Sweet Stiff Levain

A sweet stiff levain has lower hydration than a regular sourdough starter or levain, and it includes a little sugar. It is mostly used in sweet dough to reduce sourness. I've also found that I get softer, fluffier bread with a sweet stiff levain. It makes the best cinnamon rolls! I've labeled this a levain rather than a starter because I only make what I need for a single recipe. I use some of my main starter to make the levain when I plan to make a sweet bread, like cinnamon rolls. I do not keep and maintain a sweet stiff starter. This recipe will yield 150 grams of levain.

Ingredients:

25 grams sourdough starter

30 grams water

15 grams sugar

80 grams flour

Directions:

Add your starter and water to a bowl and mix until the starter completely dissolves. Add the flour and sugar, and stir with a spatula. This is stiff and will be more like dough than a regular liquid starter. When it gets too difficult to mix with a spatula, remove it from the bowl and finish combining by hand on the counter. When it is completely combined and almost like a smooth dough, roll it up and place it in a jar overnight or until it has more than doubled in size. Once the levain has more than doubled, it's ready to use in your sweet bread recipe!