LEVAIN VS SOURDOUGH: WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES?

The two ingredients are often mistaken, and I hear people improperly talk about Sourdough. Let’s try to clarify what are the main differences between these two preparations:

• Consistency: Levain is a starter with a soft consistency because it is prepared with a very high hydration rate (100% to 110%). On the contrary, Sourdough is quite stiff because it is prepared with a 30% and 40% hydration rate.
• Acidity: because of its high hydration, Levain is more acidic than Sourdough and, in particular, develops a higher lactic acidity. This difference is one of the main reasons why Levain cannot replace Sourdough with more complex sweet dough such as Panettone or Pandoro
• Usage: Levain is easier to use than Sourdough because it only needs 1 refreshment before being used in the recipes. On the contrary, Sourdough must be fed at least twice before its usage.
• Storage: Unlike Sourdough, which is mainly stored in water or tied up, levain is kept in a pot and maintained in the fridge at +4°C (39°F).

MAIN ADVANTAGES OF LEVAIN

Unlike Sourdough, Levain has many practical advantages and meets the needs of many homemade bakers who do not use the start regularly. 

Here are the main advantages in my opinion:

• Easy to manage: It can be stored in the fridge and fed every day or, as needed, every 5/7 days. We can also extend the storage period longer than a month by making an appropriate refreshment.
• Easy to Use: 1 single refreshment and 3 hours at 30°C (86°F) (or 24 hours in the fridge) is enough to get the levain ready for the recipe
• It Requires Less Flour: More days of storage and fewer refreshments mean saving flour. Moreover, storing it in a pot (or a bow) allows you to manage a smaller quantity than stiff Sourdough. By feeding only 100 grams of Levain, 100 grams of water, and 100 grams of bread flour, you will already have 300 grams of starter, which is an optimal quantity for home use.
• The quantity is easily scalable: Do you need more Levain? No problem. Make two close refreshments, and you will have four times the initial amount.
• More Fragrance and Greater Digestibility of the baked product: Levain’s high acidity will bring a special sour note to bread or pizza, certainly more than Biga or Poolish. Also, the long fermentation will help produce a more digestible product than fresh yeast.

WHAT CAN I PREPARE WITH THE LEVAIN?

As I said, Levain is the ideal solution for making homemade bread or pizza. It is also suitable for all simple doughs that are not too rich in sugars and fats. You can use levain (with fresh yeast) to prepare croissants, viennoiseries, brioche, and other pastries.

However, Levain does not replace the Sourdough for complex leavened products such as Panettone, Colomba, or Pandoro. Its higher acidity, compared to Sourdough, and its lower “strength.”  I often see some Panettone recipes fully prepared with Levain (often improperly called Sourdough). Still, I can guarantee that the final result won’t be comparable to the original version.

Indeed, the high acidity of levain will make the preparation of the second dough extremely difficult (especially when you try to add fats)