How To Tell If Sourdough Bread Is Bad?

When newly baked, the sourdough will smell delicious with a hint of acidity. When it’s old, it’ll smell rotten and leathery, but it’ll still be safe to eat. Because sourdough bread is one of the world’s most delectable pieces of bread, knowing how to detect if it’s wrong can save you money and time. But how can you tell whether your bread is spoiled? The first step is to assess the odor.

Sourdough Bread Nutrition Facts

How To Tell If Sourdough Bread Is Bad?

Here are some essential points to check whether your sourdough bread is bad or not:

• There Is Visible Mold. When your sourdough bread shows visible signs of mold, it’s time to throw it away.
• The Bread Has An Unpleasant Smell. Fresh sourdough bread will smell sweet, and slightly acidic, and you may even smell some yeast notes.
• The Bread Has A Bad Taste.
• Mold can take on a variety of textures and colors depending on the temperature, humidity, type of bread, and length of time it has been allowed to grow; if you find fuzzy growth of any color on your sourdough bread, it has most certainly gone moldy and should be discarded.
• One of the advantages of fresh sourdough bread (bread cooked with a sourdough culture) is its longer shelf life than conventional store-bought bread. At room temperature, it can last for around 4 to 5 days. Please don’t put your bread in the refrigerator.
• While doubling in size every 8-12 hours, a robust and healthy sourdough starter smells delicious, fresh, and slightly acidic. If it rises too slowly or has an unpleasant odor (acidic, alcoholic, or vomit), its energy has waned.

Why Does Sourdough Bread Smell Bad?

If your sourdough starter smells like alcohol, vinegar, or nail polish remover, it’s because it’s starving and has created a lot of acetic acids. If your beginning smells sour all of the time, try feeding it more frequently. So, instead of feeding it once a day, consider feeding it twice a day.

Lactic acid and acetic acid are produced during the lactic fermentation reaction in sourdough starters. Acetic acid has a harsh, acetone-like sour bite, whereas lactic acid has a creamy, yogurt-like sourness. When your starter reaches the final stage and stabilizes, it will begin to emit its distinct odors. A healthy sourdough starter usually has a fresh yeasty scent with a slightly astringent note despite its name.

Some folks are put off by the concept of utilizing a fresh beginning, and it is a sign that the sourdough starter needs to be fed more frequently if it smells like vomit. Butyric acid, one of the byproducts of the fermentation cycle, gives vomit its scent.

Your bread may have gone wrong if it smells moldy or musty. A fungus growing beneath the crust is responsible for the musty odor. It’s advisable to toss your sourdough bread if you find mold on it. You might get food poisoning if you don’t. Follow these steps to see whether your sourdough bread has gone wrong:

How Long Does Sourdough Bread Last In The Fridge?

If you must store sourdough bread in the refrigerator (for example, due to a lack of pantry storage space or particularly hot, humid room circumstances), the bread will only survive around 2-3 days before becoming stale. The length of time a loaf of bread lasts before becoming moldy or stale is determined by the type of bread.

Most loaves will keep for up to a week at room temperature and three to five days in the refrigerator—though keep in mind that storage can cause bread to get stale. Refrigerate your sourdough bread since it stales the fastest between 0 and 10 degrees Celsius; therefore, refrigerating it will cause it to stale considerably faster than if you store it at room temperature.

While keeping bread cold slows mold growth, Wayne Gisslen, author of Professional Baking, claims that refrigerating sliced bread (or any bread for that matter) accelerates staleness. Six times faster than a loaf left out at room temperature. Bread quickly dries up in the fridge and becomes stale, rendering it worthless as fresh bread. It may develop mold and pathogens; thus, it should be used fresh or frozen straight away.

Why Does Sourdough Bread Last So Long?

Sourdough bread lasts longer because of the more excellent acidity and the lactobacillus bacteria creating natural antifungal chemicals. Because a long fermentation process reduces the pace of hardness and moisture loss, it will last longer before going stale.

To see if your sourdough bread has gone wrong, take it out of the refrigerator and inspect it under the light. If it’s white, it means it’s spoiled, and if it’s green, it’s a sign that you should throw it out. In general, sourdough bread has a shelf life of about two weeks, but it can last a month if it’s toasted.

During the sourdough fermentation process, microbes convert linoleic acid in bread flour to a molecule with potent antifungal properties. Unlike usually leavened bread, sourdough bread resists mold. Lactic acid bacteria, usually of the species Lactobacillus, mediate this phase, according to Gaenzle.

The larger the quantity of wheat flour in the recipe, the better it tastes (particularly the crust), but the worse it keeps. Commercial bread with an extended shelf life contains more barley flour. Furthermore, some bakers add a little vinegar to the dough after it has been proofed, which helps the bread last longer.

Adding a shortening agent: Try adding some shortening to your bread dough. A moist dough produced with milk, shortening, eggs, and a little sugar lasts longer than a basic dough made with water, salt, yeast, and flour. This could be one of the most effective methods for keeping bread fresh.

What are the Health Benefits of Sourdough Bread?

May support gut health

• Although the starter’s helpful bacteria are lost during baking, the fiber and plant chemicals known as polyphenols become more bio-available. These provide a crucial fuel source for our gut microorganisms, making sourdough bread a gut-friendly option.

May aid blood sugar management

• Sourdough is a good alternative for people who have trouble controlling their blood sugar because of its fermentation and higher fiber content. This is because sourdough has a lower influence on blood sugar levels than many commercially manufactured pieces of bread.

Potentially Lowers the Risk of Heart Disease:

• Fiber-rich diets are usually linked to a lower risk of heart disease. Because of the fermenting process, sourdough appears to have extra benefits; these benefits appear to be boosted when whole-grain rye flour is utilized.

 It May be Easier to Digest

• Traditional sourdough involves a slow fermenting process, which increases the bread’s bioavailability of vitamins and minerals. This begins the breakdown of protein (including gluten), making sourdough more digestible.

It Might be Healthier:

• The fermentation process, according to research, boosts the bioavailability of fiber and minerals. This is because phytic acid, a naturally occurring component found in grains, gets broken down, allowing humans to access the grain’s nutrients more efficiently.

How Do You Revive Stale Sourdough Bread?

Place the bread on a sheet pan with the right side up or directly on the oven grates. In either case, once the partially wet bread is placed on the heat, the water will begin to steam, penetrating the loaf and restoring its light and fluffy interior as if it had just been baked.

Spritz a little water over the top of your bread to make it slightly wet. Preheat the oven to 250°F and bake the bread for 5 to 10 minutes. Keep an eye on it and take it out when it’s warm. If you leave the toast in the oven for too long, it will get dry.

An undercooked loaf of bread may usually be remedied by returning it to the oven for a few minutes longer. This is especially true for loaves that appear to have fully set on the outside but are still sticky on the inside. Return the bread to a 350° F preheated oven for 10-20 minutes.

Keep it at room temperature in a brown paper bag. Avoid plastic wrap or aluminum foil since they will trap moisture inside your bread and make it mushy (and eventually moldy). A brown paper bag is a superb option since it allows the bread to breathe.

Is there any way to rescue the loaf if you cut a slice and discover the inside isn’t fully cooked?

Fortunately, bread may be re-baked and reheated if it is underdone. You can tell if sourdough bread is stale by its leathery feel, and it will continue to retain moisture despite its soft, supple texture. A stale loaf of bread will have a leathery flavor and a cracked, brittle crust. However, defrosting is an excellent strategy to conserve food and reduce waste.

It would help if you also looked for mold and the color and smell. If properly preserved, a slice of sourdough bread can last up to a year. Mold may not always cause the bread to spoil, but it is better to remove it if you notice any signs of it. Mold can cause significant illness, whether it’s apparent or not.

Conclusion

Sourdough bread degrades before it goes bad. When maintained at room temperature, it lasts four to five days and three days in the refrigerator. If you buy a loaf that smells moldy, discard it. However, if the bread smells stale, it’s most likely sourdough. It can still be used in recipes that call for stale bread if mold appears.

Moldy odor is a common symptom that sourdough bread has gone wrong. If you notice mold on your sourdough, discard it right away. If there is no mold on the bread, it is likely stale. You may slice it and use it for other things like croutons or bread pudding if it’s still lovely.