The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Help! I don't really know how Sourdough should taste!

chockswahay's picture
chockswahay

Help! I don't really know how Sourdough should taste!

This might sound a little daft, but the only sourdough bread I have ever eaten is my own!

Now I have read books, watched videos, surfed my way through pages and pages of TFL.........

But I don't really have any external reference point on how sourdough should taste or feel.

I like what I bake and it has indeed got better with experience, but I am not sure if it is how it should be!  

My bread is usually a little moist and springy compared to bread made with commercial yeast, the taste is generally a 'little sour' and on most occasions quite nice to eat. Is this how it's supposed to be?

I do sometimes wonder if it would just be easier (and faster) to simply make 'normal' bread......

Mike Avery's picture
Mike Avery

Sourdough bread is far more variable in taste than yeasted breads.  It depends on the goals, and skill, of the baker.

In California people tend to want very tart, acidic and assertive loaves.  In France, such a loaf would be considered gauche - they want a mild flavor profile.

You can control the flavor you get by how you handle the sourdough starter and the bread dough.  For my sourdough cinnamon raisin bread I want a mild profile, so I use lots of fresh sourdough starter and get a short rise.  It has a very mild sourdough flavor profile, mild enough some people don't know it's sourdough.  However, it lasts like sourdough bread.

For my San Francisco style sourdough bread I use a very small amount of starter and a long, long rise to get a very assertive taste.

So, back to your question - if you like your bread, you're doing it right.

chockswahay's picture
chockswahay

Thanks Mike, it is a bit weird asking a question like that, but it occurred to me that I have never eaten anyone elses!

This will change in 2 weeks time however.  I will be spending a day in Hobbs House Bakery in Chipping Sodbury, UK as a result of entering a sourdough competition a few weeks back.  It will be nice to see how the professionals do it and to meet other amateurs at the same time :) 

Arjon's picture
Arjon

There is no single way that all SD bread is supposed to taste. Like Mike's, most of mine are on the lower parts of the sourness scale because that's what my family and I prefer. That said, I do occasionally make some that are _somewhat_ more sour as another way to get variety. 

Ru007's picture
Ru007

The only sourdough, i've ever eaten is my own, LOL!

I really enjoy it, far far FAR more than shop bread. My breads, are only slightly sour, i think that's just my starters personality, but that's okay, i wouldn't change a thing about about my starter :)

Let us know what you think of other peoples loaves. 

Happy baking!

 

Lazy Loafer's picture
Lazy Loafer

For what it's worth, two of the breads I make regularly are very similar in flour blend (mostly unbleached bread flour with some whole wheat) and hydration. The main difference is that one is made with a mild fresh 'sourdough' starter, while the other is made with a poolish pre-ferment made from bread flour, ale and a little yeast. The methods are very similar too. The main difference in handling is that the poolish bread is springier right from the get-go (the hydration is admittedly a little lower) and it rises more strongly. Both are bulk fermented overnight in the fridge, then shaped, proofed and baked the next day.

They are quite different in taste. The Pain au Levain has a distinct tangy flavour, even with a mild fresh starter, while the Ale & Yeast poolish bread is much sweeter, even with the ale in it. Try making your 123 bread again, one with a 100% hydration fresh starter and the other with a 100% hydration poolish as the pre-ferment, and do a taste test.

By the way, the loaf pictured in your post is exquisite! :)

 

chockswahay's picture
chockswahay

Thanks LL, as it happens that one was 65% and kneaded (re our notes on 123)

:)

chockswahay's picture
chockswahay

Should sourdough have a slightly moist texture?  Compared to baking with dried (or fresh) yeast my sourdough is not as dry or crumbly.

Lechem's picture
Lechem (not verified)

to yeasted breads. What you describe is the same as my own experience and with all the sourdoughs I have bought. They are not as crumbly and very often chewy due to the different kind of fermentation. Without delving into it too deeply, there's a lot more going on in sourdough. 

Lazy Loafer's picture
Lazy Loafer

Generally I'd say yes, but the Ale & Yeast Poolish bread that I described actually has a texture much like sourdough, with an open crumb and gelatinous holes. Maybe it's not quite as moist, and the crust is a bit thinner and softer. And that is the lower hydration bread!