Nancy Silverton's Grape Starter

* Exported from MasterCook *

NANCY SILVERTON'S GRAPE STARTER

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Breads

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 c Bread flour
2 1/2 c Water
1/2 lb Red grapes, stemmed

The grape starter is from Julia Child's new Master
Chef book($17.95 Retail). It is a recipe given by
Nancy Silverton. It takes 10 days to complete but is
then yours for life.

Wrap the grapes in well washed cheesecloth, tieing the
corners to form a bag; lightly crush them with a
rolling pin (to release the sugar to mix with the
natural yeast on the skins; just like making wine!)
and immerse them in the flour water mix. Cover tightly
with a lid or plastic wrap secured with a rubber band.
Leave at room temperature for 6 days, stirring once or
twice a day for the six days.

The bag of grapes will eventually appear inflated, and
liquid will begin to separate from the flour base.
The mixture will begin to taste and smell slightly
fruity, and the color will be strange. That is as it
should be. By the sixth day the bag of grapes will
have deflated, the color will be yellow, and the taste
pleasantly sour; the fermentation is complete. The
starter is living but weak, and it needs to be fed.

Remove the grapes and squeeze their juices back into
the starter. Stir it up thouroughly and transfer it to
a clean container. (Although you can use it after just
one feeding, the starter will be stronger and
healthier with the full treatment) You can refrigerate
it until you're ready to proceed.

Three days before you plan to use it, stir 1 cup flour
and 1 cup water into the container, blending well.
Let stand uncovered at room temperature until it
bubbles up - 3 to 4 hours - then cover and
refrigerate. Repeat this for the second and third day.

Store the starter tightly covered in the refrigerator
where it will keep perfectly for 4 to 6 months.- after
which it's a good idea to pour off all but 2 cups and
give it another feeding. Before using the stored
starter for bread, however, give it the full 3-day
feeding schedule once again to restore it and to tone
down excess sourness.

This is the starter for the Olive Bread recipe which
follows. From: Richard Taylor



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