This is my third attempt at making sourdough and I just can’t get that tanginess that I want, any tips?
I followed this recipe (https://www.theperfectloaf.com/best-sourdough-recipe/) and I used bread flour, whole wheat flour (king Arthur) and a four year old starter.
by spittingpigeon
14 Comments
BunnyRambit
You can get more flavor using certain flours. Do you use one kind of flour or a mix?
Jashwahh
What’s your ratio when you feed your starter prior to baking?:)
I found I was was diluting the starter too much and was losing the strong strong flavor I wanted
embo21
Flavour also depends on the yeast in your local environment. Even if you were to bring a starter from San Fran home, it would eventually revert to the native yeast where you live
Third attempt? How old is your starter? It could just be young. I found my loaves are more tangy now than when i started. Started to really notice some distinct tanginess after about 3-4 months. My starter is about 13 months old now.
Your bread looks perfect btw
-Axiss-
My starter was made from dark rye flour and it made the most acidic bread I have ever tried. Wholemeal flour in your starter or in your dough will make it more acidic, also using less starter and fermenting it for longer makes it more acidic from what I’ve read.
Thats an amazing loaf. Longer fermentation time I guess or using a higher percentage of levain in the loaf maybe.
Dads_Hat
How long do you proof? I find that you can increase some tanginess by: – mixing whole wheat and rye flour (makes bread darker and gives it a different flavor) – my non-bread flour is 1:4 ratio as a reference – doing a longer cold proof (24 hours) – in some cases using more starter
candycane212
Stir in the hooch
jones61
Use sourdough starter fed with rye and WW. Gives it tang
wanderain
I find that the longer you use refrigeration to keep your starter, the less sour it is. I leave my starter out all the time and only refrigerate it if I’m away.
Try to keep it out and feed it once every 24 hours. This allows the sourness to return to it, might take a few days
This is how I created my starter, only a few weeks ago. The pineapple juice creates an acidic environment that favors the bacteria that produce acid. Please note you will likely have to feed for a longer duration than the author indicates to get significant rise. It took me about 2-3 weeks to get good rise out of this sucker. Make sure you’re using spring water, not tap (chlorine kills the bacteria and yeast) and not distilled, and UNBLEACHED flour
Lopsided-Row-7985
Try manipulating your starter.
You can use refrigeration to promote more acetic acid , refresh it once a week and keep it in the fridge.
Keeping it at room temperature and refreshing it more often promotes a more lactic flavor.
14 Comments
You can get more flavor using certain flours. Do you use one kind of flour or a mix?
What’s your ratio when you feed your starter prior to baking?:)
I found I was was diluting the starter too much and was losing the strong strong flavor I wanted
Flavour also depends on the yeast in your local environment. Even if you were to bring a starter from San Fran home, it would eventually revert to the native yeast where you live
Try this one!
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/extra-tangy-sourdough-bread-recipe
Third attempt? How old is your starter? It could just be young. I found my loaves are more tangy now than when i started. Started to really notice some distinct tanginess after about 3-4 months. My starter is about 13 months old now.
Your bread looks perfect btw
My starter was made from dark rye flour and it made the most acidic bread I have ever tried.
Wholemeal flour in your starter or in your dough will make it more acidic, also using less starter and fermenting it for longer makes it more acidic from what I’ve read.
If you are looking for that tanginess like in the commercial San Francisco Sourdough bread, then you need to add a little vinegar to your recipe. I like the taste of my sourdough as is but you can easily search for recipes that have a little cider vinegar. Some people also claim that makes the crust better. See a [Quora discussion here.](https://www.quora.com/Why-does-a-little-vinegar-improve-my-sourdough-breads-texture-Shouldnt-it-kill-the-yeast-and-break-down-the-gluten)
Thats an amazing loaf. Longer fermentation time I guess or using a higher percentage of levain in the loaf maybe.
How long do you proof? I find that you can increase some tanginess by:
– mixing whole wheat and rye flour (makes bread darker and gives it a different flavor) – my non-bread flour is 1:4 ratio as a reference
– doing a longer cold proof (24 hours)
– in some cases using more starter
Stir in the hooch
Use sourdough starter fed with rye and WW. Gives it tang
I find that the longer you use refrigeration to keep your starter, the less sour it is. I leave my starter out all the time and only refrigerate it if I’m away.
Try to keep it out and feed it once every 24 hours. This allows the sourness to return to it, might take a few days
https://alexandracooks.com/2023/09/10/how-to-build-a-sourdough-starter-from-scratch/
This is how I created my starter, only a few weeks ago. The pineapple juice creates an acidic environment that favors the bacteria that produce acid. Please note you will likely have to feed for a longer duration than the author indicates to get significant rise. It took me about 2-3 weeks to get good rise out of this sucker. Make sure you’re using spring water, not tap (chlorine kills the bacteria and yeast) and not distilled, and UNBLEACHED flour
Try manipulating your starter.
You can use refrigeration to promote more acetic acid , refresh it once a week and keep it in the fridge.
Keeping it at room temperature and refreshing it more often promotes a more lactic flavor.