07/07/2026
Levain 🍞
Why do we call our loaves “levain” instead of “sourdough”?
The term sourdough may originally reference the acids present in the starter, the living culture used to naturally leaven bread. How the starter is treated affects how sour the final bread tastes. And then there are commercial sourdoughs, which often aren’t naturally fermented but made with commercial yeast. Acids are added later to give them a characteristic sour taste that many now expect from a sour-dough loaf.
Our bread-making process creates a loaf that is not sour in taste, so sourdough feels like a misnomer. Instead, we chose to refer to our bread by the natural fermentation and leavening process, the French ‘pain au levain’, meaning naturally fermented bread.
And why should you care about the leavening process?
Long story short: commercial yeasts act rapidly, resulting in a bread that is difficult for the gut to process, while slow fermentation by wild yeasts make a bread that is much easier to digest. It’s part of why so many people come in to our bakery hesitant to try anything due to their experiences with gluten intolerance and are stunned when they can eat our bread without digestive issues.
