Why our loaves take 36 hours
Time is the one ingredient we never cut. Here is what happens to a country loaf between Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning.
People often ask why our bread costs a little more than the supermarket loaf. The honest answer is time. A country loaf at Levain is mixed on Tuesday afternoon and sold on Wednesday morning, and almost all of that time it is simply resting.
Afternoon: mix and fold
We mix flour and water first and leave them alone for an hour. Then the starter and salt go in, and over the next three hours the dough is folded by hand four times. Each fold builds strength without a mixer warming the dough.
Overnight: the cold room
After shaping, every loaf goes into a linen-lined basket and into the cold room at four degrees. Fermentation slows right down. Flavour keeps developing: gentle acidity, a little sweetness, a nutty depth from the rye.
Most of baking is waiting well.Mara Lindqvist
Morning: the oven
At five the deck oven is at temperature. Loaves are turned out, scored and baked with steam for forty-five minutes. By half past six the first rack is cooling, and by seven the door is open.
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What we bake when the days get short
Apples, spice and the first stollen of the year. Our autumn and winter menu, and when each bake arrives.
A simple focaccia for home ovens
No starter, no special tools, one large tray. Our weekend focaccia adapted for a home kitchen.
Meet the miller behind our flour
Our wheat and rye come from a small stone mill less than an hour away. We spent a morning there during harvest.