| San Francisco Bread Review | Arizmendi Sourdough Baguette |
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| Summary | |
| Appearance : | Very Good |
| Taste : | Good |
| Overall grade : | B+ |
| Pictures | |
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| The bread | |
| Click on the photo for larger view | |
| Bread name | Sourdough Baguette |
| Baker | Arizmendi, Oakland |
| Purchased | Friday, May 9, 2003, 2:30PM |
| From | Arizmendi, 3265 Lakeshore Ave, Oakland |
| Tested | Friday, May 9, 2003, 5:30PM |
| Price | $1.60 |
| Weight | 13.5 oz. |
| Size (LxWxH) | 23.5" x 3" x 1.5" |
Appearance
Arizmendi is a self-serve shop, so you put the baguette yourself in a baguette paper bag. The shape of the loaf is standard baguette, if a bit more uneven and bumpy (this is not a bad thing). Nice golden color, quite a few ridges on top, bottom looks a bit underbaked in some places. The density is above average for a baguette, which should be no surprise for a sourdough. The crust is very hard, making the whole baguette crunchy (as it should be). Surprisingly, there is almost no outside smell: it's practically imperceptible. The cut requires some work because of the hardness of the crust. However, it's easy to cut nice-looking slices, even thin ones, this is often difficult with baguettes. The crumb is white and fluffy, perhaps a bit less so than usual for (non-sourdough) baguettes. The inside smell is weak but not unpleasant.
Taste
The texture of the crust is excellent, resisting just the right amount, the taste is not unpleasant but weak. The crumb has a good consistency, but the taste is slight and disappears quickly. A hint of sourdough, and it's gone.
Conclusion
The crust has a texture that I wish more baguettes had. However, the rest of the bread is not sufficient to warrant an A.