Hi Neil, I'm not sure if I understand your question, but if you wanted to leave the sourdough starter out of the levain you'll need to add a little yeast to the preferment in place of the sourdough. You can use the same amount of flour and water called for in the levain and just substitute 1/16 of a teaspoon instant yeast for the sourdough starter. Use a little warmer water (80°) and leave plenty of room for this to rise overnight. It will likely be ready in the 12 hours specified, but the timing may be a little different. Look to see that this doubles in size and looks very active before you add it to the recipe. Barb

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