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How to Make Authentic San Francisco Sourdough French Bread

by Joe Jaworski

If you're a bread lover, nothing beats the tangy taste and chewy texture of true San Francisco French style sourdough bread. From its hard crust to its soft interior, this bread has a unique flavor that is hard to resist.

Although traditionally served with shellfish or seafood, this bread can be served with most dishes, including red meats and poultry. You probably have tasted this bread in the past, even if you do not live in San Francisco. Many supermarkets now carry prepackaged loaves as well as most major airports in the U.S. However, nothing can compare to the taste of a warm, fresh baked loaf right from your oven.

Over the past year, I have tried many methods to reproduce the flavor of true San Francisco sourdough at home. My goal was to create a bread with equal or superior taste to the famous San Francisco bakeries of Boudin, Parisian, and Colombo. This article describes the process that I have developed that will produce excellent results in any home kitchen. My method is relatively simple, and if you currently bake any kind of yeast breads, you should have little difficulty following my recipe. While the start to finish time of baking this bread takes about 24 hours, there is very little to do most of this time.