How to Make Sourdough Less Sour (Includes Recipe!)

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Sourdough bread doesn’t have to be sour! Learn how to make sourdough less sour with just a few tweaks to your favorite recipes. In this post, you’ll learn the science behind “sour” dough and how to create your own flavor of sourdough bread.

For many bakers, there is a coveted sourness to sourdough bread. But that tanginess isn’t everyone’s vibe. Luckily, you can craft your own sourdough flavor by simply adjusting the process and ingredients.

Of course, whether or not you like sour bread boils down to personal preference. But often, home bakers try to strike the right balance of flavors that the entire family will enjoy.

For instance, I love sour-tasting no-knead sourdough, but my husband does not (luckily, my 3-year-old doesn’t care either way). So, by tweaking some of the ingredients and conditions, I have found a happy medium that all three of us enjoy.

How I Make My Sourdough Less Sour

Adjusting your bread’s flavor is as simple as examining your recipe and determining which ingredients or conditions need tweaking.

Below, I’ve included a number of ways to change the sourness of your sourdough bread. But usually, it just takes a few adjustments, so don’t worry about doing them all. Once you review your recipe, you will figure out what ingredient or process is making your bread sour.

For my family’s preferences, I reduced the whole grains, increased the all-purpose flour, and adjusted the bulk fermentation temperature. It was as simple as that.

I also modify the flavor for different types of recipes. When I’m making discard recipes like sourdough Cinnamon Toast Crunch or flatbreads, I prefer a more sour tang. But I create a less sour flavor when making a rustic boule, sandwich bread, or burger buns.

Depending on your recipe and preferences, figuring out your preferred flavor might take a little experimenting. But to simplify your experiments, I am sharing the most foolproof ways to make your homemade sourdough bread less sour.

And hey, if you make a few loaves along the way that don’t have quite the right flavor, they will make perfect sourdough breadcrumbs or toast.

Also, if sourdough experiments don’t fit into your routine (I totally get it), I’ve included a recipe for less-sour sourdough at the end of this post.

What is Sourdough?

Sourdough is bread leavened with wild yeast. Most basic sourdough recipes combine flour, water, salt, and sourdough starter.

When I first started baking sourdough bread, I assumed it was called sourdough because of its hallmark sour flavor. However, the “sour” comes from the souring of the starter and dough.

As the grains ferment, they activate bacteria and wild yeast from the environment. In the process, those same bacteria and yeast, as they digest the grains, create carbon dioxide, which makes your dough rise. In other words, it has “gone sour” or fermented.

This does not necessarily indicate that sourdough will or has to taste sour. Even though the grains sour, the bread does not have to taste as such.

Why Does Sourdough Often Taste Sour?

To really dig into the sourness of sourdough bread, we need to get science-y for a second. In the spirit of simplifying sourdough, I’ll keep this as uncomplicated as possible.

As the dough ferments, lactic acid bacteria and acetic acid are created. The balance of the lactic acid bacteria and acetic acid determines the flavor.

Understanding the difference will help you predict the best way to change the taste of your bread. So, let’s get a general overview of how each impacts flavor.

Lactic Acid – Creates Less Sour Bread

Often, when we think of lacto-fermentation, we conjure mouthwatering images of fermented and tangy peppers, onions, sauerkraut, and kimchi. Rarely do we think of bread.

But sourdough is made of lacto-fermented grains. The “lacto” refers to lactic acid bacteria, which develops as the dough ferments. Lactic acid creates a mild, sour flavor akin to yogurt.

Acetic Acid – Creates More Sour Bread

During the fermentation process, acetic acid also develops. This is the same acid found in vinegar.

Because acetic acid is the acid in vinegar, there is a wealth of misinformation online claiming it is more acidic. However, that is not true.

Acetic acid is less acidic but more pungent. If the dough has more acetic acid, the bread will taste more sour. So, if you want a less sour loaf, the conditions need to reduce the acetic acid.

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How To Make Sourdough Less Sour

The trick to making your sourdough less sour is decreasing the acetic acid in your dough. And though this seems like a trick for a mad scientist, it’s pretty simple.

Here are the simplest ways to reduce the acetic acid and make your sourdough bread less sour. This is not an exhaustive list, but these are the conditions that are easiest for most home bakers to control.

Bulk Ferment Between 70-76

Acetic acid, which creates a more sour flavor, prefers warmer temperatures. So, you can reduce the acetic acid by lowering the bulk fermentation temperature. The trick is to make sure it’s still warm enough to encourage the lactic acid bacteria. Temperatures between 70° F and 76° F are ideal.

Depending on the season and your kitchen conditions, this can be a little tricky. An easy way to control the temperature is with a proofing box.

Cut Back on the Fermentation Time

There is a delicate balance between temperature and time. As noted above, cooler temperatures inhibit acetic acid, reducing the sourness. However, cooler temps also slow down the fermentation, increasing the sourness.

To strike the right balance, lower the temperature and reduce the fermentation time. For this, volume is the easiest variable to track. Rather than setting a specific time for making sourdough less sourdough through fermentation, allow it to increase only 1.5-2 times in volume.

Reduce Wholegrain Flour

This is one of the easiest ways to adjust flavor. Pay attention to the flour type in the recipe. Whole grains like whole wheat flour and rye flour contain more micronutrients, which can encourage more acetic acid. So decreasing or eliminating whole grains in your starter and bread dough can reduce the sourness.

If you are using a rye starter, you might consider reducing how much rye you use or creating a new starter with all-purpose flour.

I like to use white flour, such as all-purpose or bread flour for my family’s bread (see recipe below for an example).

Use a Fresh, Active Starter

The longer your starter (aka mother culture) goes hungry, the more sour it will taste. To make your sourdough less sour, use your starter just before or right when it peaks (bubbly, doubled in size, and domed on the top).

If you don’t have a sourdough starter yet, check out my starter tutorial and starter Q&A on YouTube.

Feed Your Starter More Often

Your starter culture can become more sour over time. If you skip feedings here and there or feed it primarily with whole grains, your starter will develop a sour taste. Stick with a regular feeding schedule and cut back on whole grains if you use them.

If you store your starter in the fridge, feed it once a week to maintain a healthy starter. If you leave it on the counter, feed it every 12-24 hours. The warmer the environment, the more often you need to feed it.

Cut Back on the Cold Proofing

One of the main factors in sourdough flavor is cold proofing. If your dough is proofed for a long time, it will taste more sour. The cold ferment process slows down fermentation. As such, it continues to ferment over a long period, creating a more sour flavor (see above about fermentation time).

If you want to skip the cold proof, shape the dough and let it rest before scoring and baking.

Keep in mind, though, that you won’t get the same oven spring if you skip the cold proof. Oven spring results from the steam released from the cold dough. Also, scoring will be a little trickier because the dough will be room temperature and soft.

Still, you will have a great loaf of sourdough. Hey, ancient bakers didn’t have fridges, and they still made edible bread, right?!

Use More Starter

The more starter you use, the faster your dough will ferment. The faster it ferments, the less sour it will be. You can always add a little more starter to your dough.

Adding a bit of extra starter won’t make a noticeable difference in the dough. But if you add a lot, you may need to adjust the recipe’s hydration.

Adjust the Water Temperature

To create a milder flavor, use water around 80° F. This is warm enough to encourage the fermentation process but not so warm that it will invite more acetic acid.

How to Make Sourdough Less Sour – Recipe

This is an adaptation of my regular no-knead sourdough bread. Remember, many conditions determine the flavor. So you can make adjustments from the list above as needed.

Tools You Will Need

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• Large bowl – Mix your ingredients together in a large bowl.
• Kitchen scale – I prefer weighing my ingredients for more accuracy.
• Bowl or proofing basket – Place your dough in a towel-lined bowl or proofing basket after shaping.
• Towel – You will need a damp towel to cover the dough and possibly for shaping if you aren’t using a proofing basket.
• Danish dough whisk (optional) – This makes mixing the ingredients much easier. But I still have to dig in with my hands once I add the starter.
• Cast iron Dutch oven – A Dutch oven will help your bread rise while baking.
• Brød & Taylor proofing box (optional) – This can help you control the fermentation temperature so less acetic acid develops.

Ingredients for Less-Sour Sourdough Bread

• 475 g (3 3/4 cups) all-purpose flour
• 100 g (1/2 cup) sourdough starter, active and bubbly (preferably not fed with whole grain flour)
• 325 g (1 1/3 cups) water, around 80° F
• 10 g (2 1/4 tsp) coarse kosher salt

Less-Sour Sourdough Bread Recipe Instructions

Prepare the bread Dough

1. Combine all-purpose flour and water. Gently mix until combined. Allow to sit for 30-45 minutes.
2. Add sourdough starter and salt. Mix for five minutes by hand. Using a wet hand can make this somewhat less messy.
3. Cover with a damp towel and let rest for 30 minutes. For the duration of the process, keep the dough in a spot between 70° and 76° F.

Stretch and Folds

1. Begin the stretch and fold process. Stretch and fold the dough 5-8 times (until you notice resistance from the dough). Do this for three cycles in 15-minute intervals. Cover with a damp towel between cycles.
2. Increase the stretch and fold cycles to every 30 minutes. Complete three cycles of stretch and folds. Cover with damp towel between cycles.

Bulk Fermentation and Shape

1. After all stretch and fold cycles are complete, cover with a damp towel and allow to rest on the counter for 4-5 hours or until it has increased about 1.5-2 times in volume.
2. Gently remove from the bowl onto a clean counter.
3. Shape the dough into a ball by turning and spinning it toward yourself. The friction on the dry counter will create tension and aid in shaping.
4. Allow to rest for 15-20 minutes.
5. Place the shaped dough into a proofing basket or tea towel-lined bowl FACE DOWN.
6. Gently pinch the left and right sides together. Then, pinch the top and bottom together. This creates tension and a nice seam.

Second Rise and Bake

1. Cover the dough with plastic (I like to use a plastic shopping bag), and allow it to rise at room temperature for another 1-2 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees with a cast iron Dutch oven inside. Allow the Dutch oven to warm with the oven and stay in for about 20 minutes to get scorching hot.
3. Once the Dutch oven is ready, gently turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper. Since it was placed in the basket/bowl face down, it should be right-side up when you turn it out.
4. Rub the top of the dough with flour and score using a razor blade or lame. (Note: scoring room-temperature dough isn’t as beautiful or satisfying, haha.)
5. Keeping the dough on the parchment paper, place inside the hot Dutch oven.
6. With the Dutch oven lid on, bake at 500 degrees for 25 minutes.
7. Take the lid off, drop the temperature to 475, and bake for approximately 15 minutes or until golden. Ovens vary, and mine takes about 12 minutes at this point, so keep an eye on it. Bread is generally considered “done” at 190 degrees internal temperature..
8. When done, remove the bread from the Dutch oven and let it cool to room temperature on a wire rack before slicing.

More Sourdough Posts You’ll Love

• How to Stretch and Fold Sourdough – Sourdough Basics
• How To Freeze Sourdough Bread – 2 Easy Methods!
• Can You Freeze Sourdough Starter? Yes, Here Is How.
• How To Do the Windowpane Test for Dough
• How to Freeze Sourdough Bread Dough – Complete Guide
• The Best Sourdough Discard Crepes – Quick Recipe

If you have tried changing your bread’s flavor, let us know how it went by leaving a comment or review!