Jimmy Levain recipe

Jimmy Levain

Bothell, United States
Perfect sourdough

Mixture

50%
50%
Liquid Flour Other
Jimmy Levain

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Since 2016

I love lambic beers and I'm fascinated by the idea that yeast is everywhere. I was curious what my local yeasts might taste like and was happy to find that making a starter from scratch was so simple. I have a new hobby and a delicious one too.

Characteristics

It's still young and hard to tame. It has a lot of lift but can be very sour if fermented too long. Breads have plenty of lift and pancakes a tangy zip. An overnight proof yields a tender crumb.

Taste & flavour

Jimmy Levain top shot
Jimmy Levain jar shot
Jimmy Levain front shot
Jimmy Levain rising shot

Recipe

Starting ingredients

  • 40g Tap water
  • 20g Rye flour
  • 20g King arthur all-purpose flour

Feeding ingredients

  • 40g Reserved starter
  • 20g Rye flour
  • 20g All-purpose flour
  • 40g Tap water
1
When the starter is ready to be fed, discard all but 40g. This gets rid of the spent flour and keeps the acid load down.
40g Reserved starter
2
Add 20g of each of the flours and 40g of the room-temperature, dechlorinated water. Mix well and let sit covered in a warm place until the next feeding.
20g Rye flour 20g All-purpose flour 40g Tap water

Working method

1
Let chlorinated tap water sit uncovered on the counter overnight to let the chlorine evaporate.
40g Tap water
2
Rye flour has all kinds of yeasty critters in it. It really kick-starts the starter.
20g Rye flour
3
Cultures adapt to the flours that they are fed so all-purpose flour is added to make sure the starter likes to eat more than just Rye.
20g King arthur all-purpose flour

Result

Tartine Country Loaf

A tartine-inspired recipe with lots of whole wheat.
Jimmy Levain Tartine Country Loaf first overview
Jimmy Levain Tartine Country Loaf second overview
Jimmy Levain Tartine Country Loaf first slice
Jimmy Levain Tartine Country Loaf second slice

Preserve your sourdough for the future

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