Recipe Sourdough Starter

Levain, more commonly known as sourdough recipe starter, is an ancestral pre-ferment form used in the bread baking process. It is a common ingredient when baking breads that are rye based because of the unique results it produces. Although not commonly used as the standard bread livening method in today's bread baking industry, and more so in the English speaking countries due to the predominance of the wheat based breads, some specialty bakeries still use it.

Sourdough is basically a Lactobacillus-culture-containing dough. It is one of two biological leavening ways in bread baking, the other method being the use of commercial yeast. Due to the lactic acid produced by the lactobacilli, sourdough produces a uniquely sour and tangy taste in the end product when compared to yeast livened breads.

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Unlike the commercially produced yeast used for baking, which is a single organism that produces a lot of gas that easily transforms the grain in to something that is potentially harmful to your body, sourdough is made up of two different organisms that are in a symbiotic relationship. These are bacteria and wild yeast. When working together, these two organisms change your grain in to a more digestible, healthier and high mold resistant form. The sourdough is also free (unlike commercial yeast), and even a person who has yeast or wheat allergies gets no problem when they eat a real sourdough.

To make a great sourdough based bread is easy too. All you need is flour from most grains (although organic whole wheat is best), water, an oven or at least a stove, and some container to hold your sourdough in, like a glass jar. You may also need pans and bowls, depending on what you intend to make. Then choose from the many recipes readily available online, or offline, that incorporate the sourdough recipe starter.

sourdough-starter-order We recommend this sourdough bread recipe



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