Vinegar Smell When Baking
hollmarkp
I continue to experiment to make that "perfect" loaf and have been playing
with starters, not real sourdough, but just a sponge made the night before.
I've noticed a very strong vinegar smell when the loaf bakes. So strong,
that it is not that pleasant bread-in-the-oven smell we all know. The bread
does not taste like a sourdough. I'm concerned that I'm giving too many or
too long rises at too warm a temperature and the dough is turning old before
I bake it.
Any thoughts?
Mark
Janet Bostwick
Alan Zelt <alzelt...@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:389F9E0C...@worldnet.att.net...
> sourdoughs actually use vinegar to provide the ersatz "sourdough"
> flavor.
> --
> alan
>
I think that it is just the natural smell of fermentation(after all, that is
what we call the development of the dough)particularly when developing a
sponge or an old dough. You can smell a sour/alcohol(vinegar) smell when
you take the cover off of the bowl of sponge or old dough and I think that
the initial baking heat drives some of this smell off. I kind of like it.
Janet
Alan Zelt
>
> Folks:
>
> I continue to experiment to make that "perfect" loaf and have been playing
> with starters, not real sourdough, but just a sponge made the night before.
> I've noticed a very strong vinegar smell when the loaf bakes. So strong,
> that it is not that pleasant bread-in-the-oven smell we all know. The bread
> does not taste like a sourdough. I'm concerned that I'm giving too many or
> too long rises at too warm a temperature and the dough is turning old before
> I bake it.
>
> Any thoughts?
>
> Mark
Is it possible that you are actually adding vinegar? Some commercial
sourdoughs actually use vinegar to provide the ersatz "sourdough"
flavor.
--
alan
Eliminate FINNFAN on reply.
"If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion, and
avoid the
people, you might better stay home."
--James Michener
Alan Zelt
>
> Alan Zelt <alzelt...@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
> news:389F9E0C...@worldnet.att.net...
> > >
> > > Folks:
> > >
> > > I continue to experiment to make that "perfect" loaf and have been
> playing
> > > with starters, not real sourdough, but just a sponge made the night
> before.
> > > I've noticed a very strong vinegar smell when the loaf bakes. So strong,
> > > that it is not that pleasant bread-in-the-oven smell we all know. The
> bread
> > > does not taste like a sourdough. I'm concerned that I'm giving too many
> or
> > > too long rises at too warm a temperature and the dough is turning old
> before
> > > I bake it.
> > >
> > > Any thoughts?
> > >
> > > Mark
> >
> > Is it possible that you are actually adding vinegar? Some commercial
> > sourdoughs actually use vinegar to provide the ersatz "sourdough"
> > flavor.
> > --
> > alan
> >
> what we call the development of the dough)particularly when developing a
> sponge or an old dough. You can smell a sour/alcohol(vinegar) smell when
> you take the cover off of the bowl of sponge or old dough and I think that
> the initial baking heat drives some of this smell off. I kind of like it.
>
> Janet
I get a little nervous when I hear "vinegar", since it does seem to be a
shortcut in many commercial sourdoughs.
Errol
when you let the bread rise? The vinegar smell and taste might be a
lack of oxygen in during the rising stage(s), this would mean that the
fermentation of the sugars by the yeast would be anaerobic (without
oxygen) and produce acetic acid (vinegar).
On Mon, 7 Feb 2000 22:25:01 -0500, "hollmarkp" <holl...@fuse.net>
hollmarkp
It is a basic recipe (bread flour, water, yeast, salt) made from a starter
that sits overnight at room temperature. Then the dough rises 1.5 -2.0 hours
@ about 80F and then as a freeform loaf 1.0 - 1.5 hours also at about 80F.
I've been trying to get a light, irregular crumb with lots of irregular
holes, a bit chewey with a firm crust. Also, I've been trying to keep the
dough very moist and not add too much flour.
Any thoughts?
Mark
Errol wrote in message <38a0868c....@news.massey.ac.nz>...
Alan Zelt
Just me, I guess, but why so warm on the two rises?
Errol
the dough overnight. Keep the rising times from 1-2 hours, leaving it
overnight would mean the yeast in the middle of the dough would run
out of oxygen. After each rise the kneading introduces more air into
the dough so the yeast shouldn't run out of oxygen. If you're going
to leave the dough overnight try keeping it in the fridge so the yeast
acts slower and the oxygen will last longer. Have you tried adding
more rising sessions before baking, so have a 4th rising step or even
a 5th.
On Tue, 8 Feb 2000 22:11:11 -0500, "hollmarkp" <holl...@fuse.net>
Dick Margulis
Mark, you don't say how much yeast, what kind of flour, or how exactly
you are fermenting the dough. My guess is that you are using too much
yeast for the sequence you describe. For a dough to rise overnight at
room temperature, it should have very little yeast to begin with.
Beyond that, I hope your "room temperature" is in the 50-60 F range
(don't laugh; I used to live in a farmhouse that we heated with wood;
overnight kitchen temperatures easily got that low on a winter night).
If your room temperature is higher than that, do your overnight
fermentation in the refrigerator.
You may be covering the dough with plastic wrap, as is recommended by
many authors. Don't. Use smooth-weave kitchen towels (as opposed to
terry cloth, which can make a mess), and be sure to grease the dough
well by turning it in the bowl before you cover it.
After punching the dough down in the morning (hint: if it collapses on
its own, you have too much yeast/too warm a room/too long a ferment), do
the second rise at room temp. For the third rise (after forming the
loaves) either do the third rise quickly with warmth and moisture, or
follow Alan's method for proofing in the fridge (try both methods and
see what works for you).
As for flour, if you are aiming for what I think you are describing, I'd
suggest a clear flour, or possibly a blend of clear and bread flours.
Dick
Alan Zelt wrote:
>
> hollmarkp wrote:
> >
> > Errol:
> >
> > It is a basic recipe (bread flour, water, yeast, salt) made from a starter
> > that sits overnight at room temperature. Then the dough rises 1.5 -2.0 hours
> > @ about 80F and then as a freeform loaf 1.0 - 1.5 hours also at about 80F.
> > I've been trying to get a light, irregular crumb with lots of irregular
> > holes, a bit chewey with a firm crust. Also, I've been trying to keep the
> > dough very moist and not add too much flour.
> >
> > Any thoughts?
> >
> > Mark
> >
> > Errol wrote in message <38a0868c....@news.massey.ac.nz>...
> > >What are the ingrediants in your bread and what are the conditions
> > >when you let the bread rise? The vinegar smell and taste might be a
> > >lack of oxygen in during the rising stage(s), this would mean that the
> > >fermentation of the sugars by the yeast would be anaerobic (without
> > >oxygen) and produce acetic acid (vinegar).
>