The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Yeast substitute for levan starter

Monica's picture
Monica

Yeast substitute for levan starter

not sure WHERE to post this question, here goes third attempt. Can I use yeast in a recipe that calls for levan starter? I can't keep a starter due to travel, etc. (in the past I've had a starter for years.) I want to use some favorite levan recipes, but use yeast. Any comments?  Monica

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

The easiest and best to get the most flavor out of the yeast is to take the amount pf water and flour in the SD levain,add a pinch of yeast (about a 1/16 th of a tsp) to it to make a polish that will sit on the counter for 12 hours or overnight creating a flavorful preferment and then add this to the rest of the dough ingredients to make the bread dough.

Happy baking  

Monica's picture
Monica

Thanks! I figured I could, but your suggestion of a poolish for 12 hrs. makes a lot of sense. I'll try it....but just a pinch of yeast should do it huh. 

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

2 pinches if it s ADY.

doddsa's picture
doddsa

What's

a polish/poolish?W

Monica's picture
Monica

it's a preferment using flour, water, a bit of yeast. Allow it to sit overnight and it helps develop more flavor

doddsa's picture
doddsa

Thanks Monica, do you use the whole requirement of yeast to the preferment?

baybakin's picture
baybakin

I would actually re-write the formula into it's "raw form" first (meaning all of the flour/water/salt/etc) and create the recipe accounting for 30% or so of the flour as prefermented, a poolish would be the easist math.  This is because most levian recipies have a much lower amount of pre-fermented flour than yeasted preferments. Example:

Origional Recipe:

  • 100g starter (100% hydration)
  • 200g water
  • 300g flour
  • 7g salt

Raw recipe (weights of starter added back into flour/water):

  • 250g water
  • 350g flour
  • 7g salt

New Poolish Recipe (30% of flour prefermented, subtracted from total water/flour):

  • 210g poolish (100% hydration)
  • 145g water
  • 245g flour
  • 7g salt

The poolish in this case is made with 105g flour, 105g water and a pinch of yeast.

Monica's picture
Monica

Oooo, did I mention I'm a math-a-phobe? I'm the family joke when it comes to numbers, they scare me! And my son has a Ph.D. in math. But, thanks for clarifying with your last sentence.

hanseata's picture
hanseata

If you want to bake a higher percent rye bread (more than half rye flour) you need a sourdough starter, or so much yeast that it will not taste very good.

Karin

Monica's picture
Monica

good to know, but I'm not much for rye.