Boudin’s San Francisco sourdough bread is completely unique. The spicy crust and smooth, creamy center, carved into dinner plates and served with Boudin’s famous clam chowder, is one of San Francisco’s food treasures. Be sure to visit the bakery while visiting San Francisco.
Boudin’s ‘sourdough’ makes his sourdough bread special
In 1849, a French immigrant named Isidore Boudin moved to San Francisco to capitalize on the rise of the gold rush. He used traditional European techniques to capture the natural yeast found in the air for his “sourdough,” or the base of sourdough bread. Boudin found that the hazy weather and native yeast found in San Francisco produced delicious bread that was completely different from French sourdough baked in France.
While other bakers began using Fleischman’s cake yeast in 1868, Boudin refused to change his formula. Boudin’s sourdough bread consisted of just four ingredients: unbleached flour, water, salt, and a portion of the sourdough. Boudin did not add preservatives, flavorings, sugar, fats, or dough conditioners to his bread.
Surprisingly, Boudin’s recipe for sourdough bread is still used in all of his bakeries. And, a portion of Isidore’s original sourdough has been used in every loaf of bread made by the company for the past 160 years. The sourdough is fed daily with water and flour to ensure the survival of the yeast strains that Isidore originally captured. The sourdough even survived the 1906 fire and earthquake when Louise, Isidore’s wife, saved a portion of the sourdough in a bucket.
Boudin bakery evolves
The Boudin family ran the bakery until 1931, when large mechanized bakeries drove out smaller artisan bakeries like Boudin. Master baker Steve Giraudo Sr. purchased Boudin from the Boudin family, with their approval in 1941, and continued to produce the Boudin bakery using the original sourdough. Steve Giraudo passed away in 1994 and master baker Fernando Padilla continues the Boudin bakery tradition.
From a single store in 1849, Boudin’s Bakery now has 29 locations in San Francisco and Southern California. Each bakery produces sourdough bread using some of Isidore’s original sourdough. The bakery is also famous for its clam chowder served in sourdough bread bowls and offers a wide variety of sandwiches and soups in its bakeries and restaurants.
Visit and tour the Boudin Bakery at Fisherman’s Wharf
Its flagship store is at Fisherman’s Wharf, which has 26,000 feet of bakery delights. Fisherman’s Wharf locations include a demo bakery; a casual market of Bakers Hall and Boudin Café; Bistro Boudin, a full service restaurant and private dining room; and the Boudin Museum & Bakery Tour.
The museum and bakery tour costs $ 3 and is free if you dine at Boudin Bistro. The small museum and bakery tour guide the visitor through the bread-making process, including pictures and explanations that help them understand why wild yeast in San Francisco produces such unique bread. The museum and bakery tour should take around 15 minutes to visit.
