Italian sourdough (Levito madre) - cultivation and care

I, too, am not an ardent opponent of store yeast, I bake sourdough bread because it tastes better for me,
I heard that LM gives a unique taste, so I was inspired to grow it, to see if this is really so, if nothing works out, I will bake baking with pressed yeast again.
But so far, the result surprised me and made me happy, so I continue

I have already made sure that it is necessary to ferment with yeast for a very long time, such as making daily dough, so that it is out of the ordinary. And with the addition of sourdough, the process is reduced to excellent baking, even in HP. I no longer want without leaven.
But the question is different. I also don't want to be completely on sourdough for a long time, only if the taste is SOMETHING.
But for now, I just like the yeast + sourdough option more. It is completely adjustable both in time and in the acidity in bread, and I don’t catch the fundamental difference in the sourdoughs in bread.
Although, for the sake of the very inherent taste, I am ready to withstand all the technology to the end. I’m ready to raise a Levite by hand for a month, but if I understand that it’s worth it, because I don’t really want to do it without any incentive, when you can get an ordinary good ferment in a week without any problems, or even earlier.

I just don't want to bother too much, I don't like dancing with tambourines, before starting, I read a lot, looked, chose which is simpler, it will work out, well, it will not work out, I will not be particularly upset



Part 2.

Part 3.

[Tatyana]

I bought Levita from Breadrost. There, according to the instructions, 35 g of sourdough must be diluted with 150 ml of water, allowed to swell, then add 100 g of flour, and you should get Levita.
As you can imagine, 135 g of flour per 150 g of water obviously does not give a dense dough.
This is probably some kind of liquid Levite?

Tatyana, thanks for the tip! I read it with interest, as I was thinking about buying a sourdough for cooking panettone.
Perhaps the consistency of the sourdough is just like the consistency of the sourdough after bathing in water and before kneading the dough? If you focus on the rollers on the net, then it approximately coincides with the consistency of a regular starter culture of 100% hydration.

I’m ready to raise a Levite by hand for a month, but if I understand that it’s worth it, because without an incentive I don’t really want to, when you can get an ordinary good ferment in a week without problems, or even earlier.

I got the impression that Levito Madre is ideal for making traditional Italian holiday baked goods, as it behaves well during the long fermentation and maturation process, and for all other baked goods they use lievito naturale, which can have different degree of hydration.

[Ilona]

IlonaLook, if in detail, then there is like this:

pour the starter culture into a container with a volume of at least 1 liter, add 150 ml of water (30-38 degrees, warm), dissolve 35 g of dry starter culture (sachet weight), leave for 1 hour. Add 100 g of flour, mix, leave for 10-12 hours under a film at a temperature of 30-38C, a lot of bubbles should form in the leaven.
Next, knead the dough from 275 g of flour and 165 ml of water, put in the heat for 35-40 minutes for 2 hours. Knead the dough with 10g salt, put it in a greased proofing dish, cover with a foil, put in a warm place 35-40 C. If necessary, add vegetable oil and sugar to taste. After 2-4 hours, you can bake bread.

There is only 35 g in a bag, so for an experiment on home breeding, you would have to buy at least 2 more bags.
Judging by the instructions, the initial dilution of the sourdough is more like restoring it in a dough. But the dough is too liquid.
Now it seems to me that it could have been soaked not in 150 ml of water, but less? - the soaking step cannot be skipped, as far as I understand. But the initial restoration could have been made thicker. And just should be. It seems so to me now.
When buying, you need to figure out how to translate it into a home form correctly.
I didn't really like my method from a liquid form (according to the instructions) to a thick one, I have a feeling that it is weaker than it could be, and strongly resembles the usual one. In another way, it must be restored as a leaven.
But there is still no leaven purchased for experiments.
The question of whether it is possible to get a real Levite from this purchased leaven remained open.

I didn’t bake bread on the received "dough" according to the instructions, because I was going to dilute the leaven. Therefore, if you use a bag for one baking one-time according to the instructions, you get the best result?
I have a feeling that you can get more out of the purchased Levite. But you have to try, to solve this problem yourself. And in my case, everything is complicated by the fact that I am inexperienced.
Maybe Nata-Chuchelka would have figured it out the best the first time. But not me.

The question of whether it is possible to get a real Levite from this purchased leaven remained open.

the question should be posed differently - is it a Levite at all?

[dry sourdough Levito Madre Khleborost]

I was looking for data on Breadrost. I stumbled upon their living Levita, but they won't send her to me.

🔗

Most likely, there is an excellent Levite in a bag from them, but you need to be able to renew it in such a way that it remains Levite. To use 130 rubles + delivery for one-time baked goods is fat for me.
In the leaven that I got when reconstituted from a very liquid form, I'm not sure that this is Levite, and not a local ordinary leaven from the microbes of my flour. Rises more slowly than the sachet of dough claims, and there is no particular creamy taste.
Oh, where to taste bread on a real Levite, to know exactly how it should be.
It was necessary to make that bread on dough according to the instructions at least once.



the site has a very interesting postscript

Sourdough 50% moisture for making yeast-free bread grown within 10 days on the basis of dry sourdough Levito Madre Khleborost using premium flour with a protein index of 11-12% and black wine grapes with Isabella seed

10 days need to be restored? but as?
can it really be easier at home from scratch?

I raised my Levito on Isabella. From scratch. The fourth year is an excellent flight.

tin plate price for 150 g live - for 600 pieces of bread

And I don't even know what kind of grape I have, I bought a black one in Perekrestok, they don't write the name there, it seems so far everything is fine, although I may be mistaken somewhere ..

tin plate price for 150 g live - for 600 pieces of bread

and if you display a month in Manitoba from scratch, you also get not a penny and it is not a fact that it will turn out right. Once you buy a real Levite and then have it in your house for 4 or more years, then it's not so scary.
I would still order if I lived in St. Petersburg. Having creamy bread is very tempting.
shl. I once tried to make a Levite. I suffered, I suffered, but it didn't work out. My Levite was a mediocre leaven of sour. For me it is a complex leaven.
The grain grower has no reviews. What if they also have an ordinary one and sour?

I can't get acid from my Levito when needed. I also bake Borodino on it, feed the c / z rye. Once, only she sour in my delicious pastries, but my huge clamp was there.

[Volume]

Volume, I have been sitting in this thread for a long time and envy all the pictures here and the owners of a good Levite with good white envy. I tried to do as described in the topic and on the Internet, but it turns out not right, and I was tortured to find out why it turns out worse for me. Now like a dense mess, then sour muck. And if only it was three days, and not so serious.
Therefore, I looked towards the purchased one. But with a dry sachet from grain growers, it was also not easy.
Volume, have you tried other wheat leavens? Is Levita really very creamy and very different?
The fact is that young Kalvelevskaya or young Khamelmanovskaya (these seem to work well for me) at first also give me non-sour bread, and even more so with yeast. But I don't feel the creamy taste and special aroma on them. And there is also a fundamental difference between them. Then, during storage, they shift towards acidification, but it is not a problem to quickly remove them again.

[teara]

teara,

If you can be sure that this is a generally spontaneous fermentation sourdough ... Are you sure? I don't know ... so as not to think I still raised her myself. Moreover, I bought a dry one and, on thought, threw this bag away))).

Shl. Don't beat me, but ... leaven is like leaven. Why should she be some kind of stunned as from another planet. All starter cultures are unique in their microbiological composition. I did not notice any special creaminess. Yes, fragrant. But any well-groomed and even more dense sourdough is fragrant. With different aroma notes. But put in front of you three loaves of bread on three different good leavens - there is no difference in life where which is.
Apparently, I entered the stage of leavening indifference.

[Nata]

Nata, which is especially praised, then feast and want. I lick my lips at this one, too, but horror how expensive.

🔗

stops that they write about this, that it gives a specific taste, and not a classic one.

Oh yes. I also do not distinguish between different leavens in bread. Only the degree of acidity. But in reviews and about a strong aroma, they also write a difference in taste.

:-)

Apparently, I entered the stage of leavening indifference.

Great, now the rudiments of doubts are finally dispelled!
Almost immediately, as soon as I understood the leavening algorithm, I began to improvise, taking out my leaven. I don’t even know what is the correct name for my current “little animal” - thick, with white flour and curd whey. I bake everything on it, from lavash and kulich, to black bread. ))

But in reviews and about a strong aroma, they also write a difference in taste.

For this, you probably need to bake just white bread without any additives. I add so many different things to my bread that it is simply impossible to catch the sourdough subtleties and shades of smell!

[teara]

teara,

I have Zekova. Half a can is still worth it. I've taken her out a hundred times already. Sourdough as sourdough !!)))

[Nata]

Nata, Thank you. I will calm down. The whole kitchen with the refrigerator is studded with sourdough, I will stop at them. I will stop looking at the expensive convicts altogether. Easier
Soup does not fit in the refrigerator due to CH flour

[teara]

teara, Tatyana, thanks for the information. I did not plan to continue to ferment with reconstituted dry powder.

I looked for data on Breadrost, but found nothing sensible. Maybe there was someone like me who grew this leaven. Or maybe it could not have been multiplied, but this liquid Levite had to be immediately put into bread, as per the instructions.

The video clip (see 10:45 and 13:02) just tells about the restoration of sourdough for bread and for further introduction in the form of sourdough at 50% moisture:

🔗

.

But the initial restoration could have been made thicker. And just should be. It seems so to me now.

It seems Gabriele Bonci had that, if desired, Levito Madre can be converted into a liquid form in 3 steps, gradually increasing the amount of added water, and also that the leaven will take some time to adapt to the new form:

"TRASFORMARE LA PASTA MADRE SOLIDA IN LIQUIDA
Se volete trasformare la vostra pasta madre solida in liquida occorrerà farlo gradualmente; saranno necessari almeno 3 rinfreschi, durante i quali bisognerà aumentare la dose di acqua fino a farla diventare uguale al peso delle due farine. Una volta trasformato, il lievito dovrà comunque adattarsi alla sua nuova forma; occorre continuare con i rinfreschi della pasta madre liquida (1 dose di lievito, 1 dose di farina e 1 dose di acqua) per qualche giorno. Presto sarà nella sua forma ottimale. "(C)
A source: 🔗 .

... Probably, the same technology can be used to obtain a 50% sourdough form.

The question of whether it is possible to get a real Levite from this purchased leaven remained open.

Probably, it all depends on the original quality of the sourdough and on the company that produces it. I have come across information that Italian brands offer dry starter culture in its pure form (sometimes, with recommendations to add dry yeast to accelerate activation) or already mixed with a minimum amount of yeast, and basically, a sufficiently mature starter culture is taken for drying, such as the option with 50 -day fermentation:

"Lievito essiccato di pasta madre di frumento da agricoltura biologica in polvere.I lieviti di pasta madre sono ottenuti attraverso una fermentazione di 50 giorni, prima di essere essiccati e confezionati. Il lievito di pasta madre essiccato liofilizzato, contiene una piccolissima percentuale di lievito secco, il quale serve da starter, per farlo partire. Il risultato, nella lievitazione, sarà una fermentazione di tipo lattico (madre) per la maggioranza dei microrganismi, e una piccola percentuale di essi, di tipo acetico.
Ingredienti:
Pasta madre essiccata di frumento bio, lievito secco ". (C)
A source: 🔗.

In general, since this form does not imply recovery for further sourdough keeping, adding yeast looks quite possible.

[Ilona]

Ilona, my mind went after the video. I wonder if this guy is a specialist from the campaign, or like us?
The guy breeds the Levite as in the instructions: liquid, and then, before turning into a cool shape, he dilutes and adds a bunch of flour even more, the proportion of feeding turns out to be far from everything that we see on the Internet on the Levite. And he does it exactly like a real Levite? my undiluted weak turned out. Although I fully admit my own crooked handles and inappropriate flour. But according to the method from the video, it is unlikely that I will do better
My head is already spinning from the Levite. The further into the forest, the continuous impenetrable jungle. After all, this leaven is somehow too confusing. Whoever succeeds will not understand. But on the other hand, if it doesn't work out, you'll break your whole head. And these transitions: liquid to thick or vice versa for breeding, for me, in general, gibberish. Here, at least in the classic version, it turned out to be strong and non-acidic. I can only take a ready-made strong sourdough and thicken or dilute in a dough. Once for the bread.
shl. But in light of the discussion of leavens above, I got a little cold towards getting a great Levite. I already have wheat fast, since the difference in sourdoughs is not too cosmic, then the simpler, the better.

[Tatyana]

I wonder if this guy is a specialist from the campaign, or like us?

I don’t know, I didn’t look at the information. Perhaps just a partner or an advertising option, there is a video clip on YouTube advertising the sale of a self-made starter culture.

my undiluted weak turned out. Although I fully admit my own crooked handles and inappropriate flour. But according to the method from the video, it is unlikely that I will do better

Tatyana, do not slander yourself, well, do all the other yeasts grow? And the baked goods are good. Perhaps the difference in the ingredients used for feeding affects the strength of the leaven. Flour and water can either help or weaken, like other factors from temperature to frequency of feeding, in general, everything is the same as with other leavens. For the transition to 50% sourdough, it would probably still be better to focus on the Gabriele Bonci variant and reduce the amount of liquid added in 3 meals.

My head is already spinning from the Levite. The further into the forest, the continuous impenetrable jungle

Basically, they focus on the Italian source when growing sourdough. The topic has good and visual step-by-step photos, for example, recent from Scarecrow.
Yes, and with the further content of the finished starter culture, everyone chooses an option for themselves, someone relies on the appearance and aroma of the starter culture, and someone (as specialists) prefers to add PH and starter temperature data to the daily organoleptic analysis to be sure of her health and balance:

🔗

.

shl. But in light of the discussion of leavens above, I got a little cold towards getting a great Levite. I already have wheat fast, since the difference in sourdoughs is not too cosmic, then the simpler, the better.

Clear.

Shl. Don't beat me, but ... leaven is like leaven. Why should she be some kind of stunned as from another planet. All starter cultures are unique in their microbiological composition. I did not notice any special creaminess. Yes, fragrant. But any well-groomed and even more dense sourdough is fragrant. With different aroma notes. But put in front of you three loaves of bread on three different good leavens - there is no difference in life where which is.

and so it seems to me

Girls, I tried to bake a 100% LM loaf for the first time, the result pleased and surprised.
Took 55 grams of active starter culture
55 grams of milk
110 g flour
a pinch of salt
1 tablespoon sugar
sprinkled with sesame seeds before baking.
It turned out to be a very tasty bar, I liked it, I will continue

[Svetlana]

Svetlana, seductress.So I calmed down, settled on the Hop sourdough, but I saw the video and the result, and that's it !!! I want such a leaven. So I think, 100% or 50% to do. Probably I will do 100% for now. And a little later, I may mature for another.

[Ludmila]

Ludmila, I also saw enough and was tempted
As for the humidity, I don't even know, I like 100% more, maybe I'll leave it, besides, 100% can always be overfed by 50% if you want.
My 50% turned out to be more capricious, apparently something went wrong with her, I'll watch a little more then decide what to do

[sveta-Lana]

sveta-Lana, I watched your video on YouTube, I hope the moderator will bring it to the first page for beginners and those interested. I recommend to everyone!!!!



Friends, the whole course has been filmed! by days!!! I haven't looked at everything yet, only the first and the last, there was no time, but definitely in the bookmarks !!!!

[Bozhedarka]

Bozhedarka, thanks, yes I am a beginner myself and not everything works out as I would like

[Svetlana]

Svetlana, you're just smart! I watch a video on YouTube, how you tenderly make the leaven. One love !!! Your video prompted me to do this, try another leaven. Calmed down too, stopped at Khmeleva. And here Yuri K seduced with his leaven on another site. Potato with hop broth. Did it. A good starter culture. And then I saw your videos on YouTube and also prepared everything.

[Ludmila]

Ludmila, thanks, I will be glad if my videos help at least something.

I tried to bake pancakes on the leftover sourdough, it turned out deliciously, only for some reason the first pancake was with holes, but it seemed thick, I added a little water and the rest of the pancakes were already without holes, but of course it did not affect the taste
here is a video

[Nata]

Nata, which is especially praised, then feast and want. I lick my lips at this one, too, but horror how expensive.

🔗

stops that they write about this, that it gives a specific taste, and not a classic one.

I like its problem-free and eternal)) For 4 years I have (I need to raise the topic on HP - when it was started. Yes, once I managed to get moldy - either the grain was unclean, or I was pierced. But when it was consumed, I don’t know enough cans for how long.
But I only bring in rye, I don't even remember if I did it on wheat. The sourdough aroma is amazing apple. And bread is like bread. I am one of those who do not see the difference in the finished product. Although I have little experience - zekova, liquid yeast, hop and a couple of wheat-rye. I finished the experiments with all, only one convict remained

In general, I turned out 100% LM good, I bake on it without any problems, the only question is why the baking turns out to be a little wet inside, or I take little flour, but I took the recipe on HP, though I don't remember whose it is
counted it for the leaven and for a small portion, here
Dough: 80g sourdough, 40 grams of water, 40 grams of flour, 20 grams of sugar.
Dough: whole dough, 45 grams of milk, a pinch of salt, 20 grams of sugar and 1 bag of vanilla sugar, 30 grams of plums. butter, 145 grams of flour.
according to this recipe, a loaf was baked, it turned out like a damp inside, I think it probably did not bake it, I held the buns longer, it turned out better, but still some moisture is present, I don’t understand if this is a feature of sourdough baking (although I don’t have this with bread ), then I got such flour, but I don't think I use it for the first time ...

I very much apologize, but I have read the first ten pages of this topic several times already, but I have not seen how to grow Levita Madre from scratch.
Poke your nose, please!

I continue my experiment to remove 50% LM and something went wrong with me
tried to bake on it, but nothing works, there is no rise at all, after a long proofing, the dough smells strongly sour, after baking it tastes not only sour, but also unpleasant, after such results I wanted to throw it away, but then decided to give it a chance, bathed it in sweetened water and continue to observe, the result was purely outwardly and to the touch immediately manifested, the leaven ceased to be sticky like plasticine, I will wait another two weeks, I will try to bake something, if then nothing happens, then I will part with it, in principle 100% - I I'm quite happy with it, I just don't understand what happened to 50%

I welcome everyone. I am a longtime reader of the bread machine, and I have printed out some of the articles by Admin, especially on rye sourdough. Unfortunately, as she gave birth to a son, she stopped baking altogether and fiddled around, but the taste of that bread haunts. And I decided to bring Levito Madre out by Christmas.Here I read the truth only 40 pages of this topic in two days, but yesterday I put 30-30-60 on a banana. Today it has doubled, another 12 hours to wait, so I want to withdraw it. 🔗
And I have a question here in December, but hanging on the street dried-frozen blue grapes, do you think you can take it out of it?
I will gladly join the bakers!

[Melisa]

Melisa, you can output. Only do not wash the grapes, but so, rinse with cool water so as not to wash off all that cheerful company, which will be the basis of the leaven.

[Painting]

Painting, thank you very much, unfortunately the berries fell off where we did not cut them. But it seems like the banana leaven is behaving quite well, while I try to grow it)

Friends of starters, I had a question: "what's the catch of a narrow and high jar". what does she give? Well, the fact that the leaven is soaked is understandable, in this way they are freed from starch and increase gluten, although, as it seems to me, you can go the other way, add (dry gluten or panifarin, but this is my IMHO), but I cannot understand the narrowness of the can.

but I can't understand the narrowness of the can.

the sourdough grows up in a narrow jar, spreads over a wide one. I did it in different containers, in a narrow jar it turns out better.

[Melisa]

Melisa, hello, so I decided to repeat your experience and also try to grow on a banana. How are you doing? I have already fed 2 times, what do we do next?

[alena40]

alena40, no matter what fruit was used, it should be fed according to the scheme: 1 part of the starter culture (starter), 0.5 part of water and 1 part of flour. Knead everything well and leave to ferment. Some close the leaven tightly, some not tightly.
Lactic acid bacteria belong to the aerobic class, so oxygen is needed for their development, in the video from the Italian, we see that the can is closed, but not tightly. And so it is necessary to feed for 31 days. As for how often, everything will depend on where you store it: warm or cold, but this is my IMHO.
sveta-Lana, watched your videos, and the fact that you switched to another sourdough feeding scheme. I absolutely agree with you. If you use our Russian flour, where protein is 10%, it pays off. I put this sourdough on regular flour and on Monitoba - the difference is huge. Here it seems to me that someone wrote that he did not notice the difference, I will not argue. For me, the difference is noticeable. I can't upload a photo, because the editor does not work, unfortunately.
I baked bread with a 5-day sourdough, I never add yeast at all, and I didn't add it with this sourdough either, it turned out excellent. There is no acid at all. True, even with ordinary sourdough, my bread was never sour. If according to the recipe 400-450 grams of flour, then I take 140 grams of sourdough, well, and accordingly adjust the recipe for flour and water.

Today I once again baked bread with this sourdough, what can I say, the bread, as always, turned out excellent, but I did not feel any special aroma. The aroma of good homemade bread, and something beyond the natural I did not smell. Vyborg baked buns and buns. Raises both bread and sourdough buns very well. But, as I already wrote, ordinary sourdough also raises well for me. Maybe I didn't grow the leaven that way, so I don't have this unusual "smell"?

Its own cherries and strawberries have ripened. Fermented today, let's see what happens.
In a day. Cherry on the right.

We are growing slowly. 45% humidity.

By the way, I read that we are feeding Levito wrong.
You need to feed 1: 1: 2.
Not 1: 0.5: 1!
But I haven't checked it yet.

[Alexander]

Alexander,
good luck!
I abandoned the Levite, switched to rye. I do not distinguish shades of smell and taste, and there is less red tape.

And I, as I raised the Levite last March, have been playing with her for more than a year and I really like her! It was her smell, delicate fruity. I also have a potato-hop sourdough from our forum, and it is good at work, and the dough with it for baguettes is great, but I will not get used to the smell, fortunately, it is not felt in the finished baked goods.
And what bread is there for the Levite! I have never used industrial yeast for a year.

In finished products, the smell of leaven is no longer discernible for me, but while the kneading and proofing is in progress, the aromas cannot be confused.

My Levite is well for over three years, I love her very much and will never refuse.

The Italians probably would have shot me for violating the rules of growing Levito madre But he could not resist, he baked bread on an unripe sourdough. I really wanted to experience it. I kneaded the dough tight - check so check. Flour В / С + whole grain rye 10%.

Levito madre from cherries 19 days. hydration 65%. Autolysis 40 min. Fermentation in the refrigerator for 11 hours. Flour W / C + 10% CH wheat, no butter, no sugar. There is no sourness at all. Local flour, no 10.2, but managed not to spread.