New leavened bread
If you'd like more more information about making your own bread, look at this dedicated page.
For 4 breads, you will need:
- 2 kgs plain white flour (French Type 65)
- 1 litre 100 ml water
- 48 g fine (or table) salt
- 1 kg leaven
- 4 g yeast
Nutritional information:
% are calculated relative to a Recommended Dietary Intake or RDI of 2000 k-calories by day for a woman (change to a man).
Times:
Resting : 5 hours 30 min.
Cooking : 40 min.
Start to finish : 7 hours
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Step by step recipe:
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In the bowl of the mixer, pour only 2 kgs plain white flour (French Type 65) and 1 litre 100 ml water at the right temperature. Start at low speed for 3 minutes. |  |
Leave the dough in the mixer, cover with a plastic sheet, and let stay for 1 hour. |  |
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Start at low speed for 10 minutes. |  |
You can check temperature dough at the end, which should be 75°F (24°C). |  |
Make a rough ball with the dough. |  |
Put the dough in a floured basin. Cover with a plastic sheet, and leave to rest in a warm place for 1.5 to 2 hours. |  |
After this time, pour the dough on your working surface. |  |
Scale lump of 500 grams (small round bread) or 1 kilo (bread). |  |
Give a ball shape to the lumps, cover with a plastic sheet and leave to rest for 30 minutes. |  |
Spread each lumps roughly and the shape again in ball or bread. |  |
Put in a floured bannetons (bread rising baskets). |  |
Cover with plastic sheet and leave to rest for 2 hours. |  |
As those gestures are rather difficult to describe, you can watch this short demonstration video on the right. | |
Preheat the oven to 240°C or 464°F. Sprinkle the loaf with flour, then turn it over onto the peel (bread oven "shovel") and slash it across the top. |  |
Put in the oven with plenty of steam for approximately 40 minutes (check near the end of cooking time). | |
To give you inspiration in bread recipes, you can watch this small film "De la farine à la tartine" (something like "from flour to flavour"), this is not a film of the recipe, but it is based on it (old fashion recipe). Note: it's a non-audio film, except for strategic moments. |
Remarks:
If you can, you could try a slow rise by replacing the last 2 hours of resting by 10 hours at 50°F (10°C).If you'd like more information on making your own bread, you can consult this special page.
Yeast in leaven-raised bread?
Many of you are puzzled by the presence of yeast in a leaven-raised bread. Here is a little clarification of the matter:
The yeast is there to make things easier; for a beginner leaven-raised bread is not easy to get right, especially first time. This is why these few added grams of yeast help. The dough rises more easily, even if your leaven is not at its best, and it makes a lighter crust.
There’s nothing shocking in this. You should be aware that even some commercially produced breads advertised as “leavened”, also contain a little (more) yeast, for similar reasons, and it’s perfectly legal.
In any case, there’s no reason to be worried about yeast; it’s not a chemical product. It too is a living organism, and it’s not added to work against the leaven, rather something you can use alongside if you wish. Being able to proclaim proudly, “I don’t use any yeast!” is, in my humble opinion, rather overrated.
That said, adding a little yeast does have one slight drawback, in that it dulls the flavour of the bread somewhat. If you want to make leavened bread for its characteristic flavour, you’ll lose a little, even with a small quantity of yeast.
In conclusion, I advise the following approach: if you are just starting out, add a little yeast. Then, once you have mastered the basics and can produce good bread, leave it out. You can then compare both methods and choose.
Source:
From Thomas Marie of INBP.Last modified on: October 27th 2012
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Your 3 comments or questions on this recipe:
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I would like to make a natural leavened whole wheat bread without any regular yeast. Can you help?
Comment #1 posted on april 18th 2010 at 03:58 by Madhusudan.
Yes, use this recipe and forget yeast. Using only leaven will make a bread with crust a bit stronger, but more tasty. You will probably need to increase first rest time from 1.5 hour to 2 or 3 hours.
Have a good bread!
Comment #2 posted on april 18th 2010 at 08:41 by jh.
Hello,
I have just finished a deep improve of the recipe, more simple, more tasty, I'm sure you'll enjoy it!
Comment #3 posted on october 27th 2012 at 08:10 by jh.
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