Part I — How to Make Sourdough More (or Less) Sour (2024)

FAQs

Part I — How to Make Sourdough More (or Less) Sour? ›

The ideal dough temperature for most breads, post-kneading, is in the 75°F to 78°F range. Water temperature: The higher the temperature of fully kneaded dough, the more likely your resulting bread will be more (rather than less) sour.

The ideal dough temperature for most breads, post-kneading, is in the 75°F to 78°F range. Water temperature: The higher the temperature of fully kneaded dough, the more likely your resulting bread will be more (rather than less) sour.

Small Amounts of Sourdough Starter - using less sourdough starter in your dough produces a more sour flavor because it takes much longer for the dough to rise, giving the bacteria more time to produce the natural acids that give sourdough its distinct flavor.

Salt inhibits the acid producers more than the yeast, which means that once the levain is mixed into the main dough, the ability to produce acid is somewhat diminished.

The loaf is also inclined to over spring resulting in a crumb with big, random, holes or channels running through the loaf. If you over-ferment the dough you run the risk of the gluten structure degrading and the loaf turning into a puddle of goo before your eyes, never to be retrieved and destined for the bin.

A very sour taste (not a pleasantly sour tang like properly fermented sourdough) A sour/fermented smell. You might notice a “corn” flavor to the baked crust (sometimes there is a faint odor like popcorn) Crust may have small tears in it, randomly over the surface.

The secret to sourdough is simple: water. The more water you add to your dough will affect how open the crumb (bigger holes and softer texture) will be once it's baked.

Acidic or sour smells happen when too much acid is being carried over from one feeding to the next. The way to fix this is to feed a bigger ratio of flour and water to your starter. Acidic starters tend to be less active as well. If you notice this, try feeding a bigger ratio to your starter for a while.

Over the past decade-plus of baking, I've tested all manner of flour from whole grain wheat to spelt to einkorn, and while they all do work, my preferred flour to use when creating a sourdough starter is whole grain rye flour and white flour (this can be all-purpose or high-protein bread flour).

Acetic acid, or vinegar, is the acid that gives sourdough much of its tang. Giving acetic acid-producing organisms optimal conditions to thrive and multiply will produce a more tangy finished product.

What happens if you don't put salt in sourdough? ›

Without salt, your dough will rise faster than it normally would, leading to less flavor development and a weaker structure. To incorporate the salt, mix it with a few teaspoons of water. Return your dough to the mixer, tear it into three to six pieces, and drizzle the liquid on top.

My starter is very acidic. How can I de-acidify it? Try feeding your starter a high feeding ratio (e.g., 1:5:5) and discard and refeed right after the starter rises and peaks. This is known as the “peak-to-peak” method.

Sourdough bread's signature taste comes from friendly bacteria and yeast, which produce flavorful lactic and acetic acids in rising bread dough.

Overworked sourdough can become tough and lose its ability to rise properly. If your dough feels tight and is difficult to shape, it might be overworked. Remember, sourdough requires a gentle touch and should not be kneaded as vigorously as other types of bread dough.

You can absolutely leave sourdough bread to rise overnight - but as always - there are some things you'll need to do to make sure that your bread is successful with an overnight ferment.

Ideally, you don't want to allow sourdough bread to cold ferment for longer than 72 hours. Even up to 48 hours, you do risk some loss of gluten structure unless you manipulate the amount of starter down.

Sourdough is naturally leavened bread, which means it doesn't use commercial yeast to rise. Instead, it uses a 'starter' – a fermented flour and water mixture that contains wild yeast and good bacteria – to rise. This also produces the tangy flavour and slightly chewy texture you'll find in sourdough.

This flavor is further augmented when put through a fermentation process like sourdough (or beer and whiskey making). Using a rye sourdough starter or replacing some of the white flour in your recipe with rye flour is a popular way to make sourdough more sour.

Sourdough bread is called “sourdough” because it is made using a naturally occurring yeast and bacteria culture known as a sourdough starter. The starter is a mixture of flour and water that is left to ferment over time, which allows wild yeast and bacteria to colonize it.