5 ms·

Most sourdough is gross. It's very rare that I prefer it over a nice loaf of simple white or whole wheat bread. One advantage it has, is its unique taste. It re

by foxyv 4y ago

Most sourdough is gross. It's very rare that I prefer it over a nice loaf of simple white or whole wheat bread. One advantage it has, is its unique taste. It reminds me of Clam Chowder and nice seafood restaurants. However, if they offered a simple baguette instead I would be perfectly happy.

silisili 4y ago
It's definitely a unique flavor. My wife makes some that have these darker wet pockets of 'extra sour' that I love. Kid finds it absolutely gross, and I can see why completely. Just like Vegemite, and anchovies. I love them, but admit the flavor is...odd.
- dunham 4y ago
  Also beer brewed with brettanomyces.
- abcanthur 4y ago
  Pockets of extra sour!? Fascinating, what is her secret?
  - silisili 4y ago
    I asked her - she said it happens because it's not mixed properly lol. Specifically, she said it happened because I didn't get her enough notice and so she shortened the process, not refolding and restretching as much as she normally would.
washadjeffmad 4y ago
Baguette is traditionally a sourdough. Specifically, a liquid dough levain. This whole article seems strange because "sour-" the root doesn't exactly mean "sour" the taste. It's from "sauer" which implied any aerobic ferment or oxidation, since the old name of oxygen (and still in German) is sauerstoff. Yes, ferments often produce telltale organic acids, but the takeaway is that sourdough isn't called sour because of the flavor, but because it implies that it's derived from an existing culture and not a fresh ferment, like Jack Daniel's Tennessee "sour mash" whiskey, which notably does not taste "sour".
- timeon 4y ago
  If you over-proof dough then it could be sour. But that is considered to be an error.
  - voisin 4y ago
    This is partially incorrect as it isn’t the only reason the sourdough can become sour. The sourness comes from the relative mix of bacteria. I believe the acronyms are BAC vs LAC but may be wrong on that. One is more milky and the other is more acidic, and which thrives proportionately better depends on the relative hydration and type of flour (whole vs white vs rye etc etc etc).
- thaumasiotes 4y ago
  > This whole article seems strange because "sour-" the root doesn't exactly mean "sour" the taste. It's from "sauer" which implied any aerobic ferment or oxidation, since the old name of oxygen (and still in German) is sauerstoff. I would have guessed that sourstuff was named after "sour" the taste, rather than the taste being named after the element. For one thing, people were aware of the flavor many thousands of years before they had any concept of the element.
- foxyv 4y ago
  Baguette is traditionally made from yeast rather than a sourdough. Typically what makes a sourdough isn't the yeast component, but the bacterial component. Lacto-Fermentation in general is dependent on the bacterial component to produce lactic acids making that distinct sour milk flavor. If you let a dough overproof you will get a sour taste because lacto-fermenting bacteria are freaking everywhere and will take over your dough. Sour mash whiskey doesn't taste sour because it is distilled. Also, beware. There are lies, damn lies, and etymology. Sauer literally translates from German to English as sour. This is because their sauer-kraut, sauer-braten, and kefirs are all lacto-ferments. In fact, a lot of these recipes don't even use existing cultures and simply inoculate them from the air. I had a lot of bad experiences with milk as a kid, especially a bout of the flu where I made the mistake of drinking milk while sick. So anything lacto-fermented is kind of nasty to me.
timeon 4y ago
This makes sense - in my Slavic language, what English language typically calls bread, is not really bread but it is closer to baguette then to the bread. We consider bread something like sourdough or equivalent style made with yeast. Typically from rye (if you are closer to Germany), mix or just wheat (if you are closer to Hungary/south).
ascar 4y ago
As a German (Frankonian to be precise which even for Germany has an especially rich culture of bread) I find what Americans call "bread" quite gross. Most tastes are acquired and the low quality and culinary culture in regards to bread always astounds me when traveling anywhere outside Germany except Italy (they know how to make good white bread like Ciabatta) and maybe Indian naan and similar Asian variations, though that's something completely different to Western bread.
- foxyv 4y ago
  The USA is kind of huge. It has hundreds of enclaves and micro-cultures that can make people a 100 miles away from each other, almost seem like they are from a different country. What Americans consider "Bread" is usually such a wide range of items that it makes my head spin. Most of it isn't even really bread in the classic sense. However, in some areas of the USA, you can get loaves of the richest, most amazing breads imaginable from any country or culture in the world. However, Americans usually don't buy their bread if they are serious about it because all the small town bakeries are out of business. They instead make it themselves.

by foxyv 4y ago

silisili 4y ago

It's definitely a unique flavor. My wife makes some that have these darker wet pockets of 'extra sour' that I love. Kid finds it absolutely gross, and I can see why completely. Just like Vegemite, and anchovies. I love them, but admit the flavor is...odd.

dunham 4y ago
Also beer brewed with brettanomyces.
abcanthur 4y ago
Pockets of extra sour!? Fascinating, what is her secret?
- silisili 4y ago
  I asked her - she said it happens because it's not mixed properly lol. Specifically, she said it happened because I didn't get her enough notice and so she shortened the process, not refolding and restretching as much as she normally would.

washadjeffmad 4y ago

Baguette is traditionally a sourdough. Specifically, a liquid dough levain. This whole article seems strange because "sour-" the root doesn't exactly mean "sour" the taste. It's from "sauer" which implied any aerobic ferment or oxidation, since the old name of oxygen (and still in German) is sauerstoff. Yes, ferments often produce telltale organic acids, but the takeaway is that sourdough isn't called sour because of the flavor, but because it implies that it's derived from an existing culture and not a fresh ferment, like Jack Daniel's Tennessee "sour mash" whiskey, which notably does not taste "sour".

timeon 4y ago
If you over-proof dough then it could be sour. But that is considered to be an error.
- voisin 4y ago
  This is partially incorrect as it isn’t the only reason the sourdough can become sour. The sourness comes from the relative mix of bacteria. I believe the acronyms are BAC vs LAC but may be wrong on that. One is more milky and the other is more acidic, and which thrives proportionately better depends on the relative hydration and type of flour (whole vs white vs rye etc etc etc).
thaumasiotes 4y ago
> This whole article seems strange because "sour-" the root doesn't exactly mean "sour" the taste. It's from "sauer" which implied any aerobic ferment or oxidation, since the old name of oxygen (and still in German) is sauerstoff. I would have guessed that sourstuff was named after "sour" the taste, rather than the taste being named after the element. For one thing, people were aware of the flavor many thousands of years before they had any concept of the element.
foxyv 4y ago
Baguette is traditionally made from yeast rather than a sourdough. Typically what makes a sourdough isn't the yeast component, but the bacterial component. Lacto-Fermentation in general is dependent on the bacterial component to produce lactic acids making that distinct sour milk flavor. If you let a dough overproof you will get a sour taste because lacto-fermenting bacteria are freaking everywhere and will take over your dough. Sour mash whiskey doesn't taste sour because it is distilled. Also, beware. There are lies, damn lies, and etymology. Sauer literally translates from German to English as sour. This is because their sauer-kraut, sauer-braten, and kefirs are all lacto-ferments. In fact, a lot of these recipes don't even use existing cultures and simply inoculate them from the air. I had a lot of bad experiences with milk as a kid, especially a bout of the flu where I made the mistake of drinking milk while sick. So anything lacto-fermented is kind of nasty to me.

timeon 4y ago

This makes sense - in my Slavic language, what English language typically calls bread, is not really bread but it is closer to baguette then to the bread. We consider bread something like sourdough or equivalent style made with yeast. Typically from rye (if you are closer to Germany), mix or just wheat (if you are closer to Hungary/south).

ascar 4y ago

As a German (Frankonian to be precise which even for Germany has an especially rich culture of bread) I find what Americans call "bread" quite gross. Most tastes are acquired and the low quality and culinary culture in regards to bread always astounds me when traveling anywhere outside Germany except Italy (they know how to make good white bread like Ciabatta) and maybe Indian naan and similar Asian variations, though that's something completely different to Western bread.

foxyv 4y ago
The USA is kind of huge. It has hundreds of enclaves and micro-cultures that can make people a 100 miles away from each other, almost seem like they are from a different country. What Americans consider "Bread" is usually such a wide range of items that it makes my head spin. Most of it isn't even really bread in the classic sense. However, in some areas of the USA, you can get loaves of the richest, most amazing breads imaginable from any country or culture in the world. However, Americans usually don't buy their bread if they are serious about it because all the small town bakeries are out of business. They instead make it themselves.