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jeffS badge: Community Member

Starter becoming more active, but less sour

A friend gave me some of her starter over the holidays. I brought it home, fed it, and made the KA "extra tangy" recipe about a week after that. My starter didn't seem overly vigorous, so my rising times were at the long end of the ranges given in the recipe. This weekend (about a month later, with weekly feedings in between), I made the recipe again, and the starter was much more vigorous. I still went with longer rising times, but got much more of a rise than the first time. The loaves look great, have a perfect crust and crumb, but are noticeably less sour than the first time, and not really sour enough.

Without adding sour salt (too many comments say the flavor is artificial), how can I get my starter more sour again?

Thanks!

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GinaG
  • Reply by GinaG on February 15, 2012 at 3:14 pm
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Dear JeffS,

Not to complicate matters for you, but that sour you seek isn't necessarily isolated to your starter, even though there are ways to make it more "assertive."

It could be that your friend had their starter stored in the fridge and you received it prior to its being fed. The hooch which rises to the top, when stirred into the starter will promote some of that assertiveness you'd like. The more we feed our starter, the milder it gets. Therefore, feed her less frequently.

Storing the starter in the refrigerator then stirring the hooch back in before you refresh and feed should help. If you wanted less sour, you'd pour off the hooch. But there ARE other things you can do in addition to how you tend to your starter.

Use of a sponge or pre-ferment add flavor to bread and things like fermentation, temps and rising time also impart better flavor. Sourdough is a complex animal with lots of puzzle pieces, so it really is of tremendous value to write notes on what you're doing along with the results you get.

I have had the opposite issue, so I have to keep my starter fed frequently to calm her down. Starters are fun because you absolutely can morph it to suit your needs.

If you have more questions, keep posting back, there are lots of us who can help you!

GinaG.

jeffS
  • Reply by jeffS on February 17, 2012 at 9:15 pm
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Thanx, Gina!

stevenc12
  • Reply by stevenc12 on February 19, 2012 at 4:14 am
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I doubt that your starter makes any difference in the ultimate sourness of the finished bread. The starter both "starts" the leavening process (with the starter's yeast) as well as the sour taste to develop (with the bacteria in the starter). The "bulk fermentation" stage of bread making is when both develop. If you refrigerate the dough, it will slow down the leavening but it does not affect the bacteria that cause the sour taste. It you want more sour, then keep it in the fridge longer.

pammyowl
  • Reply by pammyowl on February 19, 2012 at 7:38 am
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I have to agree with stevenc12. The length of time of your proofing and resting has so much more to do with the flavor than the sourdough starter. I've tried the "sour salt" too, and found it to be ineffective as far as flavor. Sour salt is nothing more than citric acid, so I don't see why the flavor is artificial. I'm not sure where they are coming from, but I'd suggest letting your dough sit in the fridge for a bit.

stevenc12
  • Reply by stevenc12 on February 25, 2012 at 4:49 pm
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Your question brings up one issue that I've had since I started making my own Sourdough. I've thought that it's badly named. By having "sour" in its name, people expect that it's going to taste like you've just taken a big drink of vinegar. To me, "Sourdough" isn't as sour as it is very rich in taste. It's a more complicated and multi-layered taste than breads made with regular yeast. So, you need to consider what you're asking for -- you may get it and not like it.

If you bulk ferment the dough for a longer period, you will get more of a "sour" taste. So, cover it with cling-wrap and put it in the fridge for 24 to 36 hours. It will have more "sour" taste.

Alternately, using "sour salt" (Citric Acid) isn't really cheating. Think of it as an "enhancer" that you intend. It will help get over any guilt-trip causing you to think that you're cheating.