How to Make Sourdough Less Sour

Plenty of people love naturally leavened bread for its crust and keeping quality but find the tang too strong, especially in sandwich loaves, rolls and sweet doughs. Mildness is achievable with the same starter. The aim is to let the yeast do most of the work while giving the acid-making bacteria as little time and food as possible.

In practice that means a well-fed culture used at its liveliest, a warm and fairly brisk rise, white flour and a short or skipped overnight chill. Fat, milk and a little sugar round off what sourness remains. The steps below run from the starter jar to the oven, with notes on what each change does to schedule and texture.

Start with a sweeter starter

A starter that sits for days between feedings builds up acid, and every gram of it goes into your dough. In the day before baking, feed it two or three times at a generous ratio, for example 10 g starter, 50 g flour and 50 g water, at warm room temperature. Each feeding thins out the acid and wakes the yeast.

Keep the starter on the wetter side, around 100 to 125 percent hydration, and use white bread flour for these feeds. Liquid starters lean toward lactic acid, which is softer on the palate than the vinegary acetic acid that firm, whole grain starters favor.

Catch the levain at its peak

Mix your dough when the levain has roughly doubled to tripled, smells pleasantly yeasty, and still has a domed top. Once it collapses and smells sharp, the acid has risen and the yeast has used up much of its food.

A slightly larger dose of young levain, around 20 to 25 percent of the flour weight, shortens the whole fermentation. Less time means less acid, provided the dough stays warm.

Ferment warm and keep it moving

Hold the dough during bulk at 25 to 27°C (77 to 81°F). An oven with just the light on, a proofing box or a warm spot near, not on, an appliance works. At that temperature most doughs finish bulk in 3½ to 5 hours, depending on the starter.

Shape when the dough has risen about 50 to 75 percent, feels airy and jiggles. Then proof at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours instead of chilling it overnight, or give it a short 2 to 4 hour chill only to make scoring easier.

Choose flour and ingredients that soften flavor

Whole grains feed acid production, so a mild loaf starts with mostly white flour. Keep whole wheat or rye at 10 percent or less if you want a little color.

• Replace part of the water with milk for a softer crumb and rounder taste
• Add 3 to 8 percent butter or oil of the flour weight; fat coats the tongue and mutes acidity
• Add 2 to 5 percent sugar or honey of the flour weight; a hint of sweetness balances tang
• Use enriched recipes such as sandwich loaves and rolls, which read mild by design

A sample mild-loaf schedule

Morning: feed the starter 1:5:5 and leave it in a warm spot. Midday, when it peaks, mix the dough with the young starter and rest it covered. Late afternoon: shape after a warm bulk with two or three sets of folds. Proof 1 to 2 hours, bake in the evening, and slice once the loaf has cooled completely.

If you need an overnight step for convenience, chill the levain, not the shaped dough. Feed it in the evening at a large ratio, refrigerate, and let it finish rising at room temperature in the morning before mixing.

Common questions

Can I add baking soda to neutralize the sourness?

A pinch kneaded in will reduce tang, but it also tends to give a soapy flavor, a yellowish crumb and weaker structure. Changing the starter care and fermentation timing gives far better bread.

Will a less sour loaf go stale faster?

Slightly. Acidity helps sourdough keep, so a milder loaf behaves more like a yeasted one. Store it cut side down on a board for a day or two, then slice and freeze what you will not eat soon.