levain
/lə.vɛ̃/masculine
The English word "sourdough" can be translated into French as levain.
In a culinary context, levain refers to the sourdough starter or the fermented culture used to leaven bread. It is the term used for natural sourdough fermentation to distinguish it from commercial yeast, which is called levure.
Meaning: dough (noun)
Which one should you use?
While levain refers to the starter itself, use the phrase pain au levain to refer to the finished sourdough bread.
How do you pronounce it?
/lə.vɛ̃/
Did you know?
- The word levain is used metaphorically in French to describe a person or element that stimulates a group or causes a social movement to grow.
- The term levain is used in the Bible's French translations to represent 'sin' or 'corruption' that spreads through a community.
- The term levain is deeply connected to the Latin 'levare', which is the direct ancestor of the English word 'levitate'.
Examples in context
- Bonjour, je voudrais un pain au levain s'il vous plaîtHello, I would like a sourdough bread, please
- Pourriez-vous me donner un pain de fermentation naturelle ?Could you give me a sourdough bread made with natural fermentation?
- Connaissez-vous une boulangerie où je peux trouver du bon pain au levain de campagne ?Do you know a bakery where I can find good country-style sourdough bread?
- Je prendrai un pain au levain, s'il vous plaîtI'll have a sourdough bread, please
- Je préfère le pain au levainI prefer sourdough bread
- Le levain est prêt pour le pain.The sourdough is ready for the bread.
- Il faut nourrir le levain tous les jours.You have to feed the sourdough every day.
- J'utilise du levain pour cette recette.I am using sourdough for this recipe.
Example conversation
Léa and Lucas are in the kitchen preparing breakfast.
- LéaLucas, est-ce que le levain est prêt ?Lucas, is the sourdough ready?
- LucasOui, je l'ai préparé ce matin.Yes, I prepared it this morning.
- LéaSuper, on peut faire de la pâte.Great, we can make some dough.
- LucasD'accord, je sors le bol.Okay, I'll get the bowl.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sourdough” translations and entries levain, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries levain, CC BY-SA 4.0.
