What Makes Sourdough Sour | How To Make Sourdough More Sour - Cultures For Health (2024)

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What Makes Sourdough Sour | How To Make Sourdough More Sour - Cultures For Health? ›

Longer fermentation

The longer you ferment, the more starches and sugars the bacteria eats, and the more sour your bread will be. Some people let the bread proof in the fridge for up to 48 hours! (or longer if you're absent minded like we are.

Longer fermentation

The longer you ferment, the more starches and sugars the bacteria eats, and the more sour your bread will be. Some people let the bread proof in the fridge for up to 48 hours! (or longer if you're absent minded like we are.

Sourdough relies on a mix of wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria, rather than baker's yeast, to leaven the dough. It's richer in nutrients, less likely to spike your blood sugar, contains lower amounts of gluten, and is generally easier to digest than bread made with baker's yeast.

The signature sourdough flavor comes from a combination of lactic and acetic acids, created as the dough rises and ferments. Refrigerating the dough encourages the production of more acetic acid, which is the tangier of the two. Thus, this bread with its refrigerated starter has the ideal balance of sour flavor.

For more tang: Incorporate some rye flour and/or whole wheat flour early in the bread-making process, such as when feeding the mother culture and the preferment. Rye flour in particular will help your culture produce some acetic acid.

Sourdough purists will scoff at this, but... for those of you who like a more sour sourdough loaf, adding 1/4 teaspoon or so of this “sour salt”—citric acid—to your dough will definitely up the pucker quotient.

If you over-ferment the dough you run the risk of the gluten structure degrading and the loaf turning into a puddle of goo before your eyes, never to be retrieved and destined for the bin.

According to some studies, sourdough bread acts as a prebiotic, which means that the fiber in the bread helps feed the “good” bacteria in your intestines. These bacteria are important for maintaining a stable, healthy digestive system. Sourdough is also lower in gluten than other forms of bread.

Sourdough bread's fiber, potassium, phosphorus, and sodium content all support a heart-healthy diet. The soluble fiber found in sourdough bread binds to dietary cholesterol in the small intestine, helping pass this fat through the system instead of absorbing it.

When choosing a sourdough loaf, look for ones that have whole wheat, spelt or rye, Rizzo adds. Some studies suggest that Einkhorn wheat, a type of "ancient grain," may offer more nutritional benefits. When comparing nutrition labels, try to opt for the one with fewer ingredients and less sodium and sugar.

What bacteria makes sourdough sour? ›

Other natural ingredients can be added but genuine sourdough bread making does not involve the use of baker's yeast, chemical raising agents, so-called processing aids or other additives.

One consequence of the common belief that sourdough should be sour is that commercial sourdough is too sour. Sadly, most commercial sourdoughs aren't actually sourdough breads. They are yeasted breads that have had acetic acid, malic acid, and/or fumaric acid added to them.

13. Baking Soda Neutralises the Sour Flavor in Sourdough Bread Adding baking soda to the dough gives it boosted rising power, but because it's such a strong alkaline, it neutralizes the acids in the sourdough, which also neutralizes the sour flavor.

Sourdough has made a comeback—and for good reason. It provides nutrients, including healthy carbs, protein, fiber, iron and vitamins like folic acid. It may help improve digestion, lower chronic disease risk and even promote healthy aging.

The bottom line. Sourdough is a healthier alternative to regular white or whole wheat bread. Although it has comparable nutrients, the lower phytate levels mean it is more digestible and nutritious. The prebiotics also help to keep your gut bacteria happy, and it may be less likely to spike blood sugar levels.

The taste of sourdough can be influenced by factors including fermentation time, temperature and flour type, as well as the microbes present in the starter.

The fermentation temperature probably plays the most important role in sourdough baking. Warmer temperatures encourage lactic acid production making your bread less sour. Cooler temperatures (such as room temperature) on the other hand favor acetic acid production and make your sourdough more sour.

Salt inhibits the acid producers more than the yeast, which means that once the levain is mixed into the main dough, the ability to produce acid is somewhat diminished.

Sourdough bread is called “sourdough” because it is made using a naturally occurring yeast and bacteria culture known as a sourdough starter. The starter is a mixture of flour and water that is left to ferment over time, which allows wild yeast and bacteria to colonize it.