A customer in Seattle told me my sourdough was 'too sour' and it made me rethink my starter

Honestly, I was kind of proud of how tangy my loaves were. I'd been feeding my starter once a day and baking with it right at its peak for years. Then this regular at the farmer's market, a nice older lady, said she loved the crust but the crumb was just too acidic for her sandwiches. She said it was like 'eating a loaf of vinegar.' That hit me hard. I started experimenting and found if I feed my starter twice a day for three days before a bake, and use it when it's just barely domed, not fallen, the flavor is way more mellow and complex, less one-note sour. It was a simple change but it totally shifted my approach from chasing maximum sourness to balancing flavor. Has anyone else had a piece of feedback that completely flipped a technique you thought was solid?

3 comments

3 Comments

diana_black26d agoTop Commenter

What about feedback that made your product worse?

bennett.vera26d ago

Ever get that one comment that makes you stop and actually listen? I had a guy tell me my bagels were too chewy, like jaw workout chewy. Took it to heart and dialed back the boil time a bit.

grantf7322d ago

How do you even process feedback that's just wrong for your style? I get what @diana_black means about changes making things worse, but your story shows how the right note can actually open a door you didn't know was there. That shift from one strong flavor to a more balanced mix sounds like real progress.