# why does my bread always taste bitter?



## stirringleaf (Mar 16, 2002)

its sort of a tip of the tongue kind of mild bitterness. in all other regards when i make bread i am very happy with the results. i get a nice moist fluffy sort of texture. i even get mostly the flavor i want , but there is an underlying bitterness i would like to get rid of. i use recipes, but mostly as a guide, i always end up altering in some way, such as putting pumpkin , fruit, leftover rice, a different flour, etc in the dough. . i was wondering if there is too much yeast when the bitterness happens? i use about 2 tsp. per loaf, which is right accoring to the recipes i use. but maybe the recipes are too yeasty? anyone know?


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## bebe luna (Nov 20, 2001)

I'm guessing it's too much baking powder.


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## Arduinna (May 30, 2002)

I use about 1 tbs per recipe, but make more than one leaf. I don't think it's the yeast. I wonder if it is slightly souring from natural yeast?? I find that some areas of the country seem to have more or stronger natural yeasts in the air and so they sour faster than expected??

does the dough get a slight sour smell before you bake it?


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## stirringleaf (Mar 16, 2002)

wow you responded quick! well thats a great guess but i havent put any baking powder in , lol! i am talking about yeasted bread, where the ingredients usually revolve around yeast, water, flour, honey, sometimes butter , sometimes eggs, and sometimes other stuff. sorry. i should have clarified that in the beginning!!!


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## stirringleaf (Mar 16, 2002)

oops hey Adruinna, we must have posted at the same time...i dont think it has a sour smell, just a yeast smell, but i am not sure. its not like a sourdough tast, i dont think...maybe it is though. ill pay more attention to the smell next time and see what i think...

thanks


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## AmyG (Jan 30, 2002)

Do you make a sponge that you let sit for an hour or longer before you add the rest of the ingredients? I like the texture I get when I do that, but I do find that it makes the bread a little more bitter. I guess it's technically sour like sourdough, but it's hard to tell when it's so slight.


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## stirringleaf (Mar 16, 2002)

a sponge? do you mean when you just mix the yeast, a little of the flour, and the honey (or sugar) first and let it rise? yes sometimes i do that. i think maybe it is sourdough happening, if it is possible to make sourdough in a couple hours like that. tonight i tried making another loaf, and i put less yeast and more honey and it turned out perfect. so who knows. i am not the most experiecned bread maker, , so after a few more loaves of this kind of bread maybe i will learn how to get a consistantly perfect batch... thanks for your ideas.


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## Lorene (Dec 10, 2001)

If you add too much soy flour, that could make it bitter...A loaf can only take a tablespoon or so


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## frodo (Nov 3, 2002)

are you using whole grain fluours and if so how fresh are they? whole grains can go rancid quickly and that will cause bitterness. keep your flours in airtight cintainers in the fridge and you'll be fine. are you adding oils to your loaves? they should be fresh too.

blessings,


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