bread lacks flavor -- starter too mild?
When I initially cultured my starter, I used the water from fermented raisins and white bread flour. The bread I bake seems lacking in flavor, and is, also, not sour. I have experimented to no end with different starter amounts (5% to 20% of recipe by weight), different temps, flour combinations, rising times, and techniques without much change in the end result. The bread looks good with a crispy enough crust, open crumb, and great keeping quality, but the flavor is lacking. I keep my 100% hydration starter in the fridge until I need it. When it is time to use it, I let 10 grams warm up to at least room temp of 68 degrees, and begin feeding it 1:1:1. It usually takes 3 to 4 feedings before it becomes active enough to use. I have used rye flour, whole wheat flour, combinations of white, rye, and whole wheat flours to feed it, and have altered the temp from 80 degrees temperatures to 50 degrees. I have used the starter at the beginning of its cycle, at its peak, and a few hours after it peaks and begins to recede, and all manner and types of variations to bring out more flavor and nothing seems to work. I have a variety of coolers I use to lower or raise dough temps. I have tried retarding the dough at fridge temps of 39 degrees, and in coolers at 50 degrees, from one day to four days, and warmed the dough to 85 degrees for the final rise, and so on.
I am beginning to think it was a mistake to culture the starter using water from fermented raisins. I suspect the dominant strains of yeast from the raisins resulted in a starter that is too mild, and my subsequent feedings haven't changed it, even when I feed it only rye flour. Any opinion on this would be appreciated, otherwise, I am planning to culture a new starter using just flour and water, or maybe the pineapple and rye method.