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We have finally prepared our Levain from scratch. What should we do now? Once ripe, Levain can be stored in the refrigerator to make homemade bread and pizza.
HOW TO FEED The LEVAIN
Like any other Sourdough, Levain needs to be maintained and fed through refreshments.
Unlike stiff Sourdough, when feeding Levain, we will not do a bath. This is very important because I often receive messages from people who, confusing Levain and Sourdough, are used to soak it in the water before feed it. Result: all the Levain will dissolve in the water
Here is a recipe for feeding your Levain:
- 100gr of Levain
- 100gr of Bread Flour (containing 14% to 16% of proteins)
- 100gr of still water
First, pour the Levain into a bowl and add the water. Mix with a hand whisk to dissolve the starter and oxygenate it. You will notice the surface of the water will be filled with bubbles. This is very important to stimulate the reproduction of yeast cells.
At this point, add the flour and mix with a spatula until the mixture is relatively homogeneous. Stringing the dough or mixing it too much is unnecessary, so you can do this operation entirely by hand.
Once ready, pour the Levain into a pot and close the lid. Then place the pot in the fridge at +4°C (39°F) for at least 24 hours.
I recommend using a metal container for food. Unlike the glass pot, these containers will insulate the starter from light and preserve it better over time.
Depending on your availability, you can decide to refresh the Levain every day or extend the storage time to 5 to 7 days.
If you prefer to keep the Levain for more than 1 week, you will have to feed it with different proportions and decrease the amount of flour.
FOR 2 WEEKS OF STORAGE
- 1000 gr of Levain
- 250 gr of Bread Flour (containing 14% to 16% of proteins)
- 250 gr of water
FOR MORE THAN 4 WEEKS OF CONSERVATION
- 1000 gr of Levain
- 125 gr of Bread Flour (containing 14% to 16% of proteins)
- 125 gr of water
HOW TO USE LEVAIN IN YOUR RECIPES
Like Sourdough, Levain must be fed before being used in a recipe. This operation is essential to balance its acidity.
Therefore, if you need to prepare a recipe with Levain, feed it as described above. You can decide whether to feed only the quantity needed for the recipe or the whole quantity.
Keep in mind that with each refreshment, you will need to triple the amount of starter. So, if you need 300 grams of ripe Levain for the recipe, you must divide this amount by 3 to know how much Levain to feed. In this case, you will only need to feed 100 grams.
Once fed with water and flour, you have 2 options for fermenting your Levain:
- You can let it ferment for 3 hours of leavening at 30°C (86°F)
- Place it in the fridge for 24 hours at +4°C (39°F).
If you decide to feed the whole quantity you have available, once refreshed, weigh the amount needed for the recipe and ferment it for 3 hours at 30°C (86°F) or 24 hours in the fridge. Pour the remaining part in the container well cleaned and store it in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours (up to 5/7 days)
HOW MUCH LEVAIN FOR 1KG OF FLOUR
The average quantity of Levain I recommend using for 1kg of flour varies from 200gr (20%) to 1kg (100%), in case you like bread with a persistent sour note. In my experience, 250gr of Levain for 1 kg of flour is a suitable quantity, which allows you to develop an excellent aromatic note and a balanced flavor.
The leavening temperature is important in choosing how much Levain to use in the recipe. In winter, you can slightly increase the quantity (+10%) and decrease it in summer.
To make homemade bread or pizza, add Levain directly to the dough or use it to make a Biga. In this case, the amount of Biga that I recommend is about 20% of the total flour (for 1kg of flour, I will use 200gr to prepare the Biga and 800gr for the final dough)
HERE IS HOW TO PREPARE THE BIGA WITH LEVAIN
- 100gr of Bread Flour (containing 14% to 16% of proteins)
- 30gr of Ripe Levain (30% of flour weight)
- 30gr of water (30% of flour weight)
To define the correct temperature of the water and have a Biga dough at 19 °C (50°F), you can use this empirical formula:
Water T = 90 – 3x Flour Temp – Levain Temp
For example, suppose the flour’s temperature is 20°C and Levain is at +4°C; the water temperature to use in the biga dough will be 90 – 60 – 4, which is 26°C (78°F).
As for the traditional Biga, fermentation time can vary from 16 – 18 hours at 19°C (66°F), but you can extend the fermentation up to 48 hours, starting the fermentation in the refrigerator for 24 hours and then at 19°C (66°F) for the next 24 hours.
WHAT TO DO IF THE LEVAIN IS TOO ACIDIC
The high hydration of the Levain makes it naturally more acidic than Sourdough and tends to develop a higher concentration of lactic acidity. Very often, the cause of exceeding acidity is the lack of refreshments for a long time.
Recognizing the exceeding acidity of the Levain is essential. It may compromise the recipe’s final result.
Here is how you can recognize when the Levain is too acidic:
- Stinging scent
- Grayish color
- Very soft and stringy consistency
- Separation of the liquid part on the surface
I recommend removing the watery part from the surface to re-balance the starter without mixing. Then, take the inner part with a spoon and feed it with these proportions:
- 100gr of Levain
- 200gr Bread Flour (containing 14% to 16% of proteins)
- 200gr of water
Refresh the dough as described above, and once it is ready, let it ferment at 26°C – 27°C until it doubles its volume.
After the last refreshment, you can store your Levain in the refrigerator and keep it for up to 5 – 7 days as usual.
96 comments about “Come Rinfrescare il Licoli”
Buongiorno
4 giorni fa ho preparato il mio licoli utilizzando 100 gr di farina integrale, una punta di cucchiaio di miele e 100 gr di acqua tiepida. dopo due giorni, dopo essere cresciuto molto, si è sgonfiato sotto una schiuma che si è anche seccata. ho proceduto quindi, dopo le prime 48 ore, a fare il primo rinfresco utilizzando 100 gr di farina integrale e 100 gr di acqua. A meno di 48 ore di distanza, il licoli si è separato dall’acqua liberando un liquidi marrone in superficie e una massa bianca sotto. Che sta succedendo? Forse ho sbagliato ad utilizzare farina integrale? Stasera dovrei fare il secondo rinfresco. grazie!!
Ciao Antonello,
il tuo licoli è inacidito e tala acidità ha separato completamente l’acqua dalle proteine della farina.
Iniziare con il miele non è una buona pratica, soprattutto in estate.
Ti consiglio di ricominciare il procedimento usando il metedo che ti descrivo in questa pagina: Come Fare il Licoli a casa
A presto!
Ciao! Intanto grazie per dare risposta a chi ti contatta… Per quanto riguarda me, vorrei chiederti se è corretto il mio metodo di rigenerare il Li.Co.Li: parto con 150 g di licoli, 240 g. di acqua a temp. amb. e 300 g di farina “molino Quaglia 6384 “Petra” “ideale per rinfresco lievito madre e grandi lievitati…
Ciao Iolanda!
Ti consiglio anzitutto di tenere un pari-peso di acqua e farina, così da garantire la corretta idratazione del licoli. Personalmente ritengo che rinfrescare il licoli con le proporzioni da te indicate, abbassi troppo l’idratazione e spinga il licoli a maturare troppo lentamente.
Ti consiglio di usare un rapporto licoli:farina:acqua di 1:1:1 ome ti indico qui sopra!
A presto!
Buonasera
Mi hanno dato un vasetto con del Licoli prodotto dalla birra, è molto scuro e completamente liquido…che faccio, butto tutto?
Ciao Valentina,
prova a rinfrescarlo per un pò di giorni come ti spiego in questa pagina e poi vedi se riesci ad avvertire un buon odore di “lievito” (non acido, né pungente)!
A presto!