February 14, 2013 - 8:32am
Taste your build
Reading a number of sourdough topics, it strikes me that final flavor balance between sourdough and acid is often hit or miss until trying the finished loaf. However, if you are a good cook, and are making something new, you probably taste the effort along the way to correct for the flavors you are looking for. The same effort should happen for bread if you are trying to hit your favorite taste.
May I suggest you take a spoon and try a bit of your starter (it's only flour and water), and then before an addition of more flour or whatever, taste again. Taste all along the way. It really will not take long before you will start to recognize differences in your build. True the dough and loaf tastes will not be exact as some compounds will bake off, but you will start to pick up changes in flavor or sharpness, and can begin to really tailor your final loaf to what you are seeking, and it will add another dimension to your baking.Just a suggestion.Share
+1. Always.
It is reather a hit or miss, esp. getting the balance in a white flour bread. It's harder to get too sour in a rye, but that perfect white loaf is elusive. I jsut finished two, trying a new (to me) multistep method, and the smell was there, but not much acidity, when I finally tasted it. I have to play around with that proofer, and figure out how long to proof at the higher temps, and see what the dough tastes like and correlate it with what the bread tasted like after. It seems I feel it's getting too sour, just from the smell, but it ends up being blander than I had hoped for. That said, the Honeyville artisan flour I just started using, gave it a great wheat flavor, with just that slight sour tang.
Dave