Hi Janey, sourdough flavor development is a complex subject because so many factors can affect flavor throughout the sourdough production process. In terms of the starter itself we've found that maintaining your starter regularly and consistently is the best way to encourage healthy populations of both wild yeast and Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) that are prepared to do the work of rising and flavoring your bread. Part of that routine should include a chance for the starter to ferment at room temperature through a few feedings, since the starter isn't really thriving when stored in the refrigerator, and it's during these room temperature feedings that the yeast and LAB will have the opportunity to increase their populations. In orther words, make sure your starter is very active and healthy and that you add it to your sourdough bread recipe when it's ripe (at its peak of rising, or just begining to fall). 

It's during the preferment and dough stages of development that you have the best opportunity to manipulate the flavor in your sourdough bread. Adding the starter or preferment to your recipe when it's just slightly past its peak tends to promote a bit more sour flavor.

One of the best ways to increase the sour flavor in your bread is to substitute up to 10-15% of the total flour in the dough portion of your recipe with whole rye flour or whole wheat flour. Whole rye flour is especially good at promoting more sour flavor, but it also doesn't develop gluten the way wheat flour does, so you may notice a denser result. 

Refrigerating the dough can also affect flavor development, but for more sour flavor be sure that the dough has had an opportunity to go through an adequate warm room temperature (75-78F) bulk rise before the dough is refrigerated. Often refrigerating the shaped loaf is a good way to accomplish this. Many of our sourdough recipes allow for the option of an overnight shaped rise, including our Vermont Sourdough Bread recipe. 

If you baked a sourdough bread recipe that also included yeast, this type of recipe is often milder in flavor because the sourdough fermentation process is cut short by the addition of yeast. You may find you get more sour flavor if you try one of our recipes that is entirely naturally leavened, like our No Knead Sourdough Bread recipe. 

I hope this helps! Let us know how it goes. 

Barb

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