November 8, 2009 - 10:50pm
Sourdough taste
I made the BBA Italian bread with good results, but it stales so quickly. I've been redoing almost every recipe in SD just to help with keeping fresh, but I thought there was too much sour taste this time. Is there a way to tame down the flavor, while maintaining the benefit of the longer freshness? I've heard some of you talk about slicing your loaves right away and freezing--just taking out what you need each day. I guess I can do that if I have to, but I love having a loaf in my bread box for a few days, always ready.
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I personally do not like the sour tang to some SD.My starter yields a nice,sweet bread.There has been a lot of discussion on how to make SD bread more sour and it has a lot to do with how the starter is maintained. Maybe if you research that topic to see what you should/should not do for sourness. I do know that if I do a prolonged,retarded rise,even with my starter, the dough wil develop more sour.
As far as staling,I have found that enriched loaves do last longer.The addition of some kind of fat,sugar oe protein helps a lot.Even if it is 2 tbsp veg. oil per loaf.
I usually figure 1/2 c 100%(by weight) starter per loaf.For full flavor, I try to make my dough for an overnight rise. If I'm short on rise time, I do add 1/4-1/2 tsp instant yeast.A compromise.Bread still tastes good.
Thanks. Good points. I have tried adding a bit of yeast to hurry the rise, and I thought the bread staled quicker than when I didn't. Maybe that's what I get for thinking. I've purposely kept away from the enrichments, trying to get as lean a loaf as possible, since I want to be leaner, too, but I'm thinking maybe that could be the answer to my problem.
Syb
Would you mind sharing your recipe?
Syb
Firm starters, and long slow rises make sourdough breads really sour. The reason being, firm starters select for acetic acid bacteria and long slow rises give said bacteria plenty of time to ferment and produce the acids and metabolites that contribute to the sour flavor (and other flavors typical to those bacteria). In order to get a mild sour flavor, design conditions such that the bread isn't sour based on what you know.
Here's what I'd do.
1.) Keep a liquid levain rather then a firm starter
2.) Use lots of sourdough starter to get a faster rise (within reason of course)
3.) Don't punch down your dough in order to get a secondary fermentation before shaping
4.) Don't use retarded yeast fermentation, but rather try to bake off the dough before you make up your final dough.
Thats all I can think of in terms of getting the mildest flavor you can. Let us know how it goes.
OK, I was wondering about #1, since I use a stiff (50% hydration) starter. So, do you think equal parts starter, flour and water would be good?
I don't understand your #4. Can you explain?
Thanks for your help.
Syb
Yeah, standard 100% mother is maintained with a 2:2:1 ratio of flour, water, and mother. That particular hydration mother favors growth of lactic acid bacteria that produce a much milder flavor (yogurt vs. vinegar). Give it a try and see how things go.
As for #4, some people like to slow down their sourdoughs in the fridge, then bake them off the next day, that can apply to bulk fermentation or to the final proof before the bake. If you're trying to minimize the sour flavor in your breads, don't do this. The longer and slower the fermentation, the more flavor you'll get in your bread (which in your case you don't want).
Hope this helps,
Gabriel
Thanks Gabriel. That business about not doing a long fermentation unless you want more sour is another wonderful tidbit for me to put in my "bread bank" of information. You guys are great. Even though I've probably read all these techniques, the totality of their effect didn't register until you told me. Can't wait to bake again with what I've learned here.
Syb