I read another post raving about a french style of sourdough called levain.
I saw a recipe that has various types of levain as ingredients. Can I make
that, or where can I get me some?

Thanks,

Shaun
Melbourne
Australia

Shaun Ginsbourg wrote:
> I read another post raving about a french style of sourdough called levain.
> I saw a recipe that has various types of levain as ingredients. Can I make
> that, or where can I get me some?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Shaun

HI Shaun,

levain is just people trying to sound posh. : -) It's a sourdough
starter

Here's a French site that explains levain.

http://fairesonpain.free.fr/Recettes/levain.htm

"It will replace bakers yeast in the bread dough. One makes one's own
yeast here, whose quality will largely condition the quality of the
bread that one will make with it. It is important that the ambient
temperature is rather high (t° optimal = 20-25°C) and to avoid
draughts, if not the leaven is likely not "to take".
1) In a jam pot, put 1/2 volume of whole-wheat flour and 1/2 volume of
standard flour type 55 (this is what the French use for baguettes)
(about 80g, of each) with a pinch of sugar and water, so that the
mixture fills half of the pot and is rather liquid (quite thick pancake
batter of the American kind).

Put on the lid without screwing it down, so that the air can circulate
between the interior and the outside of the pot.

Stir up morning and evening for 3 to 5 days.

2) When the mixture is well risen and it gets a characteristic odor of
fermentation which you will come to recognise with experience, throw
half and feed it an equivalent volume with flour 55, water, and a
little sugar.

3) Throw half away, make up the mixture (without sugar) and let raise.
Do this once again. Now the leaven is ready to be used...."

I have to add I wouldn't add sugar but this is what the page says. I'm
sure you'll find lots of recipes for for making a good starter.

Here's one Will gave

http://tinyurl.com/r6oau


Good luck

TG

TG wrote:
> Shaun Ginsbourg wrote:
> > I read another post ravin....
>
> Here's one Will gave
>
> http://tinyurl.com/r6oau
>
>
> Good luck
>
> TG

Lol, I just found a translation or that page, they call it sourdough.
There you go
levain = sourdough.

If you follow the tinyurl you'll need to scroll down to a starter from
Wheat berries.

TG

On Tue, 20 Jun 2006 00:11:47 +1000, "Shaun Ginsbourg"
> wrote:

>I read another post raving about a french style of sourdough called levain.
>I saw a recipe that has various types of levain as ingredients. Can I make
>that, or where can I get me some?
>
>Thanks,
>
>Shaun
>Melbourne
>Australia
>

Hi Shaun,

As others have said, indeed, "levain" is just the French
word for "sourdough."

That said, not all starters are the same, and if you would
like to have some from a highly regarded bakery in Paris
(Poilne), please write to me off group.

All the best,
--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."

"Kenneth" > wrote in message
news
> On Tue, 20 Jun 2006 00:11:47 +1000, "Shaun Ginsbourg"
> > wrote:
>
>>I read another post raving about a french style of sourdough called
>>levain.
>>I saw a recipe that has various types of levain as ingredients. Can I
>>make
>>that, or where can I get me some?
>>
>>Thanks,
>>
>>Shaun
>>Melbourne
>>Australia
>>
>
> Hi Shaun,
>
> As others have said, indeed, "levain" is just the French
> word for "sourdough."
>
> That said, not all starters are the same, and if you would
> like to have some from a highly regarded bakery in Paris
> (Poilne), please write to me off group.
>

Furthermore, the French (in my experience) do not like the US style of
sourdough bread - they find it too sharp flavoured. Their pain-au-levain is
much milder generally.

BTW, Kenneth, there is a shop in Vancouver where they sell Pain Poilne,
flown in ?daily, for about $80 per loaf!
Graham

On Mon, 19 Jun 2006 20:07:17 GMT, "graham" >
wrote:

>
>Furthermore, the French (in my experience) do not like the US style of
>sourdough bread - they find it too sharp flavoured. Their pain-au-levain is
>much milder generally.
>
>BTW, Kenneth, there is a shop in Vancouver where they sell Pain Poilne,
>flown in ?daily, for about $80 per loaf!
>Graham
>

Hi Graham,

Clearly, I am in the wrong business...

All the best,
--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."

Kenneth wrote:

> That said, not all starters are the same, and if you would
> like to have some from a highly regarded bakery in Paris
> (Poilne), please write to me off group.

I thought you said what you had, you couldn't claim it was genuine
Poilane, and that when you asked directly, the bakery itself wouldn't
give it to you?
Message-ID: >

Have you gone back and they did?

B/

On Mon, 19 Jun 2006 18:06:38 -0700, Brian Mailman
> wrote:

>Kenneth wrote:
>
>> That said, not all starters are the same, and if you would
>> like to have some from a highly regarded bakery in Paris
>> (Poilne), please write to me off group.
>
>I thought you said what you had, you couldn't claim it was genuine
>Poilane, and that when you asked directly, the bakery itself wouldn't
>give it to you?
>Message-ID: >
>
>Have you gone back and they did?
>
>B/

Hi Brian,

I keep forgetting that this is a debating society...

Perhaps I should have said that I have a starter that was
given to me by someone who told me that they got it from the
Poilne bakery on the left bank of Paris.

You recall correctly that when I asked at the bakery, they
refused to give me some levain.

All the best,
--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."

Kenneth wrote:

> On Mon, 19 Jun 2006 18:06:38 -0700, Brian Mailman
> > wrote:
>
>>Kenneth wrote:
>>
>>> That said, not all starters are the same, and if you would
>>> like to have some from a highly regarded bakery in Paris
>>> (Poilne), please write to me off group.
>>
>>I thought you said what you had, you couldn't claim it was genuine
>>Poilane, and that when you asked directly, the bakery itself wouldn't
>>give it to you?
>>Message-ID: >
>>
>>Have you gone back and they did?
>>
>>B/
>
> Hi Brian,
>
> I keep forgetting that this is a debating society...
>
> Perhaps I should have said that I have a starter that was
> given to me by someone who told me that they got it from the
> Poilne bakery on the left bank of Paris.

You did.

You also were seeming to say you had some reason to doubt its
provenance, so you can't really say it is Poilane.

> You recall correctly that when I asked at the bakery, they
> refused to give me some levain.

Yeah, I re-read the thread. You were pretty put out they wouldn't.

B/

On Tue, 20 Jun 2006 11:33:03 -0700, Brian Mailman
> wrote:
>> Hi Brian,
>>
>> I keep forgetting that this is a debating society...
>>
>> Perhaps I should have said that I have a starter that was
>> given to me by someone who told me that they got it from the
>> Poilne bakery on the left bank of Paris.
>
>You did.
>
>You also were seeming to say you had some reason to doubt its
>provenance, so you can't really say it is Poilane.
>
>> You recall correctly that when I asked at the bakery, they
>> refused to give me some levain.
>
>Yeah, I re-read the thread. You were pretty put out they wouldn't.
>
>B/

Hi Brian,

You are wrong on both counts...

I do not doubt the source of the starter at all.

And, I was not at all "put out" by the folks at Poilne
refusing to give me some of their levain. I was surprised,
and thought it to be rather poor marketing, but they own it
and can do with it anything they wish.

All the best,
--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."

Brian Mailman wrote:
> Kenneth wrote:
> ....is.
>
> You did.
>
> You also...., so you can't really say it is Poilane.
> ....
>
> B/

Hello Brian,

Well he can and he did, but what difference does it make to you anyway?
Why do you care where Kenneth's starter came from? It seems quite sad
that you let something so trivial upset you enough to jibe at him.
There are people you can talk to about that kind of thing. : -)

TG

Kenneth wrote:
> On Tue, 20 Jun 2006 11:33:03 -0700, Brian Mailman
> > wrote:
>>> Hi Brian,
>>>
>>> I keep forgetting that this is a debating society...
>>>
>>> Perhaps I should have said that I have a starter that was
>>> given to me by someone who told me that they got it from the
>>> Poilne bakery on the left bank of Paris.
>>
>>You did.
>>
>>You also were seeming to say you had some reason to doubt its
>>provenance, so you can't really say it is Poilane.
>>
>>> You recall correctly that when I asked at the bakery, they
>>> refused to give me some levain.
>>
>>Yeah, I re-read the thread. You were pretty put out they wouldn't.
>>
>>B/
>
> Hi Brian,
>
> You are wrong on both counts...

I don't think so, re-read the thread.

B/

TG wrote:

> Brian Mailman wrote:
>> Kenneth wrote:
>> ....is.
>>
>> You did.
>>
>> You also...., so you can't really say it is Poilane.
>
> Hello Brian,
>
> Well he can and he did, but what difference does it make to you anyway?

And what do you care that you think I might care?

B/

On Fri, 23 Jun 2006 09:16:45 -0700, Brian Mailman
> wrote:

>Kenneth wrote:
>> On Tue, 20 Jun 2006 11:33:03 -0700, Brian Mailman
>> > wrote:
>>>> Hi Brian,
>>>>
>>>> I keep forgetting that this is a debating society...
>>>>
>>
>> Hi Brian,
>>
>> You are wrong on both counts...
>
>I don't think so, re-read the thread.
>
>B/

Hi Brian,

I will try to remember that if I need clarification about my
own feelings and thoughts as generated by my experiences, I
can seek your perspective.

All the best,
--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."

Brian Mailman wrote:

> I don't think so, re-read the thread.

Seems like a good time to express my appreciation to Kenneth for
sending me some Acme starter a few months back. I wanted to try
something 'famous' and Kenneth was willing to take the trouble to ship
me a fresh sample.

It turned out to be quite good. And... it caused me to rethink my
maintenance procedures. This benefited all of my starters, and
ultimately, my baking experience.

On 24 Jun 2006 08:50:43 -0700, "Will"
> wrote:

>
>Brian Mailman wrote:
>
>> I don't think so, re-read the thread.
>
>Seems like a good time to express my appreciation to Kenneth for
>sending me some Acme starter a few months back. I wanted to try
>something 'famous' and Kenneth was willing to take the trouble to ship
>me a fresh sample.
>
>It turned out to be quite good. And... it caused me to rethink my
>maintenance procedures. This benefited all of my starters, and
>ultimately, my baking experience.

Hi Will,

Thanks for your kind comment,
--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."