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How do I make my sourdough bread more or less sour?
Most people believe their sourdough starter is responsible for the acidity level of their bread, and it may indeed play some role, but the sourness is most influenced by the duration and temperature of the dough fermentation rather than the starter feeding schedule or flour type. A long cool fermentation will usually result in a more sour bread, and a short warm process tends to result in a less sour bread.
As long as you have a sense of what the dough should look and feel like at the end of your dough’s bulk fermentation and final proof, you can get to those points as quickly or slowly as you prefer via how much starter you put into the dough and the use of warmth or refrigeration.
Note that cold temperature compresses gas, so your refrigerated dough may be ready when it’s a smidge lower in the bowl or proofing basket than is typical for a room temperature rise. But if your dough hasn’t expanded much in the refrigerator during the first rise, don’t assume that it’s ready just because a long time has passed. Dough that’s refrigerated right after mixing is thrown into dormancy and will need multiple days in the refrigerator or many hours back at room temperature to fully ferment — unless the dough formula is heavy on the starter. For example. in this whole grain sourdough recipe, 556g ripe sourdough starter is mixed into a dough with only 505g flour, and the bulk fermentation is able to take place entirely in the refrigerator in only 24 hours.
Here’s some additional reading that may help you understand the variables at play and how to adjust your baking process so that your bread comes out with the flavor you want.
Not So Sour – Forum Thread
Challenging Sourdough Starter Convention
Experimenting with Different Flours in Sourdough Starter
Experimenting with Refrigerated Final Proofing
How do I make my sourdough bread more or less sour?