![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() In addition to these three preferments, you may also encounter pâtés fermentées (originally, this was made by breaking off a bit of the mixed dough, then keeping it overnight and incorporating it into the next batch), sponges (which typically only ferment for a couple hours), and soakers (these are made by soaking non-yeasted ingredients, like cornmeal or cracked wheat, overnight in order to release some of the starches’ sugars). (If all of this sounds very confusing to you, you are not alone! I recommend Bryan’s book, New World Sourdough, or any of the others referred to in this article, which lay it out in more detail.) Sometimes that is simply a portion of the starter, bubbly, and alive other times, the starter is a starting point for a levain with a different hydration level (as in, it might be stiffer or looser than the starter itself) or a different ratio of white to whole wheat (or rye!) flour. The difference between starter and levain is confusing (especially because levain is the French word for sourdough), but oftentimes bakers refer to the levain as the portion of the starter that is active and ready to be incorporated into the rest of the ingredients. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |