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Pain au levain simply means ‘bread made with levain’ in French.

So, it is the simple, yet complex bread recipe that should be in anyone’s book. This is my go-to when I do not know what to bake. Or when I do not want to experiment. It just works. Always remember that every starter is different and the conditions in every kitchen are different so it may take longer or less time to ferment in your case.

A simple pain au levain is also the perfect sourdough bread for beginners. The relatively low hydration makes it easy to knead and easy to work with. It is a very forgiving dough. You can also cold proof it instead of baking it on the same day. Just pop it in the fridge around 1 – 2 hours after final shaping. If it is fermenting rather rapidly, then you can refrigerate it right after the final shape.

You can play around with different flours too. Use wholemeal flour instead of rye flour. You can use larger amount too. In that case just adjust the hydration because more wholemeal mean drier dough.

A healthy and active starter is the key for any bake. To learn more about keeping your starter active and building a leavain click here.

Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.

Ingredients

For the levain –

60g (2.1oz) strong white bread flour

10g (0.35oz) active sourdough starter

40g (1.4oz) water at around 21C (70F). My kitchen is 21C (70F) so I used room temperature water. If your kitchen is warmer, then you may want to reduce the water temperature or keep the levain in a cooler spot.

 

For the main dough –

310g (11oz) strong white bread flour

30g (1oz) rye flour

7g (0.25oz) salt

220g (7.75oz) water at around 5 – 6C (41-43F)

To learn more about dough temperature when using a preferment click here.

Method

  1. Make the levain by mixing the water, sourdough starter & flour. Ferment for 10 – 12 hours. It should more than double in size and be nice and stretchy not runny!
  2. Autolyse the remaining flour by mixing it with the remaining water. Sprinkle the salt over the dough, cover & leave to hydrate for 30 – 60 minutes.
  3. Add the levain to the dough & knead for 5 – 6 minutes. Desired dough temperature 25 – 26C (77-79F). If your dough is cooler, then it may take longer. If it is warmer, then it may take less time.
  4. Ferment for 1.5 hours.
  5. Fold.
  6. Ferment for 1.5 hours.
  7. Shape into a loaf, place in a dusted bread basket smooth side down.
  8. Ferment for 3 hours. During the final hour of fermentation preheat your oven and baking vessel to 230C (450F) fan off.
  9. Score the dough & bake with the lid on for 25 minutes.
  10. Remove the lid & continue baking for another 15 minutes.

Watch the video here

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]]> https://www.chainbaker.com/pain-au-levain-how-to-make-a-simple-sourdough-bread-that-works/feed/ 0 How to Keep a Sourdough Starter Active and Build a Levain https://www.chainbaker.com/how-to-keep-a-sourdough-starter-active-and-build-a-levain/ https://www.chainbaker.com/how-to-keep-a-sourdough-starter-active-and-build-a-levain/#respond Fri, 05 Feb 2021 17:01:06 +0000 https://www.chainbaker.com/?p=6028 The post How to Keep a Sourdough Starter Active and Build a Levain appeared first on ChainBaker.

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Keeping your starter active and happy is important if you want to get good results when making your sourdough bread. Ideally you must feed it every day. Even better if you do it twice a day. 

I have been very lazy and keeping my starter in my fridge for ages and neglecting it.

You can safely store a starter in the fridge and just bring it back to life when needed.

While that is a great way of avoiding the commitment of daily feeding it does pose some challenges. If you want to use a starter that has been in the fridge for a while and make a levain with it then you must feed it a few times until it is strong enough. If it has been in the fridge just for a couple of days, then you could get away with only feeding it once, but it has been refrigerated for a longer period of time, then you will have to feed it a few times to make it strong enough.

For getting consistently great results you do have to feed it every day. I feed my starter every 12 hours at a 1:10:10 ratio. Meaning that I use 1g starter and add 10g water and 10g flour. Discarding the excess every time or using it in a recipe.

I also have some sourdough discard recipes in the Sourdough page. There are quite a few recipes that it can be used in like crackers, crumpets, pancakes and many more delicious treats.

You can adjust your feeding schedule to fit around your life. Use colder water to slow it down or keep it in a cooler area, for example. Your starter should not own you.

When it comes to building a levain it is quite straight forward as it is the same process as feeding your starter. To speed up the levain just use a different ratio. 1:2:2 for example – 20g starter, 40g flour, 40g water. This will rise at lot quicker and be ready for use in just a few hours.

Every starter and the conditions in every kitchen are different, so it is up to you to get to know your starter and learn how it reacts.

Make sure you use good water. Bottled or filtered works really well. Salt plays an important part come bread making time. Do not use table salt as it contains anti caking agents which are basically poison.

Tap water can be used, but it does contain chemicals, that is why I suggest filtering or using bottled water. You can also boil water and leave it to cool. There is another method that can be used to disable the chlorine in tap water. Fill up a bowl and leave it it sit uncovered for a day or two. 

With so many different methods and ingredients, I always suggest trying what works for you instead of just repeating what I or someone else told you.

 

Watch the video here

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