The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Sourdough leaven and poolish...in one bread?

lizz1155's picture
lizz1155

Sourdough leaven and poolish...in one bread?

I've just started reading through Tartine breads (yes, waaay overdue). Reached the recipe for Baguettes and was surprised to find that it involves a poolish and a sourdough starter to produce the final loaves. Never seen a recipe which uses both before (although I've seen many which use a sourdough starter and add a bit of dry yeast into the mix - such as the semi-sourdoughs in Bourke Street Bakery). 

Is it common to use both a poolish and sourdough in one loaf? More importantly...is it necessary? Does the result justify the additional effort?

veganseeds's picture
veganseeds

I just tried something similar at work - a 5-hour poolish plus liquid levain (starter) in a baguette recipe and it really did give a beautiful result!  The dough was really nice, pliable and fragrant and the end result was way tastier than with just the liquid levain alone.  It is additional effort, but not too much for the result it gives - just mixing flour, water and  little yeast and letting it do its work!

:)  Let me know if you feel the same when you try it.