A beginner question. I've started experimenting with fermented
starters mixed in with yeasted breads. I seem to have trouble getting
the starter's depth of flavor to end up in the final loaf. For
instance, I just made a sourdough banana bread using a sour cream
starter from Beth Hensberger's bread machine book. I used half a cup
of five day old starter in a 1.5 # loaf-- it smelled champagney and
wonderful--but all that for all intents and purposes vanished by the
time the loaf came out of the machine. The mystery for me is that when
I make a biga raison bread I can taste the fermented flavor of the
biga (champagney) easily. So why does a five day old sour cream
starter that smells a lot more intense fade out by the time the loaf
is baked?

Perhaps the sour cream and bananas are over powering it.

--
Ron Anderson
A1 Sewing Machine
PO Box 60
Sand Lake, NY 12153
518-469-5133
http://www.a1sewingmachine.com
"Jonathan Kandell" > wrote in message
om...
> A beginner question. I've started experimenting with fermented
> starters mixed in with yeasted breads. I seem to have trouble getting
> the starter's depth of flavor to end up in the final loaf. For
> instance, I just made a sourdough banana bread using a sour cream
> starter from Beth Hensberger's bread machine book. I used half a cup
> of five day old starter in a 1.5 # loaf-- it smelled champagney and
> wonderful--but all that for all intents and purposes vanished by the
> time the loaf came out of the machine. The mystery for me is that when
> I make a biga raison bread I can taste the fermented flavor of the
> biga (champagney) easily. So why does a five day old sour cream
> starter that smells a lot more intense fade out by the time the loaf
> is baked?

On 22 May 2004 10:12:10 -0700, (Jonathan
Kandell) wrote:

>A beginner question. I've started experimenting with fermented
>starters mixed in with yeasted breads. I seem to have trouble getting
>the starter's depth of flavor to end up in the final loaf. For
>instance, I just made a sourdough banana bread using a sour cream
>starter from Beth Hensberger's bread machine book. I used half a cup
>of five day old starter in a 1.5 # loaf-- it smelled champagney and
>wonderful--but all that for all intents and purposes vanished by the
>time the loaf came out of the machine. The mystery for me is that when
>I make a biga raison bread I can taste the fermented flavor of the
>biga (champagney) easily. So why does a five day old sour cream
>starter that smells a lot more intense fade out by the time the loaf
>is baked?

Hi Jonathan,

I will offer a simple answer to your interesting and complex question:

Generally, I find that the fermentation flavors in the final taste of
the bread are a function of the extent of the fermentation of the
final stage only.

Said another way, using a ripe (that is, more fully fermented) starter
to form a dough that is then fermented briefly will produce a bread
with much less (fermentation) flavor than a less ripe starter used to
form a dough that is then fermented fully.

Beyond that, a few other comments:

I know nothing whatever about bread machines, but have read comments
so many times that I have come to believe that making sourdough in
bread machines is tough.

And finally, please don't be put of the folks who will tell you that
sourdough bread should not have in it the ingredients you seem to
enjoy. Certainly breads of water, salt, flour, and culture, can be
delicious, but they are certainly not the only way to go.

All the best,

--
Kenneth

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