My Personal Favorite Pain Au Levain
Serves: 5
Ashlynn O'Reilly
1 January 1970
Based on User reviews:
49
Spice
49
Sweetness
48
Sourness
40
mins
Prep time (avg)
4.3
Difficulty
Ingredients:
2.25 cups
Spring Water (18 fluid ounces)1 tbsp
Fine Sea Salt (3/4-ounce)Directions:
1
Measure the ingredients and calculate the temperatures
2
Combine the levain and water in a 6-quart bowl
3
Break up the levain well with a wooden spoon or squeeze through your fingers until it is broken up
4
Continue stirring until the levain is partially dissolved and the mixture is slightly frothy
5
Add 1 cup (5 ounces) of the flour and stir until well combined
6
Add the salt and just enough of the remaining flour to make a thick mass that is difficult to stir
7
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding remaining flour when needed, until dough is firm and smooth, 15 to 17 minutes total
8
The dough is ready when a little dough pulled from the mass springs back quickly
9
Shape the dough into a ball and let it rest on a lightly floured surface while you scrape, clean, and lightly oil the large bowl
10
Place the dough in the bowl and turn once to coat with oil
11
Take the dough's temperature, the ideal is 78 degrees
12
Cover with a clean damp towel or plastic wrap and put in a moderately warm (74 to 80 degrees F) draft-free place until increased in volume about 1/4 to 1/2
13
This dough will not behave like an ordinary yeasted bread dough
14
It won't rise to a puffy state
15
Deflate the dough by pushing down in the center and pulling up on the sides
16
Transfer to a lightly floured work surface and knead briefly
17
Shape into a tight ball and place on a lightly floured board
18
Cover with a clean damp towel or plastic wrap and put in a moderately warm (74 to 80 degree) draft-free place for 30 minutes
19
Flatten the ball with the heel of your hand on a lightly floured work surface into a disk
20
Shape into an oblong loaf about 14 inches long
21
Place the loaf seam side up in a well-floured couche*
22
Cover with a clean damp towel or plastic wrap and put in a moderately warm (74 to 80 degrees F) draft-free place until almost doubled in volume, or until a slight indentation remains when the dough is pressed with a fingertip
23
This dough gets softer, lighter, and very delicate as it proofs--more so than any other dough in this book
24
After 4 hours there will be a pronounced difference between the dough you set in the couche and the final light dough
25
Preheat the oven and baking stone to 450 degrees, 45 minutes to 1 hour before baking
26
The oven rack must be in the center of the oven
27
If it is in the lower 1/3 of the oven the bottom of the breads may burn, and if it is in the upper 1/3, the top crusts may burn
28
Using the couche as an aid, gently roll the loaf from the couche onto a lightly floured peel so that it sits seam side down
29
Using a very sharp, serrated knife or a single-edged razor blade, score the loaf by making quick shallow cuts 1/4 to 1/2-inch deep along the surface
30
Using the peel, slide the loaf onto the hearth
31
Quickly spray the inner walls and floor of the oven with cold water from a spritzer bottle
32
If there's an electric light bulb in the oven, avoid spraying it directly?it may burst
33
Spray for several seconds until steam has filled the oven
34
Quickly close the door to trap the steam and bake 3 minutes
35
Spray again in the same way, closing the door immediately so that steam doesn't escape
36
Bake until the loaf begins to color, about 20 minutes
37
Reduce heat to 400 degrees and continue baking until deep golden in color and the crust is firm, 20 to 25 minutes
38
To test the loaf for doneness, remove and hold the loaf upside down
39
Strike the bottom firmly with your finger
40
If the sound is hollow, the bread is done
41
If it doesn't sound hollow, bake 5 minutes longer
42
Cool completely on a wire rack
43
Add the flour directly into the container with the full batch of room-temperature, batterlike ripe chef
44
Stir vigorously to add fresh oxygen to the mixture
45
This will form a stiff consistency more like a stiff dough than a batter
46
This firm texture is important for ripening levain, because a dense rather than loose levain creates delicious sour bread without an overpowering tangy bite
47
Scrape down the sides, cover tightly, and let stand in a cool to moderate (about 70 degrees) draft-free place for 8 to 10 hours
48
The levain should have doubled in volume
49
The texture will be somewhat light, with many tiny bubbles throughout
50
Do not let the levain stand for longer than 10 hours, or the yeast will become exhausted and not raise the final dough
51
This recipe yields 18 ounces of levain
52
The Chef Day 1 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (4 ounces) 20 percent bran wheat flour 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) spring water Combine the flour and water in a tall 2 to 3-quart clear plastic container with a lid
53
Stir well to make a thick, soft dough
54
The exact consistency of the dough will vary with the brand of flour or water at this point to adjust the texture
55
Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula, cover tightly with lid and let stand in a moderate (about 70 degree) place for 24 hours
56
Day 2 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (4 ounces) 20 percent bran wheat flour 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) spring water The chef should have almost doubled in volume
57
You will see tiny bubbles on the surface, and you might notice a slight musty smell
58
Add the flour and water to the mixture and stir vigorously to distribute the fresh ingredients and add fresh oxygen to the chef
59
The texture will still be like a soft dough
60
You may add a little more flour or water to make this texture, if necessary
61
Scrape down the sides, cover, and place in a moderate (70 degree) draft-free place for 24 hours
62
Day 3 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (4 ounces) 20 percent bran wheat flour 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) spring water It will have almost doubled in volume and be quite bubbly
63
Add the flour and water, and stir well to make a thick batter
64
(You may have to add a little more water if your flour's absorption level is high)
65
With a marker pen, mark the level of the chef on the side of the container
66
Scrape down the sides, cover tightly, and let stand in a moderate (70 degree) draft-free place for 24 hours
67
It should now be loose in texture, like a pancake batter
68
It will have doubled in volume from the last addition of flour and water
69
The chef may rise and fall, but as long as it doubles at some point during this last period, it's fine
70
You now have a fully ripe chef ready to transform into a levain
71
If you don't want to make the levain immediately, the chef can be refrigerated for up to 3 days
72
Note: If the dough temperature is higher than 78 degrees, put it in a cooler than (78 degree F) place like the refrigerator, until the dough cools to 78 degrees
73
If it is lower than 78 degrees, put in it a warmer than 78 degree place until the dough warms to 78 degrees
74
The point is to try to keep the dough at 78 degrees during its fermentation
75
If you do have to move the dough, be gentle and don't jostle it, or the dough may deflate
76
*Couche?French for "couch" or "resting place"
77
This is a simple holding device you make yourself for proofing long loaves like logs, torpedo shapes, and baguettes
78
Using well-floured canvas or linen towels create folds to separate loaves while hold them securely next to each other during proofing
79
Use a length of fabric at least a yard long
80
Place 12 to 16-inch wooden blocks cut from 2 by 4's at either long end to contain the loaves
81
Or substitute large books to contain the loaves
82
Full batch chef, procedure and recipe follows