I am taking my time reading such wonderful information here on Breadtopia, thank you for so much knowledge.
I just went through Ken Forkish’s FSWY and now just received his Evolutions in Bread. In re of making a Levain, I need guidance on using White Bread Flour as an ingredient.
I see on Breadtopia’s site High Protein Bread Flour/ and Breadtopia High Protein Bread flour.
I also see King Arthur has an Artisan Bread Flour.
Can someone guide me as to what to pick to begin learning on making a levain?
Thank you,
Patty
It sound like you’re doing some good research. Welcome to bread baking, which is both remarkably simple and endlessly complex 
Breadtopia’s white bread flour is 13.5% protein. KA Flour’s bread flour is, I believe, 12.7%. This means you’ll get a little more loft/gluten development potential out of the Breadtopia bread flour. Either, as well as many other flours and wheat varieties, will work fine for building a levain.
In case you haven’t already seen it, this article might be of interest to you as it outlines different flour types and wheat varieties:
Thank you Melissa. I guess my confusion is, should I look for stone ground white flour that has been sifted for a more flavorful levain? Or just use the Ancient grain flour for the bulk of the dough recipe for flavor? I am just stuck on the flour type for a levain.
Your link to bread flour did not work. I am looking at the “Breadtopia Select Bread Flour” for the levain.
Thank you for your help,
Patty
Ah I see. I guess I would do what is easiest for you. If you plan to bake bread with the select bread flour, then I would also do the levain with it.
I’ve experimented with feeding sourdough starter different flours, and I would say that rye can make for some differences in flavor in the final breads. And that both whole wheat and rye flours (and to a lesser extent “high extraction” or the “select” which are partially sifted) will cause the yeast in the levain (or yeast and bacteria in the sourdough starter) to multiply faster. But that is not a better or worse situation, just difference in timing.
You can read about the experiments here: