My bread smells bad

[nancyjzimmer]

I am new to this website and I think I have finally found the right place to find out why my bread sometimes smells really bad - almost a vinegar like smell. I bake bread 3 times a week and have had this happen 3 times. Any ideas?

 

[Sparkly77]

Do you add anything to the mixture that might be causing that? What are your main ingredients aside from flour, yeast, salt and water? If you give us the details it might help give ideas

 

[kadesma]

By any chance would it smell sour? How long is the rise. sometimes a long slow rise will give the bread a sour smell and then when baked it will taste more like sourdough then regular french. If it's just plain white, I'm not sure what to say.Just an idea.
kadesma

 

[Michael in FtW]

Without knowing your recipe it is hard to give you a definitive answer ... but it sounds like you're making a pre-ferment (sour dough type) bread. Without knowing how you are making your bread - any guess would just be a shot in the dark.

 

[nancyjzimmer]

very simple recipe with a very short rise time of less than 30 min. Flour, sugar, yeast, salt, water and veg oil. I make 3 loaves at a time and this has only happened mayne 3 or 4 times. Sour might be the right word - I can tell as soon as it comes out of the oven. I use my KitchenAid mixer, which has saved me lots of time. I believe I got the recipe a year or so ago on Cook.com. My husband and son will eat it no matter how it tastes, but I am more picky. We decided when bread got so expensive that is was cheaper and tasted better to make it at home. Any help you can give me will be a big help.

 

[justplainbill]

What ingredient changed when this happened to you the first time?

 

[suziquzie]

does it smell sour or taste sour.... you've said both.....

 

[nancyjzimmer]

It smells and tastes sour. No ingredient changed, but I do know that the yeast din't ferment until I stirred it this time.

 

[Michael in FtW]

From your list of ingredients (and method) the most obvious culprit would be your vegetable oil has gone rancid, second guess would be your flour has gone rancid. Dip the tip of your finger in both and taste them (one at a time). Oil may not always smell rancid when you open the bottle but will taste "sour/bitter" if it has gone bad.

This "guess" is from a single Dad who came home and baked 6-dozen brownies one evening for his sons to take to school the next day ... and had to go to the store and do it all over again because the veg oil was rancid.

 

[JoeV]

From your list of ingredients (and method) the most obvious culprit would be your vegetable oil has gone rancid, second guess would be your flour has gone rancid. Dip the tip of your finger in both and taste them (one at a time). Oil may not always smell rancid when you open the bottle but will taste "sour/bitter" if it has gone bad.

This "guess" is from a single Dad who came home and baked 6-dozen brownies one evening for his sons to take to school the next day ... and had to go to the store and do it all over again because the veg oil was rancid.

I was going to suggest the same thing yesterday when my phone rang and never got back to the forum. I've seen this happen before to folks who don't use their oil and/or flour as quickly as some of us, or do not properly store them. Thanks, Michael. Great minds travel in the same gutter.

Joe

 

[QSis]

Just curious: am I the only one who reads the title of this thread, "My breath smells bad"?

EVERY time I come on and see it, I have to read it twice.

Lee

 

[GrillingFool]

Nope Qsis, you aren't the only one.
LOLOL!

 

[nancyjzimmer]

I think it IS the oil. I had an ankle and heel surgery in June and started keeping the oil up on the counter so I didn't have to walk as far to get it. After reading Michael's reply , I bought new oil today and the difference is significant in look and smell. I will bake again tomorrow and let you know. I buy 25 lbs. of bread flour each month, so that should be pretty fresh. Thanks for all of your help.

Nancy

 

[Michael in FtW]

FWIW: my rancid oil was probably only about 2 months old, had never been opened, and had been stored in a cool dark cabinet away from any heat sources. I learned from that to always smell and taste my oil, or shortening, before using it.

 

[JoeV]

Hmmmm...I wonder how Nancy's bread turned out with the new oil? I actually thought of this thread yesterday when I picked up 3 bottles of EVOO on sale.

JoeV

 

[johnbit]

I had a similar situation before when I first started baking, but after careful tasting, I found out it's my flour has gone rancid.

 

[nancyjzimmer]

Thanks everyone, the oil WAS the problem. My last two batches have turned out great. Now I taste the flour and the oil before I use it.

 

[Michael in FtW]

Thanks for letting us know, Nancy! So many people ask for help and we never hear from them again. Glad we were able to help ...