Levain

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Levain is a bread leavening agent used traditionally in France and today by artisan bakeries and hobbyists. It is a form of sourdough that can be used together with bakery yeast or by itself. It produces breads with rich aroma, pleasant structure and excellent keeping properties.

To make levain, an active sourdough starter is mixed with flour and water in several steps to yield a rather dry and porous dough, the levain. The levain is added to the bread dough, normally replacing the bakery yeast. In order to make 2kg levain bread dough some 500g levain is needed.