While traditional methods of sourdough baking rely on long fermentation times and even cold fermentation to enhance sourness, they don't always guarantee that extra tangy punch some of us crave in sourdough. Here's the secret: citric acid.
By introducing it to our simple sourdough bread recipe, we ensure that the bread will have that distinct sour taste every single time. If you've never tried adding citric acid to your sourdough before, this is your chance to achieve consistent sour perfection in every loaf.
If you're more interested in achieving the sourness through a long fermentation process, be sure to check out my long-fermented sourdough bread recipe which is also suitable for beginners.
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Ingredients
- mature sourdough starter
An active sourdough starter is a must for this recipe. Make sure your starter is at least 3 weeks old and doubles nicely in the 12-hour window after feeding.
- warm water
Using warm water instead of cold will cut off a bit of time from the fermentation process since we're giving our sourdough culture a head start - the yeast activity depends on temperature, and it is the warm temperatures they crave.
- all-purpose flour
We're using all-purpose flour in this recipe because it's a popular choice for many. However, you can easily swap it with another type of flour. Just remember to adjust the water content (more on hydration here), as different flours absorb moisture differently.
- salt
Use plain sea salt. Any salt works if measured correctly. Even in small quantities, salt is essential for fermentation. It's best to choose natural salt without added extras.
- citric acid
You only need a bit of citric acid for this recipe. You can find it at grocery stores, usually in the canning section with jam-making supplies. Or, just order it online for convenience.
See recipe card for quantities.
How To Make Extra Sour Sourdough Bread
In a large bowl, mix the active starter with warm water, salt, and citric acid. Gradually add flour, forming a shaggy dough. Let it rest for 30 minutes.
Let the dough rest in a covered bowl at room temperature for its first rise, allowing for bulk fermentation. This can take anywhere from 6 - 8 hours, depending on the temperature in your kitchen.
In the first hour of bulk fermentation, do 4 sets of stretch and folds, approximately 20 minutes apart.
To perform the stretch and folds, start by gently grasping the edge of your dough. Pull it upwards, then fold it across to the opposite side. After this step, give your bowl a quarter turn. Continue this process for three more turns. This makes one round of stretch and folds! After stretch and folds, you should have a smooth dough to work with.
Once the bulk fermentation is done, move your bread dough to a floured work surface and shape it: Fold the edge of the dough to the center, turn it a bit, and fold the next edge. Keep turning and folding until you've gone full circle. Turn the dough over so the seam faces the counter. Then shape the dough into a round ball with your hands. Place it gently in a proofing basket.
Use something airtight (a plastic bag or a plastic wrap) to prevent the dough from drying out during the second rise.
Let the bread rise again in a warm place until it's puffy (not necessarily doubled in size!). This usually takes about 2 hours.
After your dough has risen a bit and your oven is ready, get a parchment paper. Carefully move the dough from the basket to the paper with the seam facing down.
Use a razor blade or a sharp knife for deep horizontal slashes, ensuring that the crust will open only where you scored the bread. Scoring allows carbon dioxide to escape.
Put the dough with its paper into the preheated Dutch oven.
If you want more bubbles to make some nice crust on your bread, pour some water between the paper and Dutch oven for steam, then quickly cover it.
Bake the bread in an oven set to 460°F (238°C) for 35 minutes. Then, take off the lid and bake for another 12-15 minutes at 440°F (227°C) until it turns a nice golden brown color.
Once out of the oven, transfer the bread to a cooling rack. Drape a mildly wet cloth over it and wait for at least an hour before cutting.
Hint: If you'd like to increase the sourness of your sourdough bread even more, you can leave the dough in the fridge for up to three days to do a long cold fermentation. The longer the dough ferments, the more sour it becomes. Look for long fermentation bread recipes to get an idea of how much time you can ferment your bread.
Substitution Notes
- Flour - you can replace all-purpose white flour with bread flour, Manitoba flour, or other high-protein flour. These flours need a bit more water. You can also use whole wheat flour or whole grain flour, but the bread might be less soft. Add more water for these kinds of flour too since they soak up more. Using other flours works too, so rye flour buckwheat flour or spelt flour can be great! Just make sure you're only using these flours to spice up your bread; I wouldn't go past 10%, or you'll need a different recipe to follow.
Variations & Add-ins
- Whole grain - experiment with adding whole grains like barley or quinoa for added texture!
- Multi-seed - add sesame seeds, flax seeds, or any other favorite seeds for crunch and healthy fats.
- Cheesy - adding cheese is never a bad idea, right? Cheddar chees and jalapenos or parmesan and roasted garlic are my favorite combinations!
Tools You'll Need
- Kitchen scale - I can vouch for this one; it's cheap and does the job done!
- A large mixing bowl
- Parchment paper
- Bench scraper (optional)
- Proofing basket
- Razor blade
- (Cast Iron) Dutch oven - I use this beautiful red one from Lodge, which is available on Amazon. It's on sale half the time, so be sure to check it out if you're looking for one!
- Cooling rack (wire rack)
💭Crucial Success Tips
- Ensure your sourdough starter is active. It's crucial for the dough's good rise.
- To stop the dough from sticking, handle it with wet hands. The dough might feel sticky at first, but wet hands help.
- You can use olive oil to coat the bowl you are raising your bread in to avoid the dough from sticking.
- Let the dough rise fully for good bread. If you're unsure about what signs to look for, I have a whole post about how long to proof sourdough at room temperature.
- For easier scoring, you can keep the dough in the fridge overnight. The dough temperature matters in this case since cold dough is easier to cut.
- Don't use very hot water; it can harm the yeast.
- Look at the dough, not the clock how the dough feels and looks tells you when to move to the next step. Towards the end of the rising time, keep a close eye on your dough.
- Wait for the bread to cool for about an hour before cutting. Cutting it early can make the inside gummy.
FAQ
From what I've tried, citric acid can make your homemade sourdough bread taste tangier. I never achieved a very sour loaf, despite fermenting the bread at cold temperatures for several days. So, I sprinkled a bit of citric acid into my dough one time. It definitely made a difference, giving the bread a sour flavor! Just be careful not to add too much, or it might overpower the bread's natural flavors.
Yes, you can, but I think citric acid gives the bread a better flavor overall. If you do decide to add vinegar, add 2 tablespoon of vinegar (acetic acid). That will give the bread the same level of sourness as using ½ teaspoon citric acid.
More Sourdough Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
📖Printable Recipe
Extra Sour Sourdough Bread Recipe Using Citric Acid
While traditional methods of sourdough baking rely on long fermentation times and even cold fermentation to enhance sourness, they don't always guarantee that extra tangy punch some of us crave in sourdough. Here's the secret: citric acid.
Ingredients
- ½ cup (about 120 grams) active sourdough starter
- ¾ cup (about 200 grams) warm water
- 2 ½ cups (about 300 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (about 6 grams) salt
- ½ (about 2.5 grams) citric acid
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the active starter with warm water, salt, and citric acid. Gradually add flour, forming a shaggy dough. Let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Let the dough rest in a covered bowl at room temperature for its first rise, allowing for bulk fermentation. This can take anywhere from 6 - 8 hours, depending on the temperature in your kitchen.
- In the first hour of bulk fermentation, do 4 sets of stretch and folds, approximately 20 minutes apart.
- To perform the stretch and folds, start by gently grasping the edge of your dough. Pull it upwards, then fold it across to the opposite side. After this step, give your bowl a quarter turn. Continue this process for three more turns. This makes one round of stretch and folds! After stretch and folds, you should have a smooth dough to work with.
- Once the bulk fermentation is done, move your bread dough to a floured work surface and shape it: Fold the edge of the dough to the center, turn it a bit, and fold the next edge. Keep turning and folding until you've gone full circle. Turn the dough over so the seam faces the counter. Then shape the dough into a round ball with your hands. Place it gently in a proofing basket.
- Use something airtight (a plastic bag or a plastic wrap) to prevent the dough from drying out during the second rise.
- Let the bread rise again in a warm place until it's puffy (not necessarily doubled in size!). This usually takes about 2 hours.
- After your dough has risen a bit and your oven is ready, get a parchment paper. Carefully move the dough from the basket to the paper with the seam facing down.
- Use a razor blade or a sharp knife for deep horizontal slashes, ensuring that the crust will open only where you scored the bread. Scoring allows carbon dioxide to escape.
- Put the dough with its paper into the preheated Dutch oven.
- If you want more bubbles to make some nice crust on your bread, pour some water between the paper and Dutch oven for steam, then quickly cover it.
- Bake the bread in an oven set to 460°F (238°C) for 35 minutes. Then, take off the lid and bake for another 12-15 minutes at 440°F (227°C) until it turns a nice golden brown color.
- Once out of the oven, transfer the bread to a cooling rack. Drape a mildly wet cloth over it and wait for at least an hour before cutting.
Notes
If you'd like to increase the sourness of your sourdough bread even more, you can leave the dough in the fridge for up to three days to do a long cold fermentation. The longer the dough ferments, the more sour it becomes. Look for long fermentation bread recipes to get an idea of how much time you can ferment your bread.
Ensure your sourdough starter is active. It's crucial for the dough's good rise.
To stop the dough from sticking, handle it with wet hands. The dough might feel sticky at first, but wet hands help.
You can use olive oil to coat the bowl you are raising your bread in to avoid the dough from sticking.
Let the dough rise fully for good bread.
For easier scoring, you can keep the dough in the fridge overnight. The dough temperature matters in this case since cold dough is easier to cut.
Don't use very hot water; it can harm the yeast.
Look at the dough, not the clock how the dough feels and looks tells you when to move to the next step. Towards the end of the rising time, keep a close eye on your dough.
Wait for the bread to cool for about an hour before cutting. Cutting it early can make the inside gummy.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 135Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 2mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 4g
Baking Schedule
Day 1:
- Morning (8:00 AM):
- Mix active starter with warm water, salt, and citric acid in a large bowl.
- Gradually add flour to form a shaggy dough.
- Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
- Morning to Afternoon (8:30 AM - 2:30 PM):
- Begin the first rise. Cover the bowl and leave the dough at room temperature.
- During the first hour, perform 4 sets of stretch and folds, spaced 20 minutes apart.
- Afternoon (2:30 PM):
- Once the bulk fermentation is complete, move the dough to a floured surface and shape it.
- Place the shaped dough into a proofing basket, and cover it airtight to prevent drying.
Day 2:
- Morning (8:00 AM):
- Let the bread rise again in a warm place until it's puffy, around 2 hours.
- Late Morning (10:00 AM):
- Preheat your oven with the Dutch oven inside.
- Transfer your risen dough to parchment paper, seam side down.
- Score the dough with a razor blade or sharp knife.
- Late Morning (10:30 AM):
- Place the dough into the preheated Dutch oven.
- Optionally, add water for steam and cover it quickly.
- Bake at 460°F (238°C) for 35 minutes.
- Late Morning to Noon (11:05 AM - 11:20 AM):
- Uncover and bake at 440°F (227°C) for an additional 12-15 minutes until golden brown.
- Noon (11:20 AM):
- Remove the bread from the oven and place it on a cooling rack.
- Cover with a slightly damp cloth and let it cool for at least an hour before slicing
How To Store Extra Sour Sourdough Bread
Cool the baked loaf on a wire rack. Store in a breadbox or airtight container at room temperature.
For longer freshness, slice and freeze. Make sure to use parchment paper to prevent the slices from freezing together if you're planning to take them out a few at a time!
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End Notes
If something didn't work or you had trouble with the recipe, let me know below. I'll help if I can. Or just tell me how it went. I like hearing from you!
HAPPY BAKING!👩🏻🍳
Cindy B says
I'm not seeing the amounts/ measures
Cindy B says
Found them.....thanks