| San Francisco Bread Review | Boudin Sourdough Walnut bread |
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| Summary | |
| Appearance : | Very good |
| Taste : | Very good |
| Overall grade : | A- |
| Pictures | |
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| The bread | |
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| The wrapper | |
| Click on the photos for larger view | |
| Bread name | Sourdough walnut bread |
| Baker | Boudin Bakery, San Francisco |
| Purchased | Wednesday, May 7, 2003, 1:00PM |
| From | Boudin Bakery & Cafe, Embarcadero 4, San Francisco |
| Tested | Wednesday, May 7, 2003, 10:00PM |
| Price | $3.75 |
| Weight | 21.6 oz. |
| Size (LxWxH) | 9" x 6" x 2.5" |
Background
Boudin (pronounced Bo-deen) is of course the most famous bakery in San Francisco, you cannot visit the city without seeing it everywhere.
Appearance
This bread comes in a paper bag with the Boudin logo. The loaf looks nice, it is oval, a dark brown. Criss-crosses on top forming pleasant ridges. A fair amount of flour sprinklings. No obviously visible nuts at the surface. The bottom is very dark but looks good. Fun circular patterns ring the top. The density is above average. The crust is quite hard with almost no give. The smell is of average strength, typical sourdough, pleasant. No trace of walnuts, though. The bottom has a slightly burnt smell which is not bad. The cut is a bit hard because of the crust, but the slices come out looking nice. The crumb looks dense and somewhat dark, with lots of walnuts visible. The inside smell is less sourdoughy than the outside, with a hint of sweetness, but still no walnut smell.
Taste
The crust has a good texture, although it turns out to be not as hard as I expected. The taste is typical sourdough. The crumb has good, long-lasting sourdough flavor, with a slight sweet twist. The walnuts make the consistency interesting with an occasional soft crunch. Excellent walnut aftertaste.
Conclusion
I'm not a huge fan of walnut bread, but this one is sort of nudging me towards being more inclusive. It's a handsome, tasty bread, I especially liked the sourdough flavor of the body. I wish there was more of a walnut taste, though, and the crust could be a bit stronger.