher like Tara Jensen (who taught both dessert guru Claire Saffitz and Southern-cooking evangelist Sean Brock) by your side. Tara’s friendly approach to technique and inspired flavors in more than eighty recipes for sourdough, rye, and whole grain bread will enrich both beginners and advanced bakers as they learn about the craft. With Tara’s guidance and supportive voice, she shares important lessons that cover all the technical bases—from learning about flour to exploring wild yeast fermentation and developing your (doughy) intuition. From there, Tara dives deep into the worlds of sourdough, rye, and desem, showing the true diversity of bread through recipes like Miche, Chocolate Beer Bread, and Mountain Rye. There’s even an extra credit chapter on making extra-flavorful Overnight Waffles, Cheesy Cheddar Crackers, and Sourdough Chocolate-Chip Cookies. With Tara by your side, artisanal bread at home is totally achievable . . . and fun! “I was lucky enough to attend a bread making workshop with Tara where we made the most beautiful and delicious sourdough loaves. Tara taught us about flour (we even milled our own), sourdough starter, and, of course, bread making. Reading Flour Power is like being back in that workshop. You’ll learn so much about making magnificent bread—it’s like Tara is holding your hands throughout.” —Klancy Miller, founder of For the Culture and author of Cooking Solo: The Joy of Cooking for Yourself “Tara Jensen is an effortless and inspiring teacher. In Flour Power, she not only expertly guides readers through baking science and techniques but also passes along the everyday wisdom of how to incorporate baking bread into your life. Tara’s undeniable expertise, signature creativity, and floury fingerprints are all over these beautiful pages.” —Erin Jeanne McDowell, author of The Book on Pie “Tara inspires me to bake. She brings together simple ingredients with integrity to bake our way through life’s hardest moments. Flour Power has all the tools to conquer our sourdough fears in the comfort of our home kitchens. I am lucky she is one of my closest friends and writing confidante—my baked goods and life are better for it.” —Melissa M. Martin, author of Mosquito Supper Club “[A] thoroughly delightful guide to baking sourdough, rye, and whole grain loaves.” —Publishers Weekly Tara Jensen is the author of A Baker's Year and has been baking professionally for over twenty years. She worked at Red Hen Baking in Middlesex, Vermont; Farm & Sparrow in Asheville, North Carolina; with Jennifer Lapidus at Carolina Ground, also in Asheville and ran her own bakery, Smoke Signals. Her bread and pies have been featured in publications such as Food & Wine and Bon Appétit and she teaches bread baking workshops in Virginia, where she lives with her husband and daughter. Introduction If I had to pick a starting point for where I am now, sitting at my kitchen table in Virginia, I’d lead you back in time to a moment in 2001 when I walked into the Morning Glory Bakery, a tiny bakery in coastal Maine. There I found a woman wearing all black, with long dark hair, arms covered in tattoos, listening to Patti Smith. I asked for a job and she looked over my shoulder to see my girlfriend waiting in our Subaru out front. She glanced back at me and told me to come in the next day at 6:00 a.m. The closest I got to touching bread was toasting bagels, but the place was packed with people who danced to the beat of a different drum. There were midwives, punk rockers, musicians, and artists scattered about, cramming jelly biscuits, hummus sandwiches, and buttered baguettes into their mouths. Growing up the oddball in a small, rural town in Maine, I found the cast of characters that paraded through the door soothing. At the counter, stacked high with hot loaves, we’d talk about babies, women’s rights, the government, the environment, the latest music, astrological signs, and who was dating whom. We’d plan protests, birthday parties, and bike rides and end the day mopping to incredibly loud Morrissey. Impeccable attention to ingredients, ovens, and agriculture would all come later, stemming from this root of safety and comfort in a chosen family. In 2004 I graduated college and found myself filling out an application