STUART Bread Master Class 3
Third in the series of Dad’s bread master class. This is a really nice one to look into over the Easter break.
Over to Dad…
Real Bread - Pain au Levain
In our busy lives we so rarely manage to find the time to do things the traditional and measured way. These strange times now offer everyone the chance to make bread the old way. Come with me on this little voyage of discovery and pleasure.
Lesson 1 - the leaven, levain or starter
It all starts very simply. And it will end in glory. Guaranteed. The wonder of harvesting wild yeast, no packets. The delight of recreating something that has been done for millennia. Across the world. So simple using a God given gift from the air. To produce the most wondrous delight. To enable a splendid feast of breaking bread and sharing. To savour the harvest of the fields and the result of the loving and caressing of the dough.
Ok we’re just going to make bread. But I promise you will never want to make it any other way again. Ever. Other than soda bread or if it’s urgent, or if you like baguettes. Ok you might, but this will be your favourite.
Ingredients
As always with anything to do with flour and baking there are ratios. Quantities vary, ratios never do. We are going to make a levain which will happily produce up to two large loaves a day but can be turned down to produce none.
The magic ratio is 3g of flour to 5 ml of water i.e. 3 to 5. In whatever money. For our average bread production we’ll need:
150g of any flour except self raising. And I really mean any. you don’t need strong bread flour (indeed keep that for the next step). I reckon the most effective for getting this under way is a coarser flour such as wholemeal, rye or spelt. But IT REALLY REALLY DOESN’T MATTER. HONESTLY.
250ml of water from the Berkshire Downs. That’s what I use. But the point is IT DOESN’T MATTER. Don’t waste bottled water (expensive and pointless) and don’t worry about hard or soft. And for this stage don’t waste beer, cider or any other delight.
No salt. Yes none, zilch, zero, rien.
Air. Any
You will need equipment. A container any design, any shape, any material, enough to hold twice the amount (800g) above plus 800g of air. In other words about twice the size of the two ingredients. It should have a LOOSE lid. Really loose that you just lay over it.
And you need a warm place. Under the duvet for the first night (just joking although … ). And a long term home would be nice. If this relationship flourishes it could be for your lifetime. And your children’s, and their children (they always say this bollocks about levain but on the other hand…).
SO THIS IS WHAT YOU DO;
Mix the flour with the water. Cover and leave. That’s it for the first day. (Bit of a shaggy dog story this, sorry).
Top tip: If you mix the flour and water together really well it will start capturing wild yeast within an hour or less. it will start very, very, gently bubbling.
Lesson 2
After 24 hours your levain will be hungry. So on this first feeding, traditionally celebrated in catholic countries with a big party involving all the neighbours, the consumption of fine wines, a procession headed by Our Lady of Levain and a short service of thanksgiving by M le Cure, you will stir in:
150g of any flour (need not be the same as the first)
250 ml of water.
NO SALT.
Give it a really good whisk and more and more bubbles will appear. Your levain is now reaching toddler stage. Cover and leave. I always keep mine in a warmish place but you do not have to. Just don’t let it be too cold.
Lesson 3
On day 3 of levainy’’s life you are going to be cruel. You are not going to do what the Dean of Bristol did - through all of her away. Oh nody nody. But you are going to throw away HALF. Yes THROW AWAY. Pour down sink. Jettison. Discard. Dump. HALF. But now the font of human kindness will overflow (unlike your levain) and you will add:
150g of any flour.
250ml of water.
And stirry, stirry. Whisky ,whisky (action not dram). Producing bubbly bubbly. Replace the lid just loosely and put levainy back in her home.
Lesson 4
Repeat lesson 3 about 3 or 4 times. So all in all over about 6 days.
Your levain is now ready for her first big test as an adolescent levain. She will pass I promise.
And we’ll learn all about the test in lesson 5. You’ll need for that:
1.1 kg of strong white bread flour. You can use other bread flour but for your first pain au levain there is much to be said for using white.
You’ll also need salt and ideally rye flour for glazing but there are other choices.
And some olive or other oil e.g. rapeseed, though this is also optional.