The Fresh Loaf

News & Information for Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts

No sourness in bread

  • Pin It
fatheralexisp's picture

No sourness in bread

Any ideas why my bread had no flavor or sourness?  I let it ferment in the refrigerator for 23 hours. But to no avail.  I have also tried my starter after 8 and 24 hours after feeding and it has a complex sour taste.  But this did not transfer over to my bread.  Any ideas?

chefjeff84's picture

How much starter are you using in your recipes?  Using more starter will help out with your sourness level.  Also, how old is your starter?  And when you feed it, do you keep the bulk of what is there and feed that or do toss all but a little and then feed?  All of these can contribute to the sourness level as well.

butterflyblue's picture

I have actually read (on that using less starter, so that the bread requires a longer rise time, will also develop the sour flavor more.  I've only baked three loaves of sourdough bread at this point, though, so I can't say from personal experience what effect using more or less starter will have.

fatheralexisp's picture

For 1 loaf I am using 1 cup (8 ounces) starter.  I feed my starter twice the day before I bake.  Once in the morning and secondly at 11:30 pm. Then I bake at 8 am the next morning. Usually I toss most of my starter and feed it equal parts flour and water (8 ounces).  But the second time I feed it before baking, I pour off some (not a lot) so I have more to spare after adding it to the recipe.  I don't know why my starter tastes pleasant and sour but after so much fermentation this doesn't show up in my bread!

Davo's picture

What percentage of total flour weight is your salt weight? I find that if I am a little light on for salt, the bread can taste quite bland. Normally 2%, sometimes (when away from home and I don't have digital scales, I measure out in teaspoons, and the salt level can at least seem to be a major factor - slightly too much suddenly seems noticeably salty (to me), and slightly too little can suddenly seem quite bland.

In terms of sourness, I have no idea why this is so, but I don't notice the sourness nearly as much on the day of baking, compared with later on. That is, the bread seems more sour on the second/third days, than on the day of baking. Clearly it can't really get more acid, so i'm assuming that it is to do with other flavours/aromas distracting your palate when the bread is warm or only recently cooled.

polo's picture