Why Does My Dough Taste Like Sour Dough?

[TXCraig1]

Thanks for your input Norma.  Just in terms of controlled experiment I mean take notes of different waters and different sugar and flour types as well as fermentation times and bake times to see what different results I might have. This could take months because I won't be making pizza every week.  Maybe more weeks than others but not all weeks.

I'm not sure that you will get much from controlled experiments if you can't ascertain for sure that what you are tasting is in fact "sour."

A more telling controlled experiment might be to make your normal dough and cut it side-by-side with a similar dough made from a bona fide sourdough culture.

CL

[Chicago Bob]

Those are good questions.

I have been making pizza for about 7 years now but have not been making on a regular basis for about 5 years.

I do eat out and there are some fine pizza places I go to.  When I first started this thread I asked about this because I didn't think it was because of my tasting abilities. I am a supertaster that's for sure but I thought it had nothing to do with that and thought it was something in the way I was doing things because in the past my own pizzas didn't give me the sour flavor and when I go to pizza joints I didn't get that flavor too. I thought it must be something I am doing wrong but then I didn't do anything different than anyone who does make pizza does so why does it taste sour so I thought maybe it's because I am a supertaster but truthfully I don't think it is the supertaster thing but I can't figure out what.

Throw everything out and make a new batch of dough.  
And see if it tastes super....

[PizzaEater101]

I'm not sure that you will get much from controlled experiments if you can't ascertain for sure that what you are tasting is in fact "sour."

A more telling controlled experiment might be to make your normal dough and cut it side-by-side with a similar dough made from a bona fide sourdough culture.

CL

That's a great suggestion. I don't know how to do the sourdough culture though but I am pretty sure at the Pizza Making Forum I could find something that can teach me how. I should try it and see or should I say taste how it goes.

[PizzaEater101]

Throw everything out and make a new batch of dough.  
And see if it tastes super....

LOL it does taste super already regardless of sourish taste or not.

[norma427]

James,

I have some Ischia starter in my fridge now, but it isn’t active.  If you want me to feed it and then dry some, I would be happy to send you some to try to see if you can taste the differences in making dough and the final pizza with a starter compared to how your pizzas taste now.  You would need to understand how to fed the starter once it is activated again from a dried state and also understand how to use the preferment dough calculation tool at http://www.pizzamaking.com/preferment_calculator.html  You also have to be able to understand or be willing to experiment with different amounts of preferment in a dough.  Using a preferment sure isn’t as easy as using IDY or ADY. 

You would also need to watch the starter to see when it is ready to be used and also to see when it is really active. 

Norma 

[PizzaEater101]

James,

I have some Ischia starter in my fridge now, but it isn’t active.  If you want me to feed it and then dry some, I would be happy to send you some to try to see if you can taste the differences in making dough and the final pizza with a starter compared to how your pizzas taste now.  You would need to understand how to fed the starter once it is activated again from a dried state and also understand how to use the preferment dough calculation tool at http://www.pizzamaking.com/preferment_calculator.html  You also have to be able to understand or be willing to experiment with different amounts of preferment in a dough.  Using a preferment sure isn’t as easy as using IDY or ADY. 

You would also need to watch the starter to see when it is ready to be used and also to see when it is really active. 

Norma 

Thank you very much. I would like that. I could send you my home address in Facebook. I will send you a message there with my address. I have to head on out now but tonight I will message you in FB with my address.

I will do my reading on how this works and figure out how to use it.


Thank You!

[norma427]

James,

Did you have a chance to try out the dried-out Ischia starter I sent you?  If you need more help on activating it, or don't understand what to do with the starter let us know.

Norma

[PizzaEater101]

James,

Did you have a chance to try out the dried-out Ischia starter I sent you?  If you need more help on activating it, or don't understand what to do with the starter let us know.

Norma

Hi Norma, sorry for late response to your posting.  I started a new job a month and a half a go and have strange hours, I work late afternoon and night so I'm always tired have not adjusted yet. 

Thank you very much for the starter. I have not made pizza yet because I became ill when I first started my job but they wanted me to go to work as long as I could handle it. They were not afraid of getting sick. I had a cold that lingered for a month. So I was tired and sick but didn't do much of anything outside of work. Now I am ready to make the pizza.

I am really curious how the starter will make the dough taste.

Could you give me some instruction on how to use the starter? I did some research but I am kind of confused on that. I want to make pizza and want to make it but want to make sure I don't mess up the nice starter you gave me.


Thank You,


James

[norma427]

I have not made pizza yet because I became ill when I first started my job but they wanted me to go to work as long as I could handle it. They were not afraid of getting sick. I had a cold that lingered for a month. So I was tired and sick but didn't do much of anything outside of work. Now I am ready to make the pizza.

I am really curious how the starter will make the dough taste.

Could you give me some instruction on how to use the starter? I did some research but I am kind of confused on that. I want to make pizza and want to make it but want to make sure I don't mess up the nice starter you gave me.


Thank You,


James

James,

Sorry to hear you were ill.

If the starter is used right in pizza doughs, they will be a nice flavor in the crust, not a real sour taste.  I don’t know how your tastes will be when trying a sourdough pizza.   

Craig’s thread is very good.  It is at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,22649.0.html  I don’t work a lot with starters, so if you are having problems understanding anything maybe other members that have more experience with starters can help you.  To understand starters more than more experiment is needed.

Norma