I recently started experimenting by using Amy Scherber’s (Amy’s Bread) method of making a

sourdough levain (Preferment).

Friday night (Feb. 24th) I fed both of my starters.

I maintain both a Rye Starter and a White Starter. The white was spun off from the original rye.

I made two levains, one rye and one white, both with:

55g of discard

55g of water

1 g salt (1/4 teaspoon)

142g of Roger’s Silver Star commercial bread flour (13.3%).

I left both the newly fed starters and the two levains out on the counter overnight.

Both are more than doubled.

White Starter and Levain.

Rye Starter and Levain.

In the morning (Saturday Feb. 25th) both starters and levains had more than doubled and the levains were ready to use.

Each levain went into a bowl along with 630g of water. Using my fingers I broke up the levain so that it would be easier to mix and distribute into the batch of dough.

Added 1000g of flour, 30g of salt and 1g of yeast.

White Dough

Rye Dough

After the initial hand mix, the dough is covered and left to rest for 30 minutes (Autolyze).

White after first stretch and fold.

Rye after first stretch and fold.

Each dough is given four stretch and folds with an autolyze rest of 20 to 30 minutes in between.

White – last stretch and fold.

Rye – last stretch and fold.

Each of the doughs went into a covered container and into the fridge immediate after the last stretch and fold.

To be baked over the next couple of days.

EDITED – FOLLOW UP

This morning (Monday February 27th) at 4:00 AM the dough made with the white levain was taken out and left on the counter to warm up and finish rising.

Matt made a pizza using 500g and I made three loaves using the remaining dough.

One large

and two smaller.

YEAST LEVAIN

A Levain can also be made with yeast.

1g of yeast

55g of water

142g of flour

1g of salt

Mix together in a small bowl.

The yeast levain is the one with the Y

Let rest (autolyze) and do some stretch and folds over

the next 90 minutes (I usually do three or four).

The ball will be very small.

Place in a container with a lid

(I use a one litre ZipLock container with lid ,

the same as I use for my sourdough starters.

Leave until it has more than doubled.

I usually leave it for about 8 hours and by that time

it has reached the top of the container.

Place in a bowl with 630 g of water and break up so it is easy to incorporate. Add 1000g of flour

30g of salt and another 1 to 2 g of yeast.

Mix well and do three to four Autolyze, stretch and folds over the next 90 to 120 minutes.

Place dough in covered container.

If baking same day, leave out on the counter for a bulk proof, or

put into the fridge for a day or two.

Take out of the fridge at least 8 hours so the dough has a chance to warm up and continue to rise.

Ready to divide, shape, proof and bake.

There is enough dough for a number of baguettes, rounds or ovals.