Low (1% salt) in levain builds - Rubaud.
I am very interested in exploring M. Rubaud's approach to pain au levain. I am guided quite strongly by the work of members Shiao-Ping and dmsnyder, themselves drawing strongly from the work of MC in her blog pages concerning M. Rubaud and his approach.
I am choosing to stick pretty closely to the script, and that includes the use of 1% sea salt (1% of flours, baker's) at each of the three levain builds.
I have only used salt in soakers, per Hamelman, when I first went through his book. I've never used it in levain building and I'm intrigued by M. Rubaud's admonition to make sure and add the salt at this rate for each of the builds (iirc, Calvel does the same when developing a new levain):
"These 11.5 kg of levain will inoculate about 48 kg of flour. But don’t forget the salt. 1% salt (freshly ground salt from the Dead Sea) is added to each feeding in order to control the fermentation. If a levain ferments too fast, it becomes oily and deteriorates rapidly."
Seemingly at least my read is that, as with Hamelman, his use of salt has less to do with microbial inhibition and more to do with retarding (largely proteolytic?) enzymes. Even at this modest level, there's no doubt it is slowing the build process considerably. My levain build 3 has been plugging away slowly all day, and I estimate it will be close to 3X initial volume 2-3 am.
Both Shiao-Ping and dmsnyder chose to forego these salt additions. My suspicion is that simple observation would be enough to avoid the poor result Rubaud indicates. I hate messing with the ecology of a natural ferment - don't want to preferentially favor yeasts and salt-tolerant bacterias.
Could the community discuss their views on salting the levain for this purpose, per Rubaud's charge? Anyone do it? Is this just a bit of safety mechanism for time-stressed bakers in a commercial setting? Any info on what species might get dinged, even at a mere 1% salt level?
this thread by the way?
Perfect, thanks!
I am revisiting this, after reading the thread (and one of the articles cited (note:pdf) - (thanks for both, jl).
I am wanting to really come to know the specific (current) differences between French and US flours, in order to intelligently be able to read someone like Calvel or of practices from M. Rubaud, and therefore get a better handle on manipulating things for desired ends. Case in point, my misunderstanding of the period (possibly), and practices in France and the US that illuminate Calvel's (Rubaud, et al?) use of diastatic malt, salt, ascorbic acid (thanks goes to mariana here).
This also spurs me on to try to better understand the practice of salting not only newly developing starter but levain builds themselves, in the Calvel and Rubaud formulas and processes (as well as the use of stiff v. liquid levains)**. It occurs to me, with the French predilection for soft lactic over acetic flavors, perhaps yeast in general over LABs, why are Calvel and Rubaud, for instance, coming in as low as 1% salting, when that lower range may preferentially favor LABs over yeasts? And
In a word, a liquid levain salted at 2% and maintained rather warm - over a stiff levain salted at 1% or less, fermented cooler - one might expect a propitious balance between LABs and yeasts, if this "softer, sweeter" style of levain is sought - right?
**I understand stiff levains give a larger window of "peak" development, however, so can see how a practicing small, traditional boulangerie (e.g., Rubaud and his almost ascetic devotion to good bread) might favor the stiff levain, if for no other reason than this.