Yeast Aftertaste

Question

When trying to bake white bread, I use yeast to make it rise. The problem is that I always get a sour yeast taste with my bread.

How do I avoid this "sour bread" effect?

Answer 1

It might be because you use to much yeast. You can experiment on how much yeast you actually need in your bread. Start by using half. If it's too little, use the amount you used + 50%. Repeat until you have found the perfect amount of yeast. If it's too much yeast, you should no longer taste it.

EDIT: Could also be because you let it raise to long.

Answer 2

Try a different yeast

Any beer brewer will tell you that the yeast you use can make up to 50% of the flavor of the beer. Different yeasts produce different flavors. The same is true for bread.

Now, if you're getting a "sour" effect, it's possible that you have bacteria hanging out with your yeast. (A sour dough culture is a mixture of bacteria and yeast that co-exist. The bacteria are frequently responsible for the "sour" taste -- which I happen to like...)

Try keeping your work area, hands, and bowls sterile

Perhaps you're infecting your dough when you're kneading it. Wash and/or sterilize everything that comes in contact with the dough. When you waiting for it to rise, cover it with plastic wrap to keep anything from floating thru the air and landing on it.

(Beer brewers tend to be obsessed with cleanliness for this same reason. Don't want random bacteria infecting the beer.)

Other thoughts

I like Fleischmann's RapidRise or BreadMachine yeast, mostly because it shortens the rise time and you don't need to rehydrate the yeast (create a starter) like traditional yeast.

Also, I read on another website that the sour taste can come from using too much salt and/or using old yeast.

Answer 3

Another thing to consider: maybe the yeast taste isn't bad, just something you aren't quite used to yet. I like to get a little bit of that yeasty flavor. Might be something that grows on you. (No pun intended.)