Wondering how to make sourdough bread more sour? You have came to the right place! By adjusting factors like temperature, fermentation time and the amount of starter in a recipe, you can achieve a more sour, sourdough bread or baked good.
Sometimes breads and baked goods using sourdough starter starter as a leavener do not taste sour. Other times, it can be so tangy your mouth puckers up at a bite.
So, what bites? Why does that happen?
Acetic acid is what gives sourdough bread the sour flavor. It is the acid produced through the power of fermentation within sourdough starter.
In addition to providing sour flavors within the bread, acetic acid also provides health benefits. It not only reduces the chance of food spoilage, it also helps to breakdown gluten and phytic acid. It also provides additional gut bacteria benefits.
What makes sourdough bread sour
There are a variety of factors which make sourdough bread sour. From the length of time a dough ferments to the type of flour used within a recipe, there are plenty of variables which can be changed in order to alter the final product (bread or baked good) to have a more pronounced sour flavor.
It is easy to adjust the sourness of your sourdough bread (and starter). Here are 10 of the best tips to make sourdough more sour.
- Ferment the dough longer
By allowing a dough to ferment for a longer period of time, the sour flavor continues to develop. To ensure a dough does not over proof (impacting the final sourdough product), ensure the product bulk ferments in the fridge.
By controlling the dough temperature, this cold ferment (aka the bulk fermentation period) helps to slow the process of fermentation while allowing the flavor profile to develop .
The longer a bread or baked good ferments, the stronger the acetic acid bacteria (sour) flavor will be. For the baked goods requiring a second, final proof (like sourdough garlic knots), a good rise will come from this extended fermentation period.
- Use hungry starter or starter which has a layer of hooch
By lengthening the time in between feeds, a sourdough starter will become hungry. The yeast will eat the flour and need more food (aka more flour) to continue the fermentation cycle.
By feeding the sourdough starter inconsistently (or by ensuring over 18-24 hours between feeds), the starter will start to turn more acidic. It will start to smell acidic as it produces more carbon dioxide. It may even produce tiny-foam like bubbles at the top.
The layer of hooch is the alcohol biproduct caused by fermentation. Hooch will not make a sourdough starter taste more sour.
- Use a mature starter
A newly created sourdough starter will not produce an intense sour flavor. Even though the sourdough stater may be mature and the discard can be used within recipes, the sour flavor will not be strong.
Once you know the signs your sourdough starter is ready, it will take a bit of time before the flavor profile develops. This means your sourdough starter may make a recipe rise due to the natural yeast but it will not have a strong flavor. A starter early on the journey is still considered a healthy starter.
As a sourdough starter is regularly fed and discarded, it will grow faster. The flavor will begin to develop and will be noticeable within recipes. This is provided the recipe is not for a sweet dough like cinnamon rolls or brioche bread).
- Change the hydration level (dry feeding sourdough can change acidity level)
Altering the amount of flour ratios used to feed a sourdough starter can impact the acidity level. A stiff starter is one of the 14 different types of sourdough starters.
Using dry feeding (IE only feeding with flour), can produce a more sour flavor. Dry feeding gives the starter more food to feed on with little liquid to assist in the process.
It can also help the sourdough starter peak quicker and higher than those fed with equal parts – I.E. a 1:1:1 ratio of flour, water and starter (100% hydration). The best part it, it is easy to adjust the hydration of your starter so you can easily change it back to your preferred level.
- Adjust the amount of sourdough starter in a recipe (less levain = more sour)
Let’s nerd out with the science of sourdough! Acetic acid is the byproduct of sourdough starter consuming flour. By using less levain (sourdough starter) in a recipe, a more sour taste will produce.
This is not to say a recipe should only have a tablespoon of sourdough starter in order to work (the chemistry of the recipe will be off), but you can adjust the starter ratio by 1/4 cup and have similar end results. Know if a recipe is changed, the moisture (water, milk, etc) may need to be increase to compensate.
- Add citric acid (sour salt) to a recipe
Citric acid is another way to add a sour flavor to a recipe. Citric acid is found in foods containing citrus.
It is a concentrated compound which does differ from straight lemon, lime or orange juice. Use up to 1/2 tsp to a recipe to add a depth of flavor to your next sourdough recipes.
- Add yogurt or sour cream to your recipe
Similar to citric acid, plain yogurt and sour cream can be used within a recipe to increase the sour flavor. Both yogurt and sour cream are naturally sour in flavor.
Additionally, yogurt and sour cream can also provide moisture to the finished product (like these sourdough sour cream cookies!). Be sure not to use too much yogurt as it can leave a yogurt-like flavor in the final product where sour cream does not seem to have the same impact on flavor.
- Use more whole grains in your recipes
Because whole grain flour ferments faster than all purpose flour, the bread can have a tangy flavor. If you have ever made a sourdough starter from scratch, you would likely start with whole grain (aka whole wheat) flour.
Whole wheat flour not only has micronutrients and microbes than all purpose (white flour), but the wheat germ and bran are still in tact. Whole wheat flour encourages microbes and wild yeast to develop quicker.
This is also why sourdough proofs quicker when it contains whole grains (rye flour, whole wheat, einkorn flour) rather than a recipe using only all purpose flour. We can see this example in a whole wheat sourdough pizza crust which ferments 1-2 hours faster than a sourdough pizza crust containing mostly all purpose flour.
- Feed sourdough starter with wholegrain flour
Similar to increasing whole grains within a recipe, feeding the sourdough starter with whole grains can change the flavor (and speed of reaching the peak) of the starter. Whole grains can include rye, einkorn, whole wheat, and more.
Funny enough, an extra sour sourdough bread may have more whole grains than all purpose flour or bread flour. In this case, flour type matters!
- Discard less sourdough starter when making a recipe
A “rule of thumb” within maintaining sourdough starter is to discard at least half the starter each time before feeding it. This helps to maintain the acidity levels. To increase the sour flavor, discard less starter and feed as normal.
Do you enjoy sour bread or baked goods? If so, let us know what your tips and tricks below!
