Recipes Too Sour?

At the beginning of my sourdough journey, I quickly noticed a peculiarity in some recipes: excessive sourness.

I blamed all sorts of things, and worse, it didn't happen every time, which made it harder to figure out the cause.

All it took was paying attention to the starter's consistency. Over time it's common to stop measuring the flour and water precisely when feeding the levain — but a little more water or a little less flour gives you a thin, runny mixture, which then results in overly sour recipes with an unpleasant ‘alcoholic’ smell.

The starter's consistency should be like raw cake or pancake batter — maybe slightly thicker.

1 cup of water plus 1 cup of flour won't always give you the ideal consistency.

Sometimes it needs less water, or more flour. Remember, this is live bacteria, a natural product that can vary depending on the climate, temperature, and the amount of flour and water added.

If your starter is watery, thin, and ‘too strong,’ you can fix it just by adding a bit more flour until the consistency looks right again. The strong smell will fade, and your recipes won't have an unpleasant taste.

And never mix in the liquid that forms on top when the starter has been stored in the fridge or gone a while without being fed — pour it out, then feed and mix. That liquid is what causes the overly strong, sour effect.