Part 4/10:
Once the starter has matured, the next step is to create a leavon—a small, powerful portion of active sourdough culture just before making bread. This involves blending warm water, bread flour, and whole wheat flour with a precise amount of the mature starter. The baker highlights the importance of accuracy here, using a scale to measure exactly 19 grams of starter, as bread baking is as much science as art.
The leavon is left to ferment for about 3 to 4 hours until it’s bubbly and tripled in size. Meanwhile, an autolyse process is initiated by hydrating more flour and water, which prepares the dough by developing gluten and flavor. This step is crucial for creating the characteristic structure of sourdough bread and sets the stage for the bulk fermentation.