Basic Levain (Method)

Appears in

How to Bake Sourdough Bread

By Michael Kalanty

Published 2025

About

About Mise en Place Temperatures

Water temperatures listed for Mise en Place are based on these assumptions:

The ambient temperature of your bakeshop is 76°F
Let’s say your Flour is 74°F

(Flour temperature is generally a few degrees cooler than the bakeshop.)

So if you...

scale water at 84°F

and temper your Sourdough Culture to 70°F

then your...

Basic Levain will have a temperature close to 76°F.

In winter, the bakeshop temperature is lower. At the start of a morning shift when the kitchen is colder, the Flour may be as cool as 60°F. You’ll need warmer water to bring the temperature of the Basic Levain to its ddt° of 76°F for the 5-hour shift.

During warmer months, Flour can arrive at your receiving dock at temperatures of 80°F or sometimes higher. That, plus a warmer kitchen, means you’ll have to use colder water to manage the temperature of your Levain and main dough.

Sourdough Breads have better flavor and more consistent leavening when the ddt°’s of the Basic Levain and the main dough are both on target.

When first starting to make breads with sourdough, use the Quick H2O Temp° Formula (for the Basic Levain) and (for the Main Dough). With a little experience, you will learn the average temperatures in your shop and intuitively adjust your H2O temperatures for consistent breads.

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In this section

Sourdough Culture

Temper the Sourdough Culture

Water Temperature

Select a plastic container to ferment the Levain

Transfer the Levain mixture to the fermentation container

Clean the inside walls of the container

Take the Levain’s Temperature

Cover the plastic container

Stage 2 Cool Fermentation

Basic Levain

Part of

The Bread-making Process Part I—The Levain

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