What is levain?

In English, levain is called sourdough or leaven. Levain is the culture of naturally occurring yeast in our environment; yeast is present on practically all surfaces, from our skin, fruits, and counters to the flour we use for baking and the air we breathe. When cultivating the yeast for bread making, water is added to flour, and this mixture is left to ferment at room temperature for five days or so. During this time, small amounts of water and flour are added to the mix to "feed" the culture. When the levain is bubbly and has a pleasant odour with a hint of acidity, the levain is ready for use.

How to use levain to make bread?

From this point on, the levain can be used directly in your bread recipe or as a seed to start a different levain, according to your recipe. We refer to the levain you purchased from us as LfB (Le fournil Bakery) levain.

There are different types of levain, the two most important being liquid levain and stiff levain. Liquid levain will smoothly pour out of a container, and stiff levain will be of the consistency of bread dough (more or less). LfB levain is liquid.

Important note:

1. Always use a recipe scaled in grams, as it is the best and most precise way of measuring ingredients.
2. Use a digital kitchen scale (an inexpensive one will suffice).
3. Note that one gram is minimal, so be flexible when scaling, as a couple of grams won't make a huge difference. (1 ounce = 28 grams)

To use LfB levain as a "seed" or "starter":

• Scale the amount of "seed" or "starter" in your recipe and follow its directions.
• If you have some LfB levain left, add 25 g water and 25 g flour to it, mix until the flour is absorbed, and place it in an airtight container.   Allow the levain to mature until bubbly, 8 to 12 hours or overnight, then put it in your refrigerator until you need it next.

To use it as-is in a recipe:

• If your recipe calls for liquid levain, scale out the total amount of levain from your LfB levain and follow the recipe's directions.
• If your recipe calls for stiff levain, follow the recipe's instructions for the final feeding of levain and continue from that point on.
• If you have some LfB levain left, feed and store it as mentioned above.

To use LfB levain from the refrigerator:

• Take out the levain from the refrigerator 8 to 12 hours before using it
• For use as a liquid levain, feed it in the proportions of ½ flour and ½ warm water of the total weight of levain you will need in your recipe or in the proportions used for the final step of the levain in your recipe.
• For a stiff levain, follow the instructions from the last feeding of the levain in your recipe.

How long can I keep levain?

You can keep your levain in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, for up to one week.  If you want to keep it longer, take it out after the week, feed it 25 g flour and 25 g warm water and leave it out overnight. Feed it again (in the same quantities) in the morning and put it back in the refrigerator. The longer the levain stays in the fridge, the more sour and acidic it will become; try to use your levain at least once a week.

Alternatively, use up all the levain when you receive it and purchase more the next time you want to make bread.

Levain will be ready to use 8 to 12 hours after being fed and left at room temperature. It will die off after being left at room temperature for more than 24 hours, or more than a week in the fridge, without being fed.  Note that the temperature of your kitchen will affect how quickly your levain will mature.

There is much more to say about levain, but this information should get you started.

Happy baking!