Quintessential French Sourdough (Pain au levain)
20 MINUTES TO MIX AND REST THE DOUGH; 8 TO 15 MINUTES TO KNEAD;
3 TO 4 HOURS TO FERMENT; I TO I 1/2 HOURS TO PROOF;
35 TO 40 MINUTES TO BAKE
I've refined this recipe over the years, tweaking the proportion of levain
starter and the blend of white, whole wheat, and rye flour. It now comes as
close as possible to the germ- and bran-flecked bread flour called type 70 that
the bakers at Fabiopain in Alsace use to make their pain au levain. Type 70
flour is ground from white win ter wheat. It is sweeter, contains more
fermentation-inducing enzymes, and has a lower protein content than commercial
bread flour ground from hard spring wheat.
This recipe introduces you to a common French bread shape, the batard. It looks
like an overweight baguette and involves the same shaping technique but is
easier because there's not as much stretching or rolling. It's the only
hand-formed shape that offers uniform slices from beginning to end, perfect for
sandwiches.
Traditional pain au leva in is not nearly as sour as people expect a sourdough
bread to be. The French like it this way. If you'd like a little more acidity
in the finished bread, chill the dough in the refrigerator to slow down the
fermentation, giving the bacteria a chance to produce more acids. The longer
the dough chills, or retards, the tangier it will taste. See page 32 for
retarding instructions. MAKES 2 BATARDS ABOUT 12 INCHES LONG (17.4 OUNCES/493
GRAMS EACH)
Equipment:
Organics in Alsace: Rediscovering Pain au Levain BENCH SCRAPER OR CHEF'S KNIFE
BAKER'S PEEL OR RIMLESS BAKING SHEET PARCHMENT PAPER
2 KITCHEN TOWELS BAKING STONE CAST-IRON SKILLET SINGLE-EDGED RAZOR BLADE OR
SERRATED KNIFE
Note: If you don't have a stiff dough lwain already prepared, you will have to
make one from scratch (page 111) or substitute a commercial sourdough starter
(see pages 333-34 for sources), or use the pate ftrmentee method
Levain Starter:
1/4 cup stiff dough levain
1/4 cup water, tepid (70 to 78 degrees)
2/3 cup Type 55-style flour from King Aurthur or Giusto's or unbleached
all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons stone-ground whole wheat flour
PREPARE THE LEVAIN. Take your levain out of the refrigerator. Pinch off about
1/4 cup, or a piece the size of an Italian plum (1.6 ounces/45 grams), and
discard the rest. Place the piece of levain in a wide, shallow mixing bowl and
pour the water over it. Use a rubber spatula to mash the levain against the
sides of the bowl to break it up and soften it. The water will turn milky and
bubble. Add the bread flour and whole wheat flour and stir until you have a
very dry dough with loose flour scattered all around it. Using the spatula,
press the dough against the sides of the bowl to collect as much of the stray
flour as you can. Then tip the bowl with one hand while you knead with the
other, chasing down the last bits of flour and working them into a very stiff
dough, 1 to 2 minutes. The dough will not be smooth.
Place the dough in a clean I-quart container and cover it. Place a piece of
masking tape on the side of the container to mark the level the dough will
reach when it has doubled in volume. Let the levain stand to ferment at room
temperature (70 to 75 degrees) for 8 to 12 hours, until it has risen into a
dome and doubled in volume. It may already have begun to deflate. It will be
riddled with air pockets that will be visible through the sides and bottom of
the con tainer. It will smell as sweet as overripe fruit.
Bread Dough:
1 1/2 cups water, tepid (70 to 78 dehgrees)
2 1/4 cups Type 55-style flour from King Arthur or Giusto's or unbleached
all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Stone-ground whole wheat flour
1/4 cup Fine or medium rye flour About 1/2 cup packed Levain starter
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
MIX THE DOUGH. Pour the water into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand
mixer. Add the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, and rye flour and stir
with a rubber spatula just until it absorbs all of the water and a
ragged-looking dough forms. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room tem
perature for 20 minutes to hydrate the flour and give the gluten a chance to
develop on its own.
ADD THE LEVAIN AND SALT. Uncover the levain and pinch off about 1/2 cup, or a
piece the size of a tennis ball (4.4 ounces/rag grams). Uncover the dough, add
the levain piece, and sprinkle on the salt. Use the spatula to work the levain
and salt into the dough with a few firm strokes. (Cover the remaining levatn
and store it in the refrigerator, refreshing it at least once a week.
KNEAD THE DOUGH. By hand: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter.
Flour your hands and knead the dough with confident strokes until it is very
smooth and elastic, 12 to 15 minutes. During the first few minutes it will be
very sticky and will smear on the counter, but this stage will not last long.
Keep kneading, stopping every 8 to 10 strokes to scrape the dough off the
counter with a bench scraper and flour your hands again. Soon the dough will
firm up, become less sticky, and form a ball. When it reaches this point, stop
kneading for a moment, place your hands above the ball of dough, and rub them
together vigorously to clean off as much of the excess dough as you can. Flour
your hands and start knead ing again. Continue until the dough is beautifully
smooth and barely tacky.
Give the dough a windowpane test to judge its readiness: Pinch off a
golfball-sized piece and flatten it into a mini-pancake. Gently stretch it
until the dough is thin enough to see through. If it tears, press the small
piece back into the larger mass, knead it for 1 to 2 minutes more, and test
again.
By machine: Use the dough hook and mix the dough on medium speed (4 on a
KitchenAid mixer) for 8 to 9 minutes. It will clean the sides of the bowl and
collect around the dough hook. Give the dough a windowpane test to judge its
readiness, as described above. If it tears, press the small piece back into the
larger mass, knead it for 1 to 2 minutes more, and test again.
FERMENT THE DOUGH. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled, clear z-quart
container with a lid. Cover and leave it to rise at room temperature (70 to
75 degrees) for 1 hour. It will not rise noticeably.
TURN THE DOUGH. Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured counter. Pat it
into a rectangle about 6 by 8 inches and fold it like a business letter: Lift
the far edge of the dough with both hands, pull it toward you, and place it on
the center of the rectangle; lift the near edge with both hands, pull it toward
you, and place it in the center, overlapping the top edge by about 1 inch.
Quickly slide both hands under the dough and flip it over so the folds are
underneath. Slip it back into the container, pushing it down to fit if you need
to. Cover the dough and let it ferment for 2 to 3 hours more. Pain au levain is
much less gassy than dough leavened with packaged yeast and does not rise as
dramatically. Look for an increase in volume of about 25 per cent, and look
at the bottom through the container to scout for air pockets. Press your
fingertip into the dough. It will feel dense but with a spongy quality. The
indentation of your fingertip will spring back slowly.
DIVIDE AND SHAPE THE BATARDS. Cover a baker's peel or rimless baking sheet with
parchment paper. Cut the dough with a bench scraper or chef's knife into 2
equal pieces (17.4 ounces/493 grams each). Shape each piece of dough into a
btuard about 12 inches long. As you roll the log, taper the ends by increasing
the down ward pressure at the tips. It will be plump in the cen ter with
gently tapered ends.
FORM THE COUCHE. Dust the parchment-covered peel or baking sheet with flour and
place the batards on the parchment, seam side down, about 3 inches apart. Lift
the parchment paper between the loaves, making a pleat and drawing the loaves
close together. Tightly roll up 2 kitchen towels and slip them under the
parchment paper on the sides of the two outer loaves to support the sides of
each btuard (see illustration, page 74). Lightly dust the tops of the biuards
with flour and lightly drape them with plastic wrap.
PROOF THE SA-TARDS. Letthe loaves rise at room temperature (70 to 75 degrees)
until they spread and inflate about one and a half times in size, 1 to 11/2
hours. The dough will look slack and relaxed. When you press your fingertip
into the dough, the indenta tion will spring back slowly.
PREPARE THE OVEN. About 1 hour before baking, place a baking stone on the
middle rack of the oven and a cast-iron skillet on the lower rack. Heat the
oven to 450 degrees.
SCORE THE BATARDS. Uncover the loaves and stretch the parchment paper out so
that it is flat and the loaves are separated on top of it. Score each btuard
with a single-edged razor blade or a serrated knife. Starting from the tip,
angle the blade 45 degrees to make 4 slashes, about 3 inches long and 1/2 inch
deep (see illustration, page 000). Dip the blade in water and use a quick,
fluid motion so that it doesn't snag and drag the dough. minutes, lower the
heat to 400 degrees, and con tinue to bake until the batards are evenly
browned with a deep mahogany tone along the edges of the score marks, 20 to 25
minutes more.
COOL AND STORE THE BATARDS. Slide the peel or the rimless baking sheet under
the parchment paper to remove the loaves from the oven. Slide the loaves, still
on the parchment, onto a wire rack. Cool for about 5 minutes and then peel them
off the parchment paper. Let the loaves cool completely, about 1 hour, before
slicing. They will stay fresh for about 5 days stored in a brown paper bag.
BAKE THE BATARDS. Slide the loaves, still on the parchment, onto the baking
stone. Place 1/2 cup of ice cubes in the skillet to produce steam. Bake for
15
Vaiiations: WHOLE SEED, WHOLE-GRAIN LEVAINS After viewing and tasting
Fabiopain's many seeded and whole-grain varieties of pain au levain, I began to
view my own levain. recipe as much more than just a traditional sourdough
starter. I suddenly realized that it had the potential to raise an array of
boldly flavored and textured breads beyond Quintessential French Sourdough. The
following breads are simple variations on that recipe, with the addition of
whole sunflower, sesame, or flax seeds or a mixture of whole seeds and grains.
They share the French sourdough's burnished crust and open, even crumb. At the
same time, they are entirely new-the seeds infuse the breads with distinct
flavors, and their oils add incredible richness. While they are nutty and
hearty, they don't have even a trace of the heaviness of your typical
health-food store "energy loaf."
Soaking the seeds ahead of time plumps and softens them so that they don't rob
water from the bread dough. (This is a trick I picked up from German bakers,
but it transfers beautifully to seeded pain au levain.) Because the soaked
seeds bring so much moisture, the variations call for less water in the dough.
Sometimes the addition of seeds will slow down the fermentation of the dough.
If it doesn't seem to have risen sufficiently after 3 hours, let it go an
additional 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Sunflower Seed Levain Pain au levain au iournesol SOAK THE SEEDS WHILE YOUR
LEVAIN IS FERMENTING. After you prepare your levain, pour 3/4 cup (3·5
ounces/roo grams) raw sunflower seeds into a small bowl. Pour 3/4 cup (6.2
ounces/175 grams) tap water over them and let them sit uncovered at room
temperature for 8 to 12 hours (the same amount of time you let your leva in
sit). They will not absorb all the water but will plump and soften. Strain off
the excess water, draining them well.
MIX THE DOUGH. Reduce the amount of water in the dough to 11/3 cups (10.6
ounces/joe grams) and add the soaked and drained sunflower seeds when you mix
in the flour.
Sesame Seed Levain Pain au levain au sesame SOAK THE SEEDS WHILE YOUR LEVAIN IS
FERMENTING. After you prepare your levain, pour
2/3 cup (3.5 ounces/lOo grams) raw sesame seeds into a small bowl. Pour 3/4 cup
(6.2 ounces/ 175 grams) tap water over them and let them sit uncovered at room
temperature for 8 to 12 hours (the same amount of time you let your levain
sit). They won't absorb much of the water, but will plump and soften. Strain
off the excess water draining them well.
MIX THE DOUGH. Reduce the amount of water in the dough to 11/3 cups (10.6
ounces/joe grams) and add the soaked and drained sesame seeds when you mix in
the flour.
Flaxseed Levain Pain au levain aux graines de lin SOAK THE SEEDS WHILE YOUR
LEVAIN IS FERMENTING.After you prepare your levain, pour
2/3 cup (3-5 ounces/lOo grams) brown or golden flax seeds into a small bowl.
Pour 1 cup (8 ounces/227 grams) tap water over them and let them sit uncovered
at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours (the same amount of time you let your
levain sit). They will absorb all the water and cling together in a slippery
gel that resembles tapioca.
MIX THE DOUGH. Reduce the amount of water in the dough to 1 cup (8·3 ounces/235
grams) and add the hydrated flax seeds when you mix in the flour.
Multigrain Levain Pain au levain aux quatre cereales SOAK THE SEEDS AND GRAINS
WHILE YOUR LEYAIN IS FERMENTlNG.After you prepare your levain, combine 2
heaping tablespoons (0.9 ounce/z'; grams) flax seeds,
1/4 cup (0·9 ounce/25 grams) millet, 1/3 cup (0.9 ounce/25 grams) rolled oats,
and 2 tablespoons (0·9 ounce/25 grams) coarse cornmeal in a small bowl. Pour
3/4 cup (6.2 ounces/175 grams) tap water over the mixture and let sit uncovered
at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours (the same amount of time you let your
levain sit). The seeds and grains will absorb all the water.
MIX THE DOUGH. Reduce the amount of water in the dough to 1 cup (8·3 ounces/235
grams) and add the soaked seeds and grains when you mix in the flour.
Variatins:NEW-WAVE FLOUR LEVAINS By substituting nutrient- and protein-rich
spelt, kamut. or soy flour
(available at natural-foods stores or by mail; see Resources, pages 333-34) for
some of the flour in Old World pain au levain, you can dramatically change the
texture and flavor of the bread. These flours don't contain as much gluten (in
the case of soy flour, no gluten at all) as wheat flour. Like the Fabiopain
bakers, I've kept the proportion of bread flour in the recipes high to preserve
the structure and lightness of classic pain au levain.
To make any of these levains, simply follow the recipe for Quintessential
French Sourdough (page 124), replacing the combination of bread flour, whole
wheat flour, and rye flour in that recipe with the combination of "new-wave
flour" and bread flour specified below. Everything else-the amounts of water
and salt, the rising times, shaping, and baking-is the same. The loaves you
pull from the oven, however, will be entirely different.
Spelt Sourdough Pain au levain a lepautre Whole spelt flour looks like its
close relation, whole wheat flour. It also mixes and bakes like whole wheat
flour, but absorbs more water into the dough and tans the crumb and the crust.
This recipe, with about half spelt flour and half bread flour, makes the
darkest, heartiest loaf of the group.
1 1/2 cups whole spelt flour
1 3/4 cups cups Type 55-style flour from King Arthur or Giusto's or unbleached
all-purpose flour
Kamut Levain Pain au levain au camut Pale yellow kamut flour, ground from an
ancient relative of durum wheat, is complete with germ, germ oil, and bran.
When baked, it contributes a buttery flavor to the bread.
1 1/4 cup s Kamut flour
2 cups cups Type 55-style flour from King Arthur or Giusto's or unbleached
all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons stone-ground whole wheat flour
Soy Levain Pain au levain au soja Soy is a legume, not a grain. Because soy
"flour" doesn't contain any water-absorbing gluten, it mixes into a sticky
dough with a vegetal scent. But it bakes into a golden brown loaf with a
butter-yellow crumb and a wonderfully nutty taste.
1 1/4 cups soy flour
2 cups cups Type 55-style flour from King Arthur or Giusto's or unbleached
all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons stone-ground whole wheat flour
Variationns: FANTASY LEVAINS French bakers call breads stuffed with tasty bits
like olives, bacon, or cheese pains des fantaisie. I have used my recipe for
Quintessential French Sourdough to develop a menu of such savory breads. Follow
the directions below for incorporating particular ingredients into the dough
and proceed with the sourdough recipe as directed, Serve the breads on their
own as hors d'oeuvres or use them to upgrade a salad into a meal fit for
company.
Olive Levain Pain au levain aux olives I love oil-cured black Nicoise olives in
this bread, but Italian green olives or Kalamatas make wonderful olive bread
too. Be forewarned that black olives will stain the dough a purplish gray
color.
CHOP THE OLIVES. Before mixing the dough, roughly chop 1 cup (4.9 ounces/rae
grams) pitted olives.
KNEAD THE OLIVES INTO THE DOUGH. Add the olives to the dough when it is fairly
smooth, about 10 minutes into hand-kneading. Press them into the dough and
continue to knead until they are well distributed and the dough is very smooth
and elastic. If kneading by machine, add the olives during the last 2 minutes
of kneading. Once you've turned the machine off, press any stray olives into
the dough by hand.
Bacon Levain Pain au levain au lard I like thick-cut all-natural bacon. I like
the chewiness of the bigger pieces. You can substitute ham or prosciutto here
if you like. The fat from the bacon flavors the bread and also moistens the
crumb.
COOK THE BACON. Before mixing the dough, chop 7 strips of thick-cut bacon
(about 10 ounces/z So grams) into 1/2-inch-wide pieces. Cook in a skillet over
medium heat, stirring once or twice, just until some of the fat renders and the
pieces start to brown around the edges, about 5 minutes. Remove the skillet
from the heat and use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper
towel-lined plate. Let the bacon cool completely.
MIX THE BACON INTO THE DOUGH. Add the bacon to the dough along with the salt
and levain.
Cheese Levain Pain au levain au fromage Boldly flavored cheese such as buttery
Cantal, nutty Comte, or a farmstead cheddar best comple ments the complex
flavors of pain au levain.
PREPARE THE CHEESE. After you've mixed the dough, while it's resting but before
you've added the levain and salt, cut 5 ounces of hard cheese into
1/2-inch cubes.
KNEAD THE CHEESE INTO THE DOUGH. Add the cheese to the dough when it is fairly
smooth, about 10 minutes into hand-kneading. Press the cubes into the dough and
continue to knead until the pieces are well distributed and the dough is very
smooth and elastic. If kneading by machine, add the cheese during the last 2
minutes of kneading. Once you've turned the machine off, press any stray pieces
of cheese into the dough by hand. Raisin-Nut Levain Pain au levain aux noix et
raisins This is one of the most popular levain breads at Bread Alone. Use
walnuts or pecans, your choice.
TOAST THE NUTS. Before mixing the dough, place 1 cup of nuts on a baking sheet
and toast in a preheated 350-degree oven until fragrant, 5 to 8 minutes. Let
cool completely. Coarsely chop.
KNEAD THE NUTS AND RAISINS INTO THE DOUGH. Add the nuts and 1/2 cup raisins to
the dough when it is fairly smooth, about 10 minutes into hand-kneading. Press
them into the dough and continue to knead until they are well distributed and
the dough is very smooth and elastic. If kneading by machine, add the nuts and
raisins during the last 2 minutes of kneading. Once you've turned the machine
off, press any stray nuts and raisins into the dough by hand.
Local Breads by Daniel Leader
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