.Best Bread

The East Bay take its bread very seriously. With good reason — we’re home to some of the best and most influential artisanal bakeries in the country. But since each bakery specializes in different breads, we at the Express just didn’t feel right awarding “Best Bread” to any one loaf. So this year we focused on one of the classics: the sweet (not sourdough) baguette. We conducted a massive taste test with and without cheese. Though some loved the softer feel of Metropolitan’s baguette and its nuttier hard-wheat taste, Acme’s airy, crusty loaf easily took top honors for all three criteria: crust, crumb, and flavor. It’s just like the ones your beret-wearing grandpère used to buy at the local boulangerie.