Sough dough starter is a SCOBY a "Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast" before refrigeration and sanitation,it was impossible to keep yeast as it would always get infected with something, so rather than fight it, the SCOBY works with nature, by having a bacteria and a yeast that support each other and prevent any other organisms getting a foot hold. The bacteria and yeast are natural bacteria and yeast that were floating around in my kitchen when I started my SCOBY. The bacteria are a type of Lacto Bacilli the things that make milk turn into yoghurt and they add a sourness to the dough, the amount of sourness depends a bit on how much of the liquid component (hootch) get added to the dough, you can make bread that is barely perceptible sourness or bread that is noticeably sour.
In my book there is no right or wrong, bread should be whatever you want. Or whatever comes out. With time and experience you start to know how to change the bread to make it to your taste. You can make the flavour mild or strong, you can have the crust soft, chewy, brittle, crispy, the bread can have different levels of air in it, you can have big holes, small holes, no holes. Then there are lots of flours and combinations to do as well.
Things I play with are :-
- The amount of hootch the age of fermentation of the starter that is added
- The wetness of the dough, different flours absorb the water different amounts, the wetness of the dough are a better guide than the amount of water you add.
- The proving temperature
- The proving time (proving at low temperate eg overnight give more sourness)
- The number of provings, you don't have to knockback and prove a second time
- Moisture in the oven affects the crust, people add ice cubes in a tray because they are safer to chuck in than risking burning on the racks using a jug.
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