Before I even write the word leaven I have a dilemma. In the same way as the Bible calls Satan by many different names. Each name has a slightly different meaning. The many other names for Satan give a fuller picture of who Satan is and what he does. But like the devil, the leaven is what it is .. it has the same job no matter what you call it.
There again I hear some bakers refer to leaven as the preferment, which is a good term, and to be fair the one I sometimes use to refer to something that has other ingredients in, such as pumpkin flesh, or porridge. Perhaps even more confusing are the borrowed terms from other bread baking, such as polish or a biga (which isn’t totally wrong, but I am not here to split hairs). Leaven is also referred to as the “chief”, “chef”, “head”, “mother”, “sponge” or “Massa Madre”. Some bakers simply skip this step out and just us the word starter – which is even more misleading to home bakers. After all, your starter is a starter all the time. Even 6 months old and smelling of cheese, it is still a starter. Is there any wonder there is so much confusion?
