My roommate Katharine and I wanted to do something special for our "last" spring break, so we decided to go to the west coast with parents in tow! My mom told me before we went that San Francisco was apparently famous for its sourdough, and my first thought was, "Oh, like that yummy sandwich bread from Panera." PFT. PANERA MY FOOT.
Panera sourdough ain't no San Francisco Sourdough!
Our first day in the bay, we took a ferry to Alcatraz. We had to do something the dads would enjoy quickly upon arrival, lest we lose them to the History Channel for the week. (Everyone ended up having a great time... definitely recommend going if you have the chance!) After Alcatraz, we took a walk along the coast and came across a really neat looking bakery: Boudin.
After that night, I'm pretty sure we went back every day for the rest of the week. They had pastries, coffees, and of course, sourdough galore. And when I say galore, I mean it. There were sourdough loaves, rolls, and animals (everything from teddy bears to alligators). Katharine and I couldn't leave without having bought at least one.
And they had a bakery tour. You heard me right. I felt like a kid in a candy store. We got to read about the history of the bakery and we learned what makes San Francisco sourdough so special. There are natural bacterias in the air that ferment into the "mother dough" that give the bread that sour taste. And, super cool fact, Boudin has been using the same mother dough for 150 years.
Each day, they pull off a piece of the MD to mix with the fresh ingredients for that day's bread. Then, they mix in a little more flour and water and let the that mix and settle in with the MD. So it just goes on and on and on. Fascinating.
The only thing better than this bakery tour was all the bread that I ate. Helllooooo Carb Heaven.
NOM NOM NOM.
And a couple other pictures, just because I can...
Ciao.
