Bakery's Recipe Thief

Overnight last week, a thief stole the recipe for cruffins, and Mr. Stephen’s 230 other recipes, from binders in the bakery’s kitchen. Nothing else in the store was touched: not money, valuable baking equipment, an iPad or other computers. And while Mr. Stephen has copies of the recipes on his office computer, and the store opened almost on time the next morning, he was understandably upset.
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“Burglaries happen pretty often in San Francisco,” said Grace Gatpandan, a spokeswoman for the Police Department, adding that she could not recall another crime involving recipes. She said the police would examine nearby security cameras for leads on cars and individuals.

As for a suspect, she said, “We don’t have a particular demographic, except it’s someone who wants to make a really delicious pastry.”

Mr Holmes Bakehouse — named for Mr. Stephen’s mother’s cat, Sherlock Holmes — has already distinguished itself beyond the cruffin. There is, for example, Mr. Stephen’s savory California croissant, stuffed with salmon, nori, ginger and wasabi.

Cruffins are rare, but Mr. Stephen’s are not the only ones on the market. On Thursday, a London bakery called Foxcroft & Ginger put out word that it was introducing cruffins. Mr. Stephen said he was not suspicious.

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