| San Francisco Bread Review | Arizmendi Suburban bread |
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| Summary | |
| Appearance : | Very Good |
| Taste : | Very Good |
| Overall grade : | A- |
| Pictures | |
 | |
| The bread | |
| Click on the photo for larger view | |
| Bread name | Suburban bread |
| Baker | Arizmendi, Oakland |
| Purchased | Friday, May 9, 2003, 2:30PM |
| From | Arizmendi, 3265 Lakeshore Ave, Oakland |
| Tested | Friday, May 9, 2003, 8:00PM |
| Price | $2.40 |
| Weight | 18.5 oz. |
| Size (LxWxH) | 6.5" x 6.5" x 4" |
Appearance
Arizmendi is a self-serve shop, so you put the bread yourself in a brown paper bag. This is a half white/half wheat sourdough bread. This is a handsome loaf, almost spherical. Golden brown color on top, with attractive scoring and ridges. A lot of flour sprinkling (see photo). The density is a bit above average, the crust is hard, but not so hard you can't squeeze at all. The outside smell is of average intensity, subtle and complex, quite pleasant. The bottom smells similar, with a hint of burnt which I don't mind at all. The cut is quite hard, especially the bottom. However, the slices come out OK and can be fairly regular. The crumb has a pleasant color, with a few small inclusions visible. The crumb is fragrant -- a very nice sourdough smell.
Taste
The crust is just the right amount of crunch, the taste is a good sourdough. The crumb has good to very good consistency, with a good solid sourdough taste.
Conclusion
This is a good to very good sourdough bread. The taste alone would only merit a B+, but I am giving it an A- because of the excellent consistency of the crust.