I don't think I've posted to this list ever, although I've been a
member for a long time and read it with interest when I have the
time. I am an avid bread-baker, and fairly experienced, but I had
something happen recently that I can't explain based on my
knowledge. (This email constitutes my research into the subject.) 8^
I recently baked a recipe for french bread that I've used many times
before. This time, when I baked it, the smell that emanated from my
oven was not the wonderful, yeasty smell of baking bread, but
instead, a pungent, vinegar-y odor. Not bad necessarily, but
certainly not normal. It didn't appear to affect the taste of the
finished bread, though. I noted it as an oddity, but then forgot
about it, since the bread tasted as usual. This weekend, I made a
wonderful multi-grain loaf from the pages of Cook's Illustrated, and
again, the odor of vinegar.
I wonder if one of you good folks might be able to explain why this
might be happening?
Much thanks,
Marie Tehas