| San Francisco Bread Review | Methodology |
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| Main points |
| Purchase |
| Timing |
| Presentation |
| Appearance |
| Feel |
| Outside smell |
| Cut |
| Inside appearance |
| Inside smell |
| Taste (crust) |
| Taste (body) |
| Ingredients |
| Nutrition |
| Testing methodology |
| Here is a simple description of the method I follow when testing a bread. I try to adhere to it fairly conscientously, so that the results can be comparable. |
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Purchase
Each bread is purchased anonymously -- the bakery or store does not know who I am. I will often ask very specific questions, so they may have an inkling that I am at least a dedicated customer, but that's about it. Timing The bread is tested the same day it was bought, usually within a few hours. For time-critical breads (in particular baguettes), I try to test the bread within 2 hours of purchase. Presentation How the bread is sold : if in a bag, what type of bag, what type of wrapping, etc... Appearance A general look at the bread. What does it look like? General color. How does the crust look? Any visible inclusions such as grains, herbs or fruits? What does the bottom look like? Is it soggy, burned, ... ? Any flour sprinklings? Any ridges on the top or the side? Feel How does the bread feel in hand? Is it dense, light? How does the crust feel? How does the bread react when squeezed? Is it covered with seeds that stick to your hand? Outside smell How does the bread smell before it is cut? The smell is often much stronger when it is removed from a bag, so you may want to wait a minute or two before judging. What does the smell remind you of? Is it sweet, sour, pungent? How strong is it? Cut How easy is it to slice the bread? Does it squash the loaf? How easy is it to make good-looking slices? Do you have to exert special caution? How resistant does it feel? Any residue on the knife, such as oil? Inside appearance Looking at the fresh cut, how does the inside of the bread look? Color and appearance of the body. Any visible inclusions? Inside smell Smell of the fresh cut, which is often very different from the smell of the outside. Taste (crust) How does the crust taste? How is the texture? Is it too soft, too hard? Taste (body) How the body taste? How is the texture? Is it pleasant to the palate? Spongy? Does it melt easily? Is it dry? Ingredients If present, take a look at the ingredients. Do they seem good? Natural? Are there chemicals? Oils? I tend to be very critical of *any* addition to the obvious, in particular suspicious conservation agents and other chemicals. You can argue with me that they are inoffensive, but I'm just old fashioned and believe that good bread is simple bread. Nutrition If present, take a look at the nutritional content. How much sodium/salt? How much dietary fiber? Any fat? |