Experimenting with sour-ness
Last weekend I conducted an experiment to test the theory that a larger quantity of sourdough starter produces a more sour tasting bread. On the face of it, this seems obvious, but I thought I'd read an alternative theory. The alternative theory is that less starter means a slower-proofing dough, which means more time for the sour flavours to develop.
I used Trevor Wilson's low-hydration dough as my basic recipe, using rye flour instead of whole wheat. I doubled the pre-dough ingredients and then divided the pre-dough in half on baking day.
I made two No Muss No Fuss rye starters, one using 3g seed to make 81g starter; the other using 6g seed to make 160g starter.
My NMNF 'mother' starter has been in the fridge for at least a month now, and definitely has been developing its sour taste. This came through on both loaves. My partner and I agreed that the one with the larger amount of starter did have a stronger and more sour taste. However, the difference wasn't huge. Unfortunately, she was the only "blind" tester I had! I suspect others might have been able to detect a slight difference, without being able to identify it as a difference in sour-ness.
I'm still developing my dough handling and shaping skills, which I think explains why one loaf (the one with 160g starter) came out flatter than the other.
A third loaf I baked the same weekend was a complete pancake!
Comments
I'm contented with the sourness of my breads now but I'm looking ways for a less sour sourdough because my dad doesn't like sour breads. Love the crumb of this one.
Thank you!!
When the starter is low hydration.
Less starter = more sour when high hydration.
30% starter (or higher) with 80% bread flour and 20% whole Rye flour at 50% hydration left to mature and used an hour after peaking should give you more tang.
Less starter to make more tang is due to timing. Lower hydration starter, at a higher ratio, will encourage more acetic acid.
LAB to yeast ratio from 10 to 1 to 100 to 1. What brings out the tang (acetic acid) in bread is stiff and cold. The problem with the starter is that you only use a bit of it in the scheme of things - 3- 8 grams. You are starting out with more LAB to yeast as the starter ages for weeks on end in the cold but then you want to make sure the LAB produce acetic acid and lactic acid. That happens with stiff and cold. So when you build it onto a levain make sure to to keep it a bit stiff and retard the built levain for a a couple of days - here is where more NMNF levain brings more tang to th party. Then make sure to retard the dough in the fridge overnight after a nice gluten developemant and bilk ferment at 88 F.
This will give you a loaf with sour and tang where the LAB to yeast ratio is working to make it that way. It isn't so much the amount of levain that makes the difference but what you do with it. I really want the tang to come though with whole grain and high percent rye breads but not as much with SFSD style breads where the tang can be overpowering..
Your breads look grand and even the one at the end had to taste nice! The first one has a beautiful crust and crumb. The one in the middle is the way most good breads look! Well done and
Happy baking
Hi Dabrownman,
Thanks so much for the compliments and advice! I've just finished baking a couple of loaves using the strategy of retarding both the levain and the dough. I'm really curious to see how they taste. Stay tuned :)
Chapstick