The many names and processes behind sourdough baking, can be a bit overwhelming at first - that's why we have simplified it through this illustrated guide.
First thing to note is, that Starter and Levain are one and the same! And yet, slightly different.
Levain refers to a portion of a sourdough starter that has been recently fed, and is ready to be used in a recipe. In other words, the portion of a starter used in bread is considered the levain, while the portion that is kept for future bakes is considered the starter.
The levain works as the natural leavening agent in the bread recipe.
You can also check out our Sourdough Baking Glossary if you stumble upon a new word
You have to maintain your sourdough starter before baking.
If you keep it in the fridge, and only bake on occasions, you have to take the starter out and refresh (feed) it 1 - 2 times in order to make it strong and bubbly enough to use as a leavening agent.
Always feed it closest to it's peak, so you don't over feed it and get a slow sourdough starter.
If you keep your starter on the counter and feed it daily, then we recommend you to feed your starter every evening before bed time - then it's ready the next morning for making a levain, and still strong since it's not too long after it has peaked during the night.
Daily/maintenance feeding - Ratio 1:6:6
10 g old sourdough
60 g flour (half whole rye, half wheat flour)
60 g luke warm water
Feeding in order to make a levain - Ratio 1:1:1
Typically:
90 g old sourdough
90 g flour (mixed whole grain and plain
flour types according to recipe)
90 g luke warm water
The amount of levain used in a bread dough is typically 20% of the amount of flour used - the flour always being the 100%
If the recipe doesn't explain this step, but just says to use ex. 120 g of active sourdough/levain. Then you have to look at the flours used in the main bread dough. If it's a rye and wheat mixture, then feed your starter like this:
Levain:
50 g old sourdough
50 g lukewarm water
25 g wheat flour
25 g whole rye flour
Total: 150 g levain
Always make a little more levain than needed, in order to save the last 5-10 g to feed up in the ratio 1:6:6 to keep a sourdough starter running for future bakes.
The levain is the most important recipe in sourdough bread, because it's the natural leavening agent. You have to use it at the right time to have the right properties - when it's at it strongest - at "peak" level.
When it peaks, the levain is at the highest activity level with the highest amount of yeast cells, and therefore has the best baking properties to give an airy crumb and high bake.
You can always test the levain if it's ready for baking, by taking a spoonfull over in a glass of water to see if it floats - referred to in recipes as the "floating test"
While waiting for the levain to peak, autolyse is a common technique for starting the gluten network/gluten strands to form without mixing or kneading the dough.
Autolyse means "self digesting", and is a process where the enzymes in the flour are activated by the water and begin to digest the starches.
In more simplified words, it's a technique that is easily introduced into your bread making routine and delivers a dough that's easier to work with and shape, and a loaf with better texture, rise and flavour. Just mix flour and water and let it rest minimum 40-60 minutes for autolyse.
There's also the method called “fermentolyse” which involves mixing the flour, water and levain at the same time, and allowing the process of bulk fermentation to start while also developing the gluten network.
Salt should always be added after the levain. If Mixing by machine it can be added a couple of minutes after mixing when the gluten strands start to form, but if kneaded and folded by hand, the dough should rest 20-30 min before adding salt.
Salt is a more important ingredient than you might know of, and has different benefits. Firstly it acts as a flavour enhancer, which brings out the nuances of the flour. Another important feature is its ability to attract water through a process known as osmosis (remember school chemistry lessons?)
When you add salt to your dough, it pulls water away from the environment which slows down the yeast and enzyme activity within the sourdough: a process known as retardation. Therefore, salt helps bakers control the speed of fermentation.
Sourdough without salt will have a looser structure and is usually stickier and harder to work with. This is because salt tightens the gluten and adds strength to your dough and thereby esures, that your loaf will have better ability to rise and hold its shape.
If bread dough is not kneaded or folded enough, it will not be able to hold the tiny gas bubbles (carbon dioxide) created by the leavening agent (levain/yeast), and will collapse when rising, leaving a heavy and dense loaf.
When mixing flour and water, two key proteins within the flour (gliadin and glutenin) combine to form strands of gluten. Kneading warms up those strands, which allows the proteins to expand during fermentation and encourages the molecules to bond, making for a more elastic dough with better structure.
After autolyse and the rest period after adding the levain, you start kneading the dough to incorporate salt evenly. As soon as the dough starts building up gluten network, Coil Folds or Stretch & Fold is used to help develop gluten further, without tearing the gluten network. Usually the folds are done withing the first 2 hours after the levain has been added to the main dough. After this, the dough is left to rest for fermentation, which is called bulk fermentation. which can take about 4-6 hours depending on room temperature. You know the dough has fermented (raised) enough, when the dough has risen by about 40% and can pass the floating test (carefully cut off a little piece with scissors and put in room tempered water). If it floats the dough is ready for preshape into bread, or to be put into the fridge for cold proofing if making buns the next day.
When shaping the dough into your desired loaf shape, the goal throughout the shaping process is to create surface tension on the outer surface of the dough to help strengthen gluten network and to hold it's shape during proofing while giving an even rise.
Preshape is where you use a bench knife to "roll" the dough over the counter top until it's rounded and tightened up. Dough is usually preshaped into a boule (round) or a cylinder (log).
The resting period in between preshape and final shape also helps to relax the dough so the final shaping is ultimately easier.
Final Shape also helps strengthening gluten and shapes the loaf to fit into a boule (round) or batard (oval) proofing basket, which supports the dough while proofing.
See our SHOP for finely handcrafted bench knives, which is a very useful tool to cut, portion, form and transfer dough.
For beginners, scoring can be as simple as cutting a line into your dough. For advanced bakers, scoring can be just as decorative as useful for baking better bread, by controlling where and how your bread splits in order to optimally expand during baking, for a more airy crumb and bigger oven spring.
See our SHOP for finely handcrafted bread lames.
The final step is baking the bread, which is typically an "open bake" on a baking steel or "closed bake" in a cast iron bread pan/dutch oven.
If choosing an open bake, it's important to add steam in the first half of the baking time, in order to prevent the loaf of forming a crust before is has optimally expanded. This can be done in many ways, ex. by pouring boiling water into an empty baking tray in the oven.
If baking in a cast iron pan, the lid traps the steam, which naturally evaporates from the cold dough when heated. You can also create even more steam by adding an ice cube into the pot before closing the lid. The other half of the baking time has to be without the lid, in order to form the crunchy brown crust.
Autolyse: Autolyse means "self digesting", and is a process where the enzymes in the flour are activated by the water and begin to digest the starches and the gluten network starts to form. Just by mixing flour and water and letting it rest, the gluten network will form without kneading within 40-60 min. There's also the method called “fermentolyse”.
Belly of the bread: Also called the "oven spring" which is the open rip that becomes visible when the bread rises during baking and forms an "ear".
Bench Knife: is a very useful tool to cut, portion, form (preshape) and transfer dough. See our SHOP for finely handcrafted bench knives.
Bread Lame: Is a tool to cut into the bread before baking. For beginners, scoring can be as simple as cutting a line into your dough. For advanced bakers, scoring can be just as decorative as useful for baking better bread, by controlling where and how your bread splits in order to optimally expand during baking, for a more airy crumb and bigger oven spring. See our SHOP for finely handcrafted bread lames.
Bulk fermentation: Bulk fermentation (aka first fermentation or first rise) is the dough's first resting period after levain has been added, and before shaping. You leave the dough at room temperature to “ferment” in one bulk mass
Coil Fold: A process where you help develop strength and structure during the "bulk fermentation". By folding you gently develop the gluten network by stretching and folding the dough in intervals. It's important to let the dough relax in between Coil Folds so you don't stress the gluten network and over-work the dough (see our Instagram highlights for technique).
Ear: The ear is the tip that that forms on your sourdough bread while baking. It's formed by a flap of dough that is pushed upwards and peels back from where the dough was scored.
Fermentolyse: Same technique as "autolyse" but mixing flour, water and levain at the same time, and allowing the process of bulk fermentation to start while also developing the gluten network.
Floating test: You can always test the levain if it's ready for baking, or if the dough is ready for preshape, by taking a spoonfull over in a glass of water to see if it floats - referred to in recipes as the "floating test".
Lame: Bread Lame is a tool to cut into dough. See our Shop for our finely handcrafted bread lames. Cutting into your bread before baking is both functional and aesthetical, by controlling where the bread splits open in order to optimally expand during baking.
Levain: The levain works as the natural leavening agent in a bread recipe. Levain and sourdough starter are the same, but slightly different. Levain refers to a portion of a sourdough starter that has been recently fed, and is ready to be used in a recipe when it "peaks".
Old Sourdough: A leavin or starter which has passed it's "peak", has collapsed and lost it's baking properties. Few bubbles remain, but doesn't pass the "floating test".
Oven Spring: is the open rip that becomes visible from where you scored your bread, and where the bread splits open during baking and forms an "ear".
Over-fermented sourdough: Sourdough that has been left too long without feeding and has run out of its food source (the starches and sugars from the dough) and overferments. It smells more alcoholic because of the majority of acetic acid bakteria in stead of the lactic acid bakteria. You can still revive it by transferring a very small amount, and refreshing in the ratio 1:6:6 or 0,5:6:6
Overproofed dough: An overproofed dough won't expand much during baking, and neither will an "underproofed" one. Overproofed doughs collapse due to a weakened gluten structure and excessive gas production, while underproofed doughs don't have quite enough carbon dioxide production to expand the dough significantly.
Peak: When a sourdough starter or levain is newly fed, it will reach peak level within 2-4 hours, depending on room temperature, dough temperature and sourdough activity. When it peaks, the levain/starter is at it's highest activity level with the highest amount of yeast cells, and therefore has the best baking properties to give an airy crumb and high bake. Peak level is when the levain has at least doubled in size, the surface doesn't have a "dome" any more and starts to collapse. The bubbles start moving more to the surface and bursting. Sourdough has the best conditions between 26-28 degrees C.
Proofing: Proofing (aka final fermentation, final rise or second rise) is the dough's final rise that happens after shaping and just before baking. Typically by cold proofing.
Scoring: Is slashing/cutting the dough with a bread lame to allow the bread to fully expand during baking. The purpose is primarily to control the direction in which the bread will expand during “oven spring.”
Slap & Fold: A technique to incorporate ingredients evenly, gather the dough and start building up gluten network by pulling the dough up in the air and slapping down on a counter while simultaniosly folding the dough in over itself (see our Instagram highlights for technique).
Starter: A starter is your "mother" sourdough. This you can keep running and using forever if you maintain and feed it.
Underproofed dough: An underproofed dough does not have quite enough carbon dioxide production to expand the dough, and will result in a flatter bake. Also an "overproofed dough" won't expand much during baking and collapse due to a weakened gluten structure and excessive gas production.
Young Sourdough: A sourdough that has been newly fed and is just before/around it's peak and is ready to be used in a bread recipe. A young sourdough is also reffered to as a "Levain" if it has been fed in order to be used as the leavening agent in a bread dough.
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