Boudin, SF Sourdough…Baked Fresh!

Boudin SF Sourdough

Hello Everyone, I am back! Many of you know that I was gone for awhile helping my mother who had to have surgery. I flew down to California and spent ten days there. My mom is recovering nicely and I thank those of you who emailed me with your support. What I want to share with you concerns my flight back home. I had a four hour stayover at the San Francisco Airport. I met a terrific lady named Julie from California, we both got delayed on the same flight and took an earlier flight. We spent the four hours gabbing and having fun. We decided to find some lunch when we arrived at the San Francisco airport. San Francisco airport is a great place for finding lunch. They had so many choices of cuisine that you can find lots to choose from. I wanted to check out the Boudin Bakery with freshly baked bread, they offered some great sandwiches using the Boudin rolls. Julie also wanted to check out the San Francisco sourdough lunch possibilities, so we heading in Boudin’s direction. I ordered a Caesar Chicken sourdough sandwich on a sourdough roll, and Julie ordered a half sandwich and salad. The sandwich was soooo good. The sourdough roll was thick, chewy and delicious and the filling was real grilled chicken, greens and Caesar dressing. I also bought a 1.5 lb sourdough boule. I wanted to bring it home because I have wanted to taste the real freshly baked Boudin Sourdough for a long time. I have had it before, but it was always days old and in a plastic bag. Those of you familiar with sourdough (everyone reading this blog?) know that sourdough is best on the day it is baked. The breads that were lined up behind the counter looked terrific, they had boules, long baguettes and batard style loaves as well as rolls and their famous sea creature shapes.

Boudin's Boule

 I will tell you hands down that the Boudin sourdough was definately better when bought and eaten on the same day it was baked. I will also tell you honestly… and you are not going to like this…that it isn’t as good as we all imagine it to be or it has fallen off on taste as the years have gone by, or homemade sourdough is just the best. I know many of you will probably blast me for saying this, but my own homemade sourdough is better tasting. I’m guessing that if many of you bought a loaf to compare it to your sourdough, you might say the same. The flavor of the Boudin’s sourdough is sour, but it is a vinegary sour and is lacking the complex aroma and flavors I equate with really terrific sourdough. The crumb is somewhat dense and dryish. Their crust is still something to aim for though, I will also be honest and say that I need to work on my crust more to have it equal the color and thickness of Boudin’s sourdough.

Boule

Boudin's Crumb

All Gone!

If you can’t bake your own sourdough, Boudin’s would still rate as a really good sourdough, their crust is still unbeatable. However, for the taste testing we did in my family, homemade was better by far. We also taste tested La Brea’s Sourdough when I was in California last year and it tested out better than San Louis Obispo, Boudin and a few other competitors. So yes, although you may have thought it impossible, you probably can bake better tasting bread than Boudin, except maybe their crust….