Sourdough Bread using a Grape Starter

I’ve been developing a natural grape starter using grapes from a local vineyard. I took a tour of the winery recently and it was very educational.

Did you know that red wine is better for you than white wine because they use the whole grape and not just the juice? 

When I heard that, it reminded me of the difference between whole wheat flour and white flour. Whole wheat flour utilizes the whole grain whereas white flour separates the bran and the germ.

Another similarity between making wine and bread is the fermentation process. When the wine maker started talking about the fermentation process for wine, I just smiled. Anyone that bakes bread on a regular basis is familiar with the fermentation process, particularly when you make bread using a starter. I think the process is fascinating - whether it's winemaking or bread making.

Speaking of starters, it's time to get started making the grape starter.

Here are the grapes I used. Don't they look yummy!

You can get organic grapes at a natural foods store or go pick you own.

Natural Grape Starter recipe from Rustic European Breads from your Bread Machine by Linda West Eckhardt and Diana Collingwood Butts. They got the recipe from an old Oklahoma Dust Bowl cookbook.

• 1 1/2 cups/7.5 oz./210 grams organic unbleached bread flour
• 2 cups/16 oz./450 grams  room temperature spring water
• 1/2 pound/8 oz./225 grams organic grapes on the stem, unwashed

Day 1: In a medium-sized glass or plastic bowl, whisk together the bread flour and spring water until its lump free.

This is what the starter looks like before we add the grapes.

Submerge the grapes in the mixture

Starter after the grapes have been added.

Cover with plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm room from 4 to 7 days. Feed the mixture every day with a few spoons of additional flour and water, keeping the ratio 3 parts flour to 4 parts water. Within a few hours the mixture will begin to bubble and expand.

Grape starter after a few hours on the counter.
It's already starting to bubble!

The starter is ready to use once the aroma is tangy and the taste is sweet and sour all at once, usually on about the third day.


Day 2: Starter after being fed on Day 2. It still needs to sit for another day or so.

 

Note: If the starter just lies there after a couple of days, heavy and lifeless, throw away most of it and feed it again with 1/2 cup flour and 2/3 cup water. Let is sit for about 12 hours, and look to see if it's started bubbling again. If it's still dead, throw it out and start over.


Day 3: Here is the starter at the beginning of Day 3.
It doesn't look to bubbly right now so we'll let it rest a little while longer.

 

After we fed it on Day 3, the starter came alive.
See how bubbly it is now!

Once you have a lively homemade grape starter, strain out and discard the grapes. Then, transfer the starter to a clean glass jar, cover, and refrigerate.

Here is the starter after the grapes have been strained out.
It's very bubbly although it’s hard to see in this photo.

We'll put the starter in the refrigerator for a day or so until we're ready to make bread.

To use the refrigerated starter, bring it to room temperature and give it a little feeding of 2 tablespoons flour and 3 tablespoons water. Let it stand in your warm kitchen overnight, then use it in your recipe.

Here is the grape starter after sitting overnight.
It's really bubbly and ready to go!

Day 4: Now, we're ready to make some yummy sourdough bread with the grape starter. Since we put all that effort into making the starter, let's use an easy recipe and make the sourdough bread in the bread machine. I'm also going to experiment a little this time since the bread machine will do most of the work from here.

Classic Bread Machine Sourdough Bread

We'll be making a Classic Bread Machine Sourdough Bread. The recipe is also from Rustic European Breads from your Bread Machine by Linda West Eckhardt and Diana Collingwood Butts.

Since we used their starter recipe, it's only fitting we should use one of their bread recipes. For my experiment, I'm going to do one loaf without adding extra yeast like the recipe calls for and the other loaf with the extra yeast. We'll see how it goes.

Ingredients:

1-Pound Loaf

• 2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
• 2 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup starter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water

1 1/2-Pound Loaf

• 2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
• 3 1/2 cups bread flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup sourdough starter, at room temperature
• 1 cup water

Directions:

Combine the ingredients in the bread machine pan and process on basic bread setting.

For the first loaf, I decided to make the 1-pound loaf. I didn't add the extra yeast to see if the starter would be enough to make the bread rise. Watch the machine for the first 10 minutes. If the dough seems dry, or if the machine lugs, add water, a tablespoon at a time. If the dough is too wet, add flour by the tablespoon until you have a soft dough ball.  Remove the bread promptly from the bread machine at the end of the baking cycle and cool it on a rack. Store in a paper bag.


Here are the photos of the 1st loaf of bread. As you can see, it didn't rise very well. The texture looked good, but I tasted it and let my son taste it and it was rather flat. Oh well! I guess that experiment didn't work very well. But that's the fun part of baking bread...you just try again next time.

Day 5: Ok, now for the 2nd part of the experiment. This time, we're making the bread according to the exact instructions on the recipe.

For this loaf, I decided to make the 1 1/2-pound loaf. I put all the ingredients, including the extra yeast, into the bread machine and set it on the basic bread setting. In a few hours, we'll have some bread.

It's been a few hours and the bread machine just beeped. I've been checking on it every once and a while to make sure it was rising properly. It looks good.

2nd loaf of bread right out of the bread machine.

Now here are the comparison photos. The 2nd loaf rose much better. However, keep in mind that I made a 1-pound loaf for the first loaf and a 1 1/2-pound loaf for the second loaf.

Comparison photos of 1oaf #1 and loaf #2

The 2nd loaf looks better and it tastes better too!

My oldest son doesn't really like sourdough but he liked this bread. It's actually very mild for a sourdough. The starter probably needs a little more time to develop it's flavor. We'll keep the starter going for a little while to see if it develops a more sour flavor. Even though the starter isn't very sour, it did live up to it's reputation of creating a bread that is chewy and crusty. Yummy!

Guess what? Although my family didn't like the 1st loaf, the squirrels and birds did. I always let them try my bread creations. They haven't complained yet.

Thanks for indulging me in this bread-baking experiment! I had fun. I hope you did as well.

Happy Baking!
Cathy

Whole Wheat Bread using a "Wild Yeast" Starter

This is a basic whole wheat bread that can be made into many shapes and baked in a variety of molds.

It can be made with either a biga or wild yeast starter. I used this whole wheat starter to give the bread a more complex and slightly sour flavor. I plan to use the loaf for sandwiches. Next time, we'll try a different shape.

To make the final dough, you combine two pre-doughs -- the starter and a soaker. Then add the additional ingredients. The starter is in the refrigerator ready to use. All we need to do now is create the soaker.

Whole Wheat Bread using "Wild Yeast" Starter

From Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads

Makes: 1 large loaf

1st Step: Create the Soaker

• 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour (preferably fine grind, or a mix of fine and medium or course)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk (scalded and cooled to room temperature - about 70°F/21°C), or soy milk, or rice milk

1. Using a large spoon, stir together all of the ingredients for about 1 minute, until all of the flour is hydrated and the ingredients form a ball of dough. If you prefer, you can also make this in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mixing on low speed for 1 minute.

Mixing the ingredients for the soaker

 

 

 

The soaker formed into a ball

2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature overnight or anywhere between 12 and 24 hours. (If it will be more than 24 hours until you mix the final dough, place the soaker in the refrigerator; it will be good for up to 3 days. Remove it 2 hours before mixing the final dough to take off the chill.)

2nd Step: Make the "wild yeast" starter (from the mother starter)

We have a recently refreshed mother starter (the one we finished a few days ago) so we'll just weigh off 14 ounces and use it in the final dough and then rebuild the mother starter.

If you don't have a recently refreshed starter, follow the process outlined below to create a "wild yeast" starter from a piece of the mother starter to create 14 ounces to use in the recipe.



Creating a "Wild Yeast" Starter from a piece of the Mother Starter

• 5 tablespoons mother starter
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, any grind
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons filtered or spring water, at room temperature (about 70°F/21°C)

1. Using a large spoon, combine all of the ingredients together in a bowl to form a ball of dough. You can do this by hand or use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or dough hook. Using wet hands, knead the dough in the bowl for about 2 minutes to be sure all of the ingredients are evenly distributed and the flour is fully hydrated. The dough should feel very tacky. Let the dough rest for about 5 minutes, then knead it again with wet hands for 1 minute. The dough will become smoother but still be tacky.

2. Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly oiled bowl (oiling the bowl is optional). Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for approximately 4 to 6 hours, until the dough is nearly double in size. The dough should have a pleasant aroma similar to apple cider vinegar. If the starter has not doubled or acidified properly, allow it to continue to develop at room temperature. It could take up to 8 hours or even longer, depending on conditions such as the ambient temperature or the strength of the original piece of starter, but 4 to 6 hours is typical.

3. When the starter has fully developed, knead it for a few seconds to degas it, return it to the bowl, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. The starter will be ready to use anytime, and it will be usable for 3 to 4 days.

3rd Step: Create the final dough

• Use all of the soaker
• Use all (14 ounces) of the starter
• 7 tablespoons whole wheat flour, any grind
• 5/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
• 2 1/4 tablespoons honey or
• 3 tablespoons sugar or brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted or vegetable oil
• extra whole wheat flour for adjustments
  

1. Using a metal pastry scraper, chop the soaker and the starter into 12 smaller pieces each (sprinkle some of the extra flour over the pre-doughs to keep the pieces from sticking back to each other).

2. Combine the soaker and starter pieces in a bowl with all of the other ingredients (except the extra flour) and stir vigorously with a mixing spoon or knead with wet hands for about 2 minutes, until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed and integrated into the dough. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky, if not, add some of the extra flour or more water as needed.

3. Dust your work surface with flour, then roll the dough in the flour to coat. Knead it by hand for 3 to 4 minutes. Incorporate only as much extra flour as needed. The dough should feel soft and tacky but not sticky. If the dough becomes too sticky to knead, dip your hands in a bowl of water (sticky dough will not stick to wet hands) and mist the work surface lightly with water to prevent sticking. Form the dough into a ball and let it rest on the work surface for 5 minutes while you prepare a clean, lightly oiled bowl.

4. Resume kneading the dough by hand for 1 minute. This will strengthen the gluten and allow for any final adjustments with additional flour or water. The dough should have strength and substance when fully kneaded, yet still feel soft, supple, and very tacky. Form the dough into a ball and place it in the prepared bowl, rolling to coat with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise (ferment) at room temperature for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour, until it is about 1 1/2 times its original size.

 

5. Transfer the risen dough to a light floured work surface and form it into a loaf shape.

Place the dough in a greased 4 x 8 1/2-inch bread pan. I'm using a clay loaf pan to see how it turns out. In the loaf pan, the dough should rise to about 1 1/2 inches above the rim.

6. Preheat the oven to 425°F* and, when the dough is ready to bake, place it in the oven and lower the temperature to 350°F.

Since I'm using a clay bread pan in a gas oven, I'll need to place the pan in the cold oven and gradually increase the temperature. Otherwise, the clay pan will crack. If you're using an electric oven, you can just put the clay pan in the cold oven and set the temperature. It will gradually increase to the appropriate temperature.


Bake the loaf for 20 minutes and then rotate it 180 degrees and continue baking for another 20 to 30 minutes, until the loaf is a rich, reddish brown on all sides, sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom, and registers at least 195°F in the center of the loaf.

So that the clay pan doesn't crack, you're not supposed to put it on a cold surface when it is hot so I put it on a towel on a bread board.

7. Remove the bread from the pan immediately, transfer to a cooling rack, and cool for at least 1 hour before serving.

This was our first loaf of whole wheat bread using the delayed fermentation method. Wasn't that fun! It tastes good too!

 

Final Step: Refresh the Mother Starter

Now, it's time to refresh the mother starter so it will be ready the next time we want to bake whole wheat bread. Refer to the process below:

Whenever the mother starter gets low - between 4 days and 2 weeks old - rebuild it by discarding all but 3.5 ounces.

Use the retained portion as a new seed culture and follow the instructions for creating a mother starter in Step 2 of the post on "Making a Whole Wheat "Wild Yeast" Starter".

Happy Baking!

Cathy

Whole Wheat "Wild Yeast" Starter

I’ve been working on a whole wheat sourdough or "wild yeast" starter for use in whole wheat bread. I’m using the recipe from Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads.

You could use a regular sourdough starter and convert it to a whole wheat starter, but I decided to create one from scratch to use as a comparison. I'm having so much fun with this, maybe I’ll try that next time.

There are two steps involved in making a wild yeast starter using whole wheat flour: 1) preparing a seed culture and 2) converting that seed culture into a mother starter.

The seed culture cultivates enough microorganisms to get things moving and is then used to make another starter, the mother starter. The mother starter will be the one you keep in your refrigerator. I plan to add it to my collection of starters. Pretty soon, I'll need another refrigerator for all of my starters.

Creating a Whole Wheat "Wild Yeast" Starter

From Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads

Step 1: Preparing a seed culture (or The Pineapple Juice Solution according to Peter Reinhart)

Phase 1 (Day 1)

• 3 1/2 tablespoons whole wheat or whole rye flour, any grind

Note: I grind my own whole wheat so I'm using freshly milled whole wheat flour in this recipe. Learn more about grinding your own wheat.

• 1/4 cup unsweetened pineapple juice or filtered or spring water, at room temperature (about 70°F/21°C

I didn't have any pineapple juice on hand so I'm creating the starter using spring water.

• 1/2 teaspoon diastatic malt powder or sprouted wheat flour (optional).

Well, as you can imagine, I didn't have any of this on hand either. So since it's optional, I'm trying it without it. We'll see how it works. I like to keep things simple whenever possible.

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, juice (or water), and malt powder with a spoon or whisk to make a paste (the liquid can be cold or at room temperature -- it doesn't matter). It should be like pancake batter or a thin sponge. Be sure to stir until all the flour is hydrated.

Seed culture at the beginning of Phase 1

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for approximately 48 hours. Two or three times a day, aerate by stirring for 1 minute with a wet spoon or whisk (the dough won't stick as easily to a wet tool). There will be little or no sign of fermentation activity during the first 24 hours; bubbles may begin to appear, however, within the 48-hour time frame. If not, 2 days after the initial mixing proceed to Phase 2 (Day 3) anyway.

Seed culture resting during Phase 1

 

Phase 2 (Day 3)

• 2 scant tablespoons whole wheat or whole rye flour
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened pineapple juice or filtered or spring water, at room temperature
• Use all of the Phase 1 sponge

Add the new ingredients to the Phase 1 sponge and mix with a spoon or whisk to distribute and fully hydrate the new flour. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 24 to 48 hours. Stir with a wet spoon or whisk to aerate at least two or three times a day, as before. There should be signs of fermentation (bubbling and growth) during this period. When the dough becomes very bubbly or foamy or at the end of 48 hours, whichever comes first, move on to Phase 3.

Seed culture Phase 2

Phase 3 (Day 4 or 5)

• 5 1/4 tablespoons whole wheat or whole rye flour
• 3 tablespoons filtered or spring water, at room temperature
• Use all of the Phase 2 sponge

Add the new ingredients to the Phase 2 sponge and stir with a spoon or whisk as before. The sponge will be thicker as the percentage of water is reduced, but it will still be very wet, spongy, and sticky. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and leave a room temperature for 24 to 48 hours, stirring with a wet spoon or whisk to aerate at least two or three times each day, as on the previous days. Within 48 hours it should be very bubbly and expanded. If not, wait another day or two, aerating as before, until it becomes active. (If the sponge was active and bubbly prior to this phase, it could become active and bubbly in less than 24 hours. If so, proceed to the next phase.)

Seed culture beginning Phase 3

 

Phase 3 took awhile. My seed culture didn't seem to be very active so I just let it sit on my counter another day and aerated it several times each day. It finally started bubbling on day 7.

Bubbly seed culture during Phase 3

Phase 4 (Day 5 or Later)

• 7 tablespoons whole wheat or whole rye flour
• 3 tablespoons filtered or spring water, at room temperature
• Use half of the Phase 3 sponge.

Discard or give away half of the Phase 3 sponge. Add the new ingredients to the other half and mix as before. Cover the bowl loosely and leave at room temperature until the sponge becomes bubbly and foamy. It should swell and nearly double in size, but it will fall when jostled due to its high hydration. This can take anywhere from 4 to 24 hours. If there is little sign of fermentation after 24 hours, continue to aerate as before and leave at room temperature until it becomes very active.

Seed culture at the beginning of Phase 4

The seed culture has been on my counter since early afternoon. It looks good. It swelled like it was supposed to.

Bubbly seed culture right before using it in the mother starter

Now, it's time to move on to the next step, making the mother starter.

Note: If you're not quite ready to make the mother starter, you can cover and refrigerate the seed culture for up to 2 days before making the mother starter.


Step 2: Creating the Mother Starter

• 2 1/3 cups whole wheat or whole rye flour, any grind
• 1 cup filtered or spring water (probably more for whole rye flour), at room temperature
• 2/3 cup (about half) of the seed culture

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Mix with a large spoon or your hands or on slow speed for about 1 minute, until the ingredients form a ball of slightly sticky dough. (I like to use a Danish whisk for this part. It works really well for mixing bread dough.)

Combining ingredients for mother starter

 

Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, then knead by hand for 1 minute (in the bowl, using wet hands), or until the dough is fairly smooth and all of the ingredients are evenly distributed. The starter need not be developed as much as a final dough (don't worry about developing the gluten).

Transfer the starter to a clean bowl or container large enough to hold it once doubled in size. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 4 to 8 hours, until it doubles in size; the length of time will depend on the potency of the seed culture and the ambient temperature.

Degas the mother starter by kneading it for a few seconds, then form it back into a ball, cover tightly (to prevent absorption of refrigerator odors or moisture), and refrigerate. After a few hours, vent any carbon dioxide buildup by opening the lid briefly, then reseal it.

Mother starter doubled in size after 5 hours

Mother starter after kneading dough for a few seconds

Mother starter ready to go in refrigerator

The mother starter is ready to use now or for up to 3 days.

For the next phase, we'll use a piece of the mother starter to create a "wild yeast" starter and use it in whole wheat bread. 

Happy Baking!
Cathy