Back to S.F. Sourdough
Here is my dilemma:
I can definitely duplicate the ultra-sour flavor of the legacy sourdoughs we used to have in San Francisco back in the day. I can do this using a conventional sourdough culture (starter).
The problem is, in order to achieve this flavor I have to let the dough overproof. Like way overproof. Overproof to the point that proteolysis turns the dough basically to liquid.
Needless to say, it is not possible to get a viable loaf from this. Instead I get an unrisen sourdough pancake with a crunchy crust.
What I know about the bakery technique of the legacy bakeries is that they used a stiff starter which they rebuilt every eight hours. Inasmuch as they were baking 24/7, this starter ultimately gets used up. They can't afford to make starter and then throw the surplus in the garbage. That kind of waste would cost them money.
Could this explain why the old S.F. SD was so sour? The obvious question is, how did they prevent the starter and dough from overproofing?
Rebuilding a starter every eight hours is not practical for the home baker who does not bake 24/7. For this reason I no longer do much sourdough baking.
I've had the sourdough at Tadich Grill and did not taste the familiar lactic-acid tanginess I'm used to, leading me to suspect that they achieve their sourness by artificial means.
Thoughts?