Photo by Monika Grabkowska on unsplash.com 

Natural Yeast Bread

Makes 2 loaves 

2 cups unwashed organic grapes, processed to a pulp 

4 cups freshly ground rye flour (or purchased organic) 

1 tablespoon sea salt 

7 cups freshly ground spelt, Kamut, or hard winter wheat flour (or purchased organic) 

1 tablespoon sea salt 

Filtered water

This makes a slightly lighter sourdough loaf than the traditional sourdough, but the bread is still too heavy for traditional sandwiches. The starter can be prepared in 3 days rather than 7 with the traditional bread.

Place 2 cups grape pulp and 2 cups freshly ground rye flour in a clean bowl. Mix well and cover with two layers of cheesecloth or a square of light cloth secured with a rubber band. Leave in a warm place.

On day two, transfer to a clean bowl and add 1 cup rye flour and 1 cup filtered water. Mix well, cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place. 

On day three, transfer to a clean bowl and add the final cup of rye flour and 1 cup of water. Mix well, cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place until the starter gets frothy and subsides. You should have about 5 cups. 

Use 4 cups for making bread and save 1 cup in a jar in the refrigerator or freezer for a new batch of starter. 

To make bread, combine 7 cups of flour with 4 cups starter, 1 tablespoon sea salt and about 1 ½ cups water. Mix well with a wooden spoon or with your hands. To knead, process in two different batches in food processor and place each batch in a well-buttered load pan. Cut a few slits in the top of the dough, cover and let rise to a warm place for at least 12 hours.

Bake at 300o degree for about 1 ½ hours. 

For a lighter loaf, use 2 cups unbleached white flour (King Arthur brand recommended) and 5 cups whole wheat flour instead of the 7 cups of freshly ground spelt, kamut, or hard winter wheat flour.