Lean Dough Suggestions

Hello all,

This is my maiden post on the forums so please forgive me if this topic has been addressed in the recent past. I like to bake during the cold season and while I have successfully made a number of enriched doughs, I have never successfully made a lean dough that I was pleased with. The main issue is the flavor of the bread and its crust. The flavor is either muted or overally sour and the crust is never satisfying. I imagine the first issue might be improved by a longer, cold fermentation and the second issue might be addressed by more steam in the oven. I have tried doing various combinations of techniques but nothing has worked out well. Does anyone have any suggestions to improve or correct my technique?