Imitation SFSD: I Nailed It!
After trying and trying, I think I've got my recipe for imitation sourdough or "sour bread" making an acceptable replica of the old-school sourdoughs we used to get from such S.F. area bakeries as Larraburu, Colombo, Toscana, Parisian and the rest.
It is a basic yeasted loaf with sourness added. It is well known that the two principal souring agents in San Francisco sourdough are acetic acid (vinegar) and lactic acid. This recipe achieves its sourness by adding a specific quantity of these acids to the dough. It is cheating, yes, in the sense that the acids do not come from a live sourdough culture. Those acids would be present whether they came from a culture or were added by the baker.
My previous efforts at sourdough using a traditional culture have been disappointing in that they lacked sufficient sourness. With this technique the baker has direct control over the sourness of the finished bread.
Here is the recipe in baker's percentages:
- White flour: 100%
- Water: 60%
- Salt: 2%
- Instant Dry Yeast: 2.7%
- White vinegar: 1%
- Lactic acid liquid: 1%
Here is a source of lactic acid liquid: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MBW7V2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I've ordered that lactic acid. I'll report on my results.
I'll be interested in hearing how it turns out for you.
Am I correct to assume the process (besides the two acids) is typical white bread? Mix, knead, bulk, shape, rise, bake.
And just add the acids to the mix at the beginning?
Yes, very simple. Once mixed, let the dough proof at room temperature for 2 - 3 hours.
I may make a loaf with slightly more acid, say both at 1.5%, as an experiment to see how it affects the flavor.
It's all subjective and relies on memory. The 1% acids will get you started, though.
I made a test loaf with the acids at 1.5 BP and it had kind of an artificial flavor.
I think the original recipe with 1 BP of vinegar and lactic acid is the way to go.
I made a test loaf with 100g of flour according to your recipe. I baked it at 350F convection for 15 minutes covered and 15 uncovered.
The flavor is really good. We compared to some sourdough from our local Weaver St. co-op and found the flavor comparable.
The crust did not brown as much as I would expect and there appears to be a thin white layer right at the crust. Does yours have that?
How did you bake yours?
There is no white layer on mine.
I bake in a convection oven inside a small covered roaster pan. I spray water on the loaf and bake with the lid on for 20 minutes at 375 F, then remove the lid and bake another 40 minutes for a total of 60 minutes.
Glad you found the flavor good.
1/2 tsp of diastatic malt powder might help the browning.
I made my usual multigrain loaf today with added acid. Tastes great! This is the flavor I've been looking for.
No white layer, browned fine.
Wow! I think we're onto something.
How does the flavor strike you? Too sour, not sour enough, just right? Have you ever had old-school San Francisco sourdough? Larraburu, Parisian, Colombo, Toscana?
Some believe authentic old-school sourdough is still served at Tadich Grill in S.F. but I disagree. When I had it, it was sour but the familiar lactic-acid tanginess was conspicuously absent. This leads me to wonder if it is artificially soured.
Just right according to my wife.
Neither of us have ever had the old-school gold standard but we know what we like.
I have been seeking this level of sour in my sourdough for years. I've attempted dozens of variations. I can make good bread but I haven't be able to combine tangy with good structure.
Also, as I have aged I have gotten less patient with complicated multi-step processes that might produce something great or (more typically for me) a mediocre loaf that I have to eat before I can try again.
With your approach I can get delicious bread with just the sourness I want in a few hours.
Thanks!
Thank you. That feedback is very helpful.
I've never been able to get my home-made loaves adequately sour without overproofing, which results in an unsatisfactory loaf (pancake, actually). The dough loses its shape, flattens out and turns to goo.
Here is a solution for commercial bakeries. It comes in a 50-pound sack. It contains fumaric and malic acids which are not present to any significant degree in naturally-fermented sourdough.
My recipe has the advantage of not containing those extraneous acids.
https://www.mezzonifoods.com/sourdough-flavor/?matchtype=p&network=g&device=c&keyword=sourdough%20flavoring&campaign=10189853893&adgroup=107460873768&gclid=CjwKCAiA4o79BRBvEiwAjteoYKCLiqeSE1b6XnLUijbvQDEyEkBTVSCYdbjNimhD4EebO72Z2pYyVxoCW6MQAvD_BwE
Or something similar. It tasted terrible.
This is the one I tried: https://www.amazon.com/Shop-Save-More-Instant-Sourdough/dp/B00U808RPC/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
Used fumaric acid. No good.
Did you know that you can use whole grains or malted grains to make concentrated lactic acid sourdough at home? In this way, the taste of your bread will not be entirely artificial or synthetic, that is, less "cheating".
I made a white loaf by your formula. It tastes fine but I got no oven spring resulting in a loaf that smaller and more dense than I'd like. Have you noticed reduced rise with the acids?
foods that are artificially flavoured that hit you over the head with flavour, often not good but strong. Most naturally produced products are more subtle. Kind of like when you buy vanilla ice cream, the cheaper varieties have have stronger flavour from artificial vanillin while the higher quality ones use natural vanilla and have much more subtle but deeper flavour. People that are use to artificial flavour often find naturally developed flavours lacking.
The old-school San Francisco sourdoughs were much more sour than I am able to achieve in my kitchen-bakery. This is an attempt to capture some of that sourness.
I can't account for the diminished rise in this recipe, though. Maybe more yeast is needed?