How do I make my sourdough bread taste less sour? This is a question I get asked a lot. I also frequently have customers tell me that my sourdough bread is not nearly as sour as they are used to - some are even fearful to try it, thinking it will be too sour. Then after they taste it, they are pleasantly surprised by its mild flavor.
To begin, it's important to know what makes sourdough bread sour? The sourness in sourdough comes from lactic acid and acetic acid. Lactic acid creates a more mild flavor, while the acetic acid gives it more tanginess. Therefore, in order to decrease the sourness, you must (you guessed it) decrease the acetic acid.
Luckily, there are some small things that you can do in order to make your loaf less tangy, here are just a few:
Don't use whole grain flours to feed your sourdough starter. Using less or not using whole grain flour at all can result in a less sour loaf, as whole grains encourage more bacteria production. So stick to all purpose or bread flour when feeding your sourdough starter.
Feed your sourdough starter more often. When you allow your starter to get hungry by not feeding it, it produces "hooch" (the grayish liquid on top) which will lead to a more sour flavor due to the acetic acid. To help prevent this, feed your sourdough starter more often.
If you leave your starter on the counter at room temperature, I recommend feeding it once (or twice) daily, if it's left in the fridge, feed it every few days. If you do this and your starter still develops hooch, don't stir it into your sourdough starter, dump or scrape it off prior to feeding/stirring your starter.
Shorten your fermentation time. This is the simplest way to manipulate the sourness in your bread,
Increase the amount of sourdough starter in your recipe. Using more starter or using your starter at its peak can reduce sourness. This is because your dough will ferment faster with more sourdough starter present.
I hope these tips help you to adjust the sourness in your sourdough bread to a more mild flavor if that's what you're seeking!
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