| San Francisco Bread Review | Palo Alto Baking Co. Dutch Crunch Bread |
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| Summary | |
| Appearance : | Very good |
| Taste : | Quite good |
| Overall grade : | B+ |
| Pictures | |
 | |
| The bread | |
| Click on the photo for larger view | |
| Bread name | Dutch Crunch bread |
| Baker | Palo Alto Baking Company, Palo Alto |
| Purchased | Tuesday, May 27, 2003, 2:00PM |
| From | Palo Alto Baking Co., 381 S. California Avenue, Palo Alto |
| Tested | Tuesday, May 27, 2003, 7:15PM |
| Price | $2.50 |
| Weight | 12 oz. |
| Size (LxWxH) | 22.5" x 3.5" x 2" |
Appearance
The bread has roughly the shape of a fat baguette. Its appearance is certainly unusual, because of the top. Rather than describe it, I will refer you to the photo. Otherwise a very nice color, although the bottom was slightly burned. The density feels a bit below average. The crust is quite hard on top, the sides and bottom are somewhat softer. This is a very slightly sweet bread. The outside smell is not strong, slightly sweet, with a hint of what reminds me of watermelon. I reckon this comes from whatever is used to get the unusual crackling on the top. The cut was easy, and making good-looking slices was no problem. The crumb is white, fairly fluffy, with a number of bubbles. The inside smell is a bit sweet, fresh and quite pleasant.
Taste
The consistency of the crust is certainly unusual (at least to me) because of the crackling of the top, which feels a bit like it was somehow caramelized, except that the flavor is fairly subtle. The crumb is light, with a good mouthfeel, and a bit sweet, much like the crust. Quite nice overall.
Conclusion
As sweet breads go, this is certainly a very demure one. The consistency is excellent, the flavor is good but subtle. This is a good general-purpose bread.