How to Build a Levain

 Originally posted by Modern-Day Ma on April 22, 2020

Don’t let the vocabulary scare you. If you have created or cared for a sourdough starter, then you are already building a levain. Today, we are simply going to talk through the math of how to divide and feed your starter to produce the specific amount that you need when baking artisan bread. The following recipe makes enough for 2 loaves (when you use my basic artisan sourdough recipe).

Artisan loaves are produced using exact formulas and percentages in order to control crumb structure, crust texture, and taste. In other words, they are picky eaters. Artisan bread recipes always use a starter that has been fed a 1:1 ratio of flour and water. If you have read my post on caring for your starter, you will know that I like to feed my whole-grain starter a 2:1 ratio of flour:water. It requires less feedings this way. Because my primary starter is whole-grain, it eats through flour too quickly if fed an equal amount of water. If you’ve been feeding your starter anything other than a 1:1 ratio of flour and water, proceed with this intermediate step.

If you are already refreshing your starter at a 1:1 ratio, congratulations, you can use freshly-fed starter (that has reached peak rise) and don’t need to go through the levain-building step (because feeding your starter is the levain-building step.

There are all different formulas and methods for building levains, and I won’t be going into those. I will share with you what I do and then you can run from there. Try out new formulas, investigate different shaping and baking techniques. See what works best for you and your oven. Happy baking!

How to Build a Levain
This levain build makes enough for two artisan loaves.

60 grams sourdough starter (be SURE to leave some starter your original container and feed it separately)
180 grams water
180 grams flour (all purpose, bread, wheat or a combo-see note*)

Prepare a medium-sized bowl or a tall container with a volume of at least 4-6 cups by lightly misting it with spray oil (the oil is optional, but will definitely help when it’s time to get the levain out of the bowl). I like to use leftover deli containers for this.

Mix water and starter until starter is distributed throughout.

Add flour and stir until hydrated.

Mark the side of the jar with a rubber band or dry-erase marker so you can reference the original volume.

Cover loosely and leave at room temperature for 4-12 hours. It is ready to use when it has reached it’s peak rise, but can be used up to 12 hours after refreshing. For an increased sour taste, allow the levain to sit for the full 12 hours at room temperature.

Notes

*I prefer to keep my flour ratio 70%/30% white/wheat flour in my levain. So, I use 126 grams white flour and 54 grams wheat flour. You can choose to use all white flour or up to 30% whole-grain, such as wheat or rye.

Just mixed and marked with a rubber band.

If I’m working on several projects at once, I always label. The label has a mistake. It should say 180 g H20m (not 18). The 70/30 refers to the percent of white/wheat flour in the mix.

If you just want one loaf, halve the levain build. The 63/27 are the grams of white/wheat flour in this build.

Left at room temperature, the natural yeasts get to work quickly.

Almost ready.

This close-up was taken 4 hours after mixing. See how the top layer still has thicker dough, with fewer bubbles? It needs just a little longer before it’s ready to go.

30 minutes later, a full 5 hours after mixing. The container on the left only holds 4 cups and has a whole levain recipe inside. Really a 5-6 cup container would have been ideal.
The container on the right holds 2 cups and has a half recipe inside.