October 7, 2015 - 11:16am
sourdough bread with no flavor
Help. I have very active and sour tasting sourdough starter yet when I use it to bake bread , the bread has no flavor. I get very flavorful loaves with proofed comercial yeast...but where is the sour or for that matter any flavor when i use my starter...I use a good amoun. A cup or so....HELP!
Share
Two things which may be worth considering: 1) is salt added and 2) is your fermentation long enough to develop the taste? I also read somewhere on this forum that using less starter increases the sour (because it requires longer fermentation time) while using more starter reduces the fermentation time.
Thank you Vasiliy,
i tried adding more salt and then the bread did have flavor...the flavor of salt. The dough ferments overnight but I have not tried less starter. My bread also does not have the heavy density of sour dough . It rises light and high! Curiouser and curiouser!
If you walk us through your formula and procedure, we might be able to help you tweak it to get the flavor you want. Also, what is the hydration of your starter? How often are you feeding and how what is the ratio of starter:flour:water used? What temperature is your starter kept at? What kind of flour are you using?
I would try adding some rye flour (maybe 10% of the flour to start).
First of all please post your recipe. Difficult to advise otherwise.
Second of all... it is true that flavour develops from fermentation time. Longer fermentation time = more flavour, Less fermentation time = more mellow flavour.
So baring that in mind if you use less starter and increase the fermentation time you'll get more flavour.
Now since we have no recipe yet i'll take a guess and also say try adding in more wholegrain flour and rye in your recipe. You can also retard the dough in the fridge to increase time and therefore flavour.
Thanks, I'll try the refrigerator fermentation AbeNW11. My starter is 100% hydration, kept in the frig...fed 2 times a week ( earlier stated 3 days a week) with 1/3 C hard red wheat flour and 1/3 C water. It's very sour. I leave it at room temp over night before baking with it. I use unfed starter. Out at room temp the dough is 1 1/4 size original in 11 hours. I'm at very high altitude...so second rise begins then after punching down . I can't let it double twice because it will collapse into a brick. Bread rises faster at high altitude and collapses at soon as it's spent. Recipe is water, flour, salt about 50% hydration. 1 1/2 C water to 3 C high protein flour.
If you're feeding your starter with 1/3 cup each of flour and water, it seems unlikely to be 100% hydration, which is equal amounts of flour an water by weight.
Interesting Arjon...I scale ingredients for cibatta bread only...but never thought of scaling the water to flour ratio for perfectly 100% hydration
100% hydration is equal amounts of flour to water by weight! I weigh everything in grams. It's just easier to calculate everything. Salt should be 2% of total flour by weight. So let's try the following....
400g bread flour
232g water
8g salt
40g starter @ 100% hydration (20g flour + 20g water)
Your starter is quite a bit higher then 100% hydration but we're only using a small amount so won't off set it by too much.
In a bowl mix together 40g starter + 232g water till the starter is fully dispersed.
In another bowl mix the 400g water + 8g salt.
Then add the flour/salt to the starter/water and form the dough. Give it a good 10 minute knead till there is good gluten formation. If you poke it, it should spring straight back up.
Cover the bowl and bulk ferment till doubled!
Then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured worktop and shape into your prepared banneton.
If you wish to bake on the same day then final proof till ALMOST doubled (about 85-90%) then bake in pre-heated oven.
If you wish to improve the flavour... after shaping into your banneton leave out at room temperature for 20 minutes then refrigerate overnight - upto 20 hours (place in plastic bag so it doesn't dry out). Then bake in pre-heated oven straight from the fridge.
If you think it might need a bit more time at room temperature then fine but I find it's normally ready to bake straight away.
P.s. this is quite a small amount of starter. you should find it quite tangy. Start the bread in the morning so you can finish it by evening. Will take longer as less starter. Go for no retarding in the fridge the first time around and see if it's tangy enough for you. If not (I highly doubt it though) then try it again with the retarding in the fridge.
AbeNW11....does you user name mean you are from the damp NW. I have to be very mindful of the amt of flour here. Not only am I at very high altitude but also in the desert. I have to scale back flour measurements by at least one full cup...I know ...problems, problems, ha!
But I don't think we live in the same country as you've mentioned you live in a desert. I live in the UK (and the NW is for an area of London). I'm guessing you live in the USA from living in a desert and also the damp North West which i'm guessing is Washington. I'm venturing a guess here but... Arizona?
I have to lower hydration to suit European flours (which aren't as strong as North American flours) so by all means adjust to your climate.
Let us know how your next sourdough goes.