Two and a half years ago, I discovered and fell in love with San Luis Sourdough's Rosemary Olive Oil bread. It has a pleasantly sour bite, good texture, just the right hint of rosemary, and makes killer grilled cheese sandwiches. Unfortunately it's hard to find: it seems only to be available in California - maybe in Arizona - and it's not carried by every grocery chain. I decided to try to make something like it for myself, given my difficulty getting it.
I was just able to score a couple of loaves of the San Luis bread, and as it happened I had a freshly-baked loaf of my attempt. Here they are, for comparison:
Theirs, on the left, has better shape. I'm still working on timing, and tend to overproof my loaves due to inattention or poor planning, with the result that my rounds aren't very. Theirs crisps beautifully in the toaster, but since it's an all-white bread it can get mushy when bitten. Grand flavor, especially with the above-noted grilled cheese sandwich. I've been overindulging on them lately, but without adequate freezer space I must use this bread before the mold gets it. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
Mine, on the right, is half whole-wheat. At 80% hydration, with a good slow initial proof, it's getting a good airy crumb. It's a bit firmer than theirs, and doesn't get the contrast of crisp shattery exterior with soft interior from the toaster, but it also doesn't get mushy. I haven't tried it yet with the grilled cheese sandwich treatment, but I'm very pleased with its flavor as toast or standard sandwich bread.
Progress: it's what pulls the world forward! I'm quite chuffed.
