SAN FRANCISCO — In 1849, when San Francisco saw an influx of fortune seekers due to its newly discovered gold deposits, French immigrant Isidore Boudin struck metaphorical gold with four simple ingredients: flour, water, salt and “mother dough.”
Isidore’s skill in French bread baking and the mass migration that led him to the mother dough — combined with the San Franciscan microclimate of fog-cooled air — created the Original San Francisco Sourdough that can only be found at Boudin Bakery.
Flash forward 175 years and 31 additional locations later, business is still booming. The key? Boudin still bakes its sourdough fresh every day using the same starter cultivated from the original gold miner and given to Isidore.
Dan Giraudo, current owner and CEO of Boudin Bakery, attributes the bakery’s success to its unwavering dedication to quality. Staying true to the baking process from Boudin’s start, the bakery feeds the mother dough starter on a daily basis and crafts each loaf with a piece of the starter in the mix. From there, the loaf is shaped and placed in a separate temperature-controlled room for 16 to 20 hours where it’s fermented and then baked.
“We do it the same way it was done 175 years ago,” Giraudo said. “It takes a lot of time, it takes a lot of real estate, but we never stray from that mission.”
With plenty of opportunities to cut costs and save time as the bakery maintained its success, Boudin has never taken that chance. Cutting corners is not an option in the business model, and the bakery flourishes on the balance between managing costs and managing quality.
During its tenure as a brick-and-mortar location in San Franciso, the bakery has seen its fair share of catastrophic events. From the 1906 San Francisco earthquake — and the subsequent fires that broke out — to economic recessions and the COVID-19 pandemic, Boudin has remained strong and financially prosperous. Giraudo accredits that to the bakery’s ability to roll with the punches, pivot and provide customers with the comfort of sourdough bread.
“You do what you need to do to survive,” he said. “During the pandemic, we narrowed our focus on the delivery business, and we started a pizza company that was a different brand under our same restaurant. During those times when you have to be innovative, there’s no idea that’s a bad idea. Do whatever you need to do to see another day.”
But Boudin Bakery doesn’t stray from tradition even when it has its innovation cap on. No matter what strategies the bakery employs, there is always a strict adherence to quality control.
Whether it’s the loaves itself or one of Boudin’s many sandwiches, the bakery ensures each customer is receiving only the freshest bread.
“In the restaurant world, you need to constantly innovate, to show new items, to bring more excitement in,” Giraudo said. “We constantly do that with our bread, but we ensure that we have absolute respect for the baking process and never sacrifice quality.”
In terms of maintaining quality, the bakery shifts the mother dough in each of its locations every three weeks to refresh it. Because the yeast is a living organism — and the key ingredient to the distinct flavor and chewy texture — the bakery understands the importance of changing its environment regularly. The refresh creates a natural source of fermentation for the starter that allows Boudin’s sourdough to rise without using commercial yeast.
San Francisco’s unique climate and dense fog aid in the production of lactobacillus bacteria in the bread, which ultimately helps the bakery achieve its exclusive flavor and, in turn, allows Boudin to remain successful.
“The most important thing about Boudin has been staying true to the process,” Giraudo said. “The process shapes the bread. If you take care of the bread, everything else will take care of itself.”
Giraudo is confident that despite the rise and fall in consumer interest in bread, Boudin’s sourdough will withstand the fluctuation, due in part to its natural health attributes.
“Sourdough doesn’t have sugar,” he explained. “And as it’s fermented, it breaks down the gluten in the bread. The consumers who seek a low-carb diet should know that sourdough is the best bread you can eat.”
Within the realm of possibilities for the bakery, Giraudo is exploring the idea of potentially expanding its reach by franchising. The stance of serving quality bread will be of utmost importance — no matter where Boudin Bakery locations may appear.
To commemorate the anniversary, Boudin will boast a “Week of Deals” at all California locations from September 30-October 6, including daily celebratory offers such as a 1-pound sourdough loaf for $1.75 and a buy one, get one sale.
The philosophy of putting the bread first has allowed the bakery to flourish in its 175 years, and plans for Boudin’s next milestone anniversary are solidified with each loaf the mother dough creates.
