🍞 Sourdough Starter with Grapes

🧺 You’ll need

• 1 cup (120 g) unbleached all-purpose flour (or whole wheat for a stronger start)

• ½ cup (120 ml) filtered or spring water (no chlorine)

• A small bunch (about 6–8) organic grapes, unwashed

• A clean glass jar or crock (around 1-pint size)

• A breathable cover (cloth or paper towel + rubber band)

  
  

🌿 Day 1 – Mix

1. In the jar, stir together:

   • 1 cup flour

   • ½ cup water

2. Mix until thick but smooth (like pancake batter).

3. Drop in the whole grapes, gently crushing one or two with your fingers to release juice.

4. Cover loosely with the cloth and let it sit at room temperature (70–75°F) for 24 hours.

   
   

🌞 Day 2 – Bubbles & Aroma

• You may start to see small bubbles and smell light fruitiness.

• Stir the mixture once or twice during the day.

• Keep it covered and at room temperature.

  
  

🌾 Day 3 – Feed

1. Remove the grapes.

2. Discard half of the starter (about ½ cup).

3. Add:

   • ½ cup flour

   • ¼ cup water

4. Mix, cover, and let sit 24 hours.

   
   

🍇 Day 4–6 – Feed Daily

• Continue discarding half and feeding with the same amounts daily.

• By Day 5 or 6, it should:

  • Smell pleasantly tangy or fruity.

  • Double in size within 6–8 hours of feeding.

  • Have a bubbly, spongy texture.

Once it consistently doubles within that timeframe, your starter is active and ready to bake! 🎉

🍞 To maintain

Feed it once a day at room temp, or store in the fridge and feed once a week.

To bake, bring it to room temp and feed once before using.

💡 Tips

• If your grapes sink or mold, start again with fresh organic grapes (the bloom is key).

• Whole wheat or rye flour jumpstarts wild yeast faster than white flour.

• Keep the mixture warm and consistent — yeast loves steady temps.

Morning (Bake!)

Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C) with Dutch oven inside for 30 minutes.

Remove dough from fridge and flip onto parchment paper.

Score the top (a single ½" deep slash works great).

Place in hot Dutch oven:

Bake 30 min covered, then 15–20 min uncovered until golden brown.

Cool completely (1–2 hours) before slicing.

🧺 Maintenance After Baking

Keep 1 tablespoon of starter and feed it again (1:4:4 ratio of starter:flour:water).

Store in fridge if you bake weekly, or on counter if baking daily.

Hope you enjoy

With gratitude,

Liz🌱