How To Make Your Sourdough Bread and Starter More Or Less Sour
from https://thebreadguide.com/ and https://truesourdough.com/

The sour flavor in sourdough bread originates from the acids produced by the bacteria and microorganisms in your starter. The type of flour used also attributes to this flavor. There are two main types of acids found in sourdough bread, which give opposite flavors. Increasing the amount of acetic acid in sourdough bread increases the sourness of the loaf.

  1. Lactic acid – This type of acid gives a mild yoghurt like flavor.
  2. Acetic acid – This type of acid gives a sour vinegar like flavor.

Control the acidity and you control how sour your sourdough starter and your bread will be. There are a couple of ways to control these acids and the sour flavor.

***from The Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart
Some bakers keep their mother starter as a very dry, firm dough, like bagel dough. This ensures a more sour bread, for those who like it extra sour. Acetic bacteria prefer the denser, less-aerated environment of the firm starter; lactic bacteria prefer the wetter sponge starter. To use the firm starter system, simply reduce the water weight to 50 to 60 percent of the flour weight when you refresh your mother starter. (See Using a Stiff Sourdough Starter Results in a More Sour Loaf below) And adding commercial yeast, 1 1/2 tsp., to the final dough will make the dough rise more quickly making the bread less sour.

Flours That Produce A More Sour Flavor In Your Starter

Generally flours with lower ash content such as whole wheat and rye will produce a more sour or tangy flavor in your starter. I personally love the flavor of rye sourdough starters. Rye flour helps to produce a unique set of sugars which encourage a higher amount of acetic acid production and produces a strong earthy flavor and a nice tangy zing.

If you want your sourdough start to be less tangy or sour you should create your sourdough starter from white wheat flour. This will definitely reduce that tangy flavor.

If you find that your starter not sour enough then try to blend flours. Start with 50% white and 50% whole wheat or rye and work from there.

In Bread. these flours can also contribute to a less or more sour flavor depending on how long you ferment the bread.

The Hooch in your Sourdough Starter

The” hooch” is a liquid formed on top of your sourdough starter when it is fermenting. It is usually a clear or opaque liquid that is made up of water and alcohol.

This liquid the “hooch” is commonly found when you first start your new starter but can also appear if your sourdough starter has sat for a long time between feedings or your sourdough starter matures at higher temperatures.

This liquid has a very sour taste and smells much like vinegar. The hooch will not hurt your sourdough starter.

If you mix it back into the starter and give it a feeding it will add a more sour flavor to your starter.

On the other hand, if you do not want a very sour flavor starter you can remove this liquid by pouring it out carefully and you will reduce the sour flavor

Sourdough Starter Temperature

The warmer it is the higher the activity of gasses and fermentation in your sourdough starter will be.

To produce a more sour flavor grow your starter at warmer temperatures. You can put your sourdough starter in your oven with the light turned on. This will bring up the temperature to around 30 degrees Celcius or 86 Fahrenheit. You will notice your sourdough starter growing much faster. This will also make your sourdough starter sourer.

On the other hand, if you want to make your sourdough starter less sour let it mature at room temperature around 24 – 25 at degrees Celcius or 72 Fahrenheit and then store it in the refrigerator. This will slow down the acids produced in the starter.

Sourdough starter is made up of a complicated ecosystem of various bacteria and yeasts. The different bacteria and yeast found in sourdough starter will have different ‘optimal’ temperatures in which they ferment best. When yeasts are fermenting efficiently, they produce very little byproduct. BUT, these byproducts are what give sourdough bread it’s wonderful sour flavor.

FUN FACT: Bakers often place their dough in a warm environment during the bulk rise, and then in the refridgerator for the 2nd rise. This helps to develop BOTH types of sourness in the loaf, giving you very complex and wonderful flavors!

  Temperature
Range		 Fermentation
Time		 Flavor
Outcome
Hot (e.g. Very Hot Sunny Day) 82F – 85F (28C – 29C) Short (4 – 6 hours) Base Sourness
Warm (e.g. Room Temperature) 70F – 75F (21C – 24C) Medium (6 – 12 hours) Mild
Cold (e.g. Fridge Temperature) 35F – 50F (2C – 10C) Long (12 – 24+ hours) Tangy Sourness

Stirring Your Sourdough Starter Can Make It Tangier Or More Sour

The bacteria and microorganisms that are produced in your starter are the reason for this sour flavor. These microorganisms feed on the sugars and starches in the flour. They also need oxygen to reproduce.

By mixing your sourdough starter in between feeding your increase the oxygen levels in your starter which in turn will speed up the growth of the microorganisms and will produce more gases and a more sour flavor.

Mixing your sourdough starter will also make it more stable.

Feeding Your Sourdough Starter Will Control The Flavor And Sourness

The more frequently you feed your sourdough starter the less time it has to produce the acids that translate to that sour flavor.

The longer you let you sourdough sit the sourer it will be. If you want a more sour starter let yous sourdough starter sit for longer between feedings.

You will notice it in the smell as well. Your sourdough starter will start to smell a bit more like vinegar. You need to be careful though not to make it too sour as the acids can eventually lead to your sourdough starter not being strong enough.

If you like to have a more mild-tasting sourdough starter then feed it more often.

How Long Your Sourdough Starter Matures Will Determine the Flavor

Sourdough starters need to be used at the right time. The time when your sourdough tarter is at its full maturity is referred to as the “peak”. This is when your starter is strongest and is best to use for your bread to help it rise.

For the purpose of this segment, I will refer to an “old” starter as one that is past its peak and a ” young” starter to one that is before its peak.

The more or less your sourdough is mature determines how sour it will be as well. So if you use a starter that is young it will be less sour and vise versa.

You do need to be careful not to use sourdough starters that are too young or too old as it can have a negative effect on your dough and it will not rise. Both young and old starters will not have the full power to raise your dough and you might want to consider giving your bread a bit of help by adding a little bit of fresh yeast to counter this effect.

Using Smaller Amounts of Starter in the Recipe will make your Bread More Sour

Another way of manipulating the sourness of your dough is to play around with the amount of starter you use. The smaller the amount of starter in the recipe, the more sour the flavor will be. This is because the starter will go through its food source at a slower rate and produce more acetic acid along the way.

Using a large amount of starter will mean that the bread can ferment quickly. It won’t have had enough time to produce as much acetic acid. There will be more lactic acid in the dough, giving a milder yoghurt like flavor.

Feeding Sourdough Starter After its Peak will result in a More Sour Flavor

The point at which you feed your starter will affect how sour it is. For a more sour starter, feed your starter several hours after it has peaked. This will give the starter enough time to produce more of the acid producing bacteria that makes your starter sour.

If you like a more mild flavor, it is best to feed it just before it peaks.

Add More Sourdough Starter To Make Your Bread Less Sour

Yes, I know. This title can be a bit confusing so let me explain.

By adding more sourdough starter you are actually increasing the amount of yeast you are putting into the bread. This extra yeast will make your bread rise faster and will shorten the time your bread needs to ferment and proof resulting in a less sour tasting bread.

Make sure you use a sourdough starter that is based on mainly white flour. This way your starter will not be so sour and your bread will not be as sour as well.

Using a Stiff Sourdough Starter Results in a More Sour Loaf

Making a starter with a reduced hydration level actually affects its flavor. A starter that is very wet will be encouraged to produced more lactic acid, which gives your dough a more mild yogurt like flavor.

But a starter that is dry will produce more acetic acid, giving it a more sour flavor. Play around with the hydration level of your sourdough starter to adjust its sourness until it gives you flavors you love.

Using a Preferment Helps Increase Acidity in Sourdough Bread

A preferment is simply a stepping stone between the starter and the dough. It consists of feeding a little bit of starter, to a larger amount of flour. A few hours later, this preferment is then used as a starter for the sourdough recipe, rather than the starter itself. Using a preferment for your dough not only increases its rising power, but also increases its acidity levels, which increases the sour flavor in the bread.

Dough Fermentation

Another way to get a more sour tasting bread is to let it ferment for longer. After shaping your sourdough bread it is usually put in the refrigerator to ferment for about 18-24 hours.

This process of fermentation will add that Tangy flavor to your bread. So depending on how long you let this sit in the refrigerator to mature and ferment will have a great effect on the final flavor or your bread.

Also, if you give knockback or punch your sourdough bread in the initial rising stages before shaping will increase the sour flavor of your dough.

TIP: If you do not want your bread to ferment a long time and reduce the sour flavor add some fresh or dry yeast to your sourdough bread. This will not only speed up the rise of your bread but will remove the fermentation stage in the refrigerator which will reduce the sour flavor of your final product

Use A Piece Of Fermented Dough To Add A Tangy Flavor

This tip or hack has been used by bakeries for years and I have not seen anyone write about this anywhere online until now.

After you have made a sourdough dough take out a small portion and set it aside in the fridge.

This piece of dough will ferment in the fridge and produce more natural yeast.

On the following day or a couple of days later when you go to make another bread add this fermented piece of dough that was in your fridge to your new dough (before mixing ). This will not only make your sourdough bread sourer but will also help it rise better and will make it more stable and will give your dough a deeper complex flavor.

Extending the Final Rise Increases the Sourness of Sourdough Bread

The final rise is another time to prolong that fermentation process. Once shaped, leave the loaf in the refrigerator, or in a cooler spot to slow down the 2nd rise for as long as possible. This will increase its sourness even further.

Conclusion

As you can see there are many ways to balance the sour flavors in your bread. Some like it more sour and some less. I hope this article helped to educate you on this subject and that you are now able to control the sour flavor in your bread.