Did my sourdough improve or get worse after 2 weeks of neglect?

I baked a sourdough loaf last week after letting my starter sit in the fridge for 14 days without feeding. The crumb was more open than ever before, big irregular holes and a nice ear. But the flavor was noticeably more sour to the point where my roommate asked if it had gone bad. So here's the debate: does neglecting your starter actually improve the structure while wrecking the taste? Or did I just get lucky with my timing and technique? Has anyone else noticed a specific change in their bread after leaving the starter alone for over a week? I'd love to hear what you all think about purposefully aging your starter for better oven spring.

2 comments

2 Comments

brown.susan13d agoTop Commenter

Whoa, I actually used to think leaving your starter alone was just lazy or bad for it! But honestly, this post totally flipped my view. I had a starter that sat in the back of my fridge for almost three weeks during a move, and when I finally baked with it, the crumb was way more open than usual, just like you said. But yeah, the sour taste was so sharp my kids wouldn't eat the toast. So now I'm wondering if the extra acidity is what weakens the gluten and gives you those big holes, even though the flavor gets too intense for most people. Do you think there's a sweet spot, like a week of neglect, where the texture improves but the tang is still manageable?

reeseanderson13d ago

Actually @brown.susan, it's more about the lactic acid breaking down gluten than the overall acidity.