A blog about food and sourdoughbread
What are the right proportions when mixing a Levain?
Well, there are probably as many answers as there are bakers.
I have read so many recipes now that I don’t think there are any right or wrong proportions.
Some like it firm and some prefer it lose.
Some adjust the hydration depending on what kind of bread they are baking.
I have stolen this recipe from Jamie Oliver.
Well, sort of.
I found his recipe for polenta fritters on Pinterest and tried it last Saturday. I fell in love with them at first bite.
So I made my version. Jamie Oliver mix Parmesan cheese and oregano in the polenta, and serve them with pesto.
I exchanged the cheese and oregano with Tabasco, resulting in something completely different.
Corn and Tabasco is always a good pairing, and my version might be classified as more Tex-Mex if it wasn’t for the dipping sauce.
I read somewhere that a typical industrial made sandwich bread has a maximum fermentation time of 15 minutes. To make this possible a special enzyme is added to the dough that speeds up the fermentation. I presume they meant the final rise even if the article wasn’t clear about that.
Since I haven’t been able to get that information verified, I’m not sure if it’s true.
I hope it’s not, but I wouldn’t surprise me if it is.
Let me explain why.
I have been baking my sandwich bread for some years now, so I have forgotten how the factory-made one’s taste.
It was time for a test.
