| San Francisco Bread Review | Boudin Garlic Sesame bread |
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| Summary | |
| Appearance : | Excellent |
| Taste : | Good |
| Overall grade : | B+ |
| Pictures | |
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| The bread | |
| Click on the photos for larger view | |
| Bread name | Garlic Sesame bread |
| Baker | Boudin Bakery, San Francisco |
| Purchased | Wednesday, May 14, 2003, 1:30PM |
| From | Boudin Cafe, 170 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco |
| Tested | Wednesday, May 14, 2003, 3:00PM |
| Price | $3.50 |
| Weight | 18.5 oz. |
| Size (LxWxH) | 8" x 8" x 3.5" |
Appearance
The bread comes in a white paper bag, common to all Boudin breads. This loaf is quite artsy -- presentation is clearly important. It is round and flatish, the top is handsomely decorated with a few scores in the shape of a wheat ear.. Lots of sesame seeds on the top. The crust has a nice dark honey color. The bottom is darker with a dot pattern. The density is a bit below average. The crust is firm but not very hard. The loaf springs back well when squeezed. The smell is fairly strong, and is of garlic only -- if there is a bread smell, it is overpowered by the garlic. Nice clean cut, making good-looking slices is easy. The inside is off-white, with bits of garlic and grains visible. The inside smell is quite fragrant and almost exclusively garlicky.
Taste
The crust is a bit soft but has a pleasant flavor. The sesame seeds add a nice touch, they taste like they were roasted (which I guess they were during baking). The crumb has a good texture, the flavor is good, once again very dominated by garlic.
Conclusion
In case it's not obvious, this is a bread for garlic lovers. That may seem strange, but I thought the garlic flavor was almost too much. You really cannot taste the bread itself. Also the texture of the crust could be improved. If I was a garlic fanatic, I would probably rate this a bit higher.