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The benefits of sourdough bread
For our sixth episode, we will talk about living breads, fermentations, and sourdough starters. For me, ‘levain’ is a marvelous word that opens the imagination and makes doughs and hearts rise.
Do you also have the soul of a baker? It’s true that during the lockdown period, many of you rediscovered home-baked bread and the joy of pampering your sourdough like a little pet.
Believe it or not, my sourdough is named Jean-Damien. He is almost 15 years old, he was born in Franche-Comté, he has traveled a lot and has produced many offspring. Every week, he gives me one or two beautiful whole-grain, crusty loaves with inimitable aromas, full of character, balancing acidity and roundness.
Sourdough is the oldest technique for producing leavened bread, and the only one known until the 17th century. It yields bread that is easier to digest, has a living quality, is easier to preserve, is more flavorful, and is nutritionally superior.
The guest: Valérie Zanon
Valérie is almost the perfect anagram of ‘Levain’. She is passionate about the arts, home cooking, and fermentations.
A graduate of the École de l’Image des Gobelins, she is also a graphic designer and a visual arts teacher.
She has been running a wonderful food blog since 2007 (https://www.lecoconutblog.com) and created a podcast titled Vilain Levain – which playfully and inclusively explores the joys of fermentation.
Her book ‘Levain’ is a real success; it was published by the highly recommended Éditions Alternatives in 2020.
My questions
- Comment vous êtes vous intéressée aux fermentations et plus précisément au levain ?
- Décrivez-nous le levain d’un point de vue sensoriel ? Ça sent quoi ? Ça ressemble à quoi ?
- Vous dites qu’il contribue à notre patrimoine génétique. Pourquoi ?
- Pourquoi « Vilain levain » ?
- Comment ça marche un levain ? C’est constitué de quoi ? Quelles sont les différences avec la levure ?
- Comment s’y mettre facilement?
- Quelles farines utiliser?
- Quelles sont les bienfaits « santé » et les avantages nutritionnels du pain au levain ? (versus un pain à la levure). Vous dites « il veut du bien à vos intestins » : pourquoi ?
- Retrouve t’on ces avantages nutritionnel dans les pains au levain que l’on achète ? Où l’acheter si on ne le fait pas soi-même?
- À quel moment de la journée est-ce le mieux de le consommer?
- Avez vous deux ou trois idées de recettes faciles « coup de coeur » pour nos auditeurs à base de levain, pour varier du pain ?
Resources to learn more
- Le livre de Valérie, Levain, Alternatives
- Le charme discret de l’intestin, Guilia Enders, Actes Sud
- La fameuse recette de brownie au levain
- Le compte Instragram de Valérie
- Son blog, Le Coconut Blog
- Le podcast « Vilain Levain »
The (R)évolutions Alimentaires podcasts are hosted by Louise Browaeys
Agronomist (AgroParisTech) specializing in nutrition, Louise has been working for ten years in the agriculture, food, and ecology sectors.
She is the author or co-author of several books on food, ecology, permaculture, and corporate social responsibility. Notably: “La part de la terre : l’agriculture comme art” (Delachaux et Niestlé, 2014), “Permaculture au quotidien” (Terre Vivante, 2018), “Le régime planétaire” (La Plage, 2020).
