This is the earliest directly reported Williams-family formula. It produces fermented apples and a sour apple brine that Heather has used in sourdough for a softer dough.
Ingredients
1 vessel-dependent batchCheck off each item as you go.
Method
Prepare the vessel
Place the whole apples and mullein leaf in a clean fermentation vessel.
Add the brine
Dissolve the salt and maple syrup in fresh water. Pour it over the apples, adding enough water to cover them.
Ferment
Keep the apples submerged, cover the vessel so fermentation gases can escape, and leave it on the counter for about 10 days.
Refrigerate
After the counter fermentation, transfer the vessel to the refrigerator.
Refresh if maintaining the brine
Retain the established brine and replace the fruit approximately every two weeks, following Heather’s later practice. Do not substitute an unconfirmed scaled formula for the original ingredient amounts.
Safety & handling
- Fermentation results vary with ingredient condition, sanitation, temperature and acidity; this family history is not a safety guarantee.
- Use a clean vessel, sound apples, accurately identified clean mullein and potable water, and keep the fruit submerged.
- Do not taste a batch with visible mold, putrid or otherwise objectionable odor, sliminess, unusual colored growth, a damaged vessel or other signs of spoilage; discard the entire batch when spoilage is suspected.
- Cloudiness, sourness or a normal smell can occur during fermentation, but none of them alone proves that a batch is safe.
- Refrigerate after the approximately 10-day counter fermentation. People who are pregnant, immunocompromised or otherwise medically vulnerable should seek qualified guidance before consuming raw ferments.
Insider tips
- Heather uses the brine in sourdough to help produce a very soft dough.
- The fermented apples were also eaten, eventually on a weekly basis.
- Apple brine contributed extra acidity in a later sourdough bun batch; reduce its contribution or adjust the dough formula when a milder flavor is wanted.
- Keep the fruit beneath the liquid during fermentation.
Family notes
- Heather’s original method was about 10 days on the counter followed by refrigeration.
- The earliest directly reported formula used approximately six organic apples, 1 teaspoon salt, 3 tablespoons maple syrup, fresh water and mullein leaf.
- Heather initially made fresh batches after using the brine, then later retained the brine and replaced the fruit about every two weeks.
- One fermented apple caused a strong stomach or gut reaction the first time Heather ate it; she later ate them weekly without the same reaction.
- A later batch became cloudy and tasted sour. Heather reported no visible mold, no clearly bad odor and no illness after eating an apple, although its flavor differed from normal.
- In a half-whole-grain sourdough bun experiment, apple brine with maple syrup and olive oil accompanied a stronger sour flavor and a dough that did not cut as cleanly.
Background & original notes
This is the earliest directly reported Williams-family formula. It produces fermented apples and a sour apple brine that Heather has used in sourdough for a softer dough.
Place the apples and mullein leaf in a clean fermentation vessel. Dissolve the salt and maple syrup in fresh water, then add enough water to cover the apples. Keep the fruit submerged and cover the vessel in a way that allows fermentation gases to escape. Ferment on the counter for about 10 days, then refrigerate.
For the later refresh practice, retain the established brine and replace the apples approximately every two weeks. The original formula should remain the baseline because a later scaled formula supplied by an assistant was not independently confirmed.
Cloudiness and sourness occurred in a later batch without visible mold or illness, but neither appearance, smell nor taste alone can establish safety. Treat unexpected changes conservatively.
Sources & what was completed
Record provenanceWilliams family historical source + clearly separated usability completion
Completed for usability- Operational directions to use a clean vessel, dissolve the salt and maple syrup, add enough water to cover the apples, keep the fruit submerged and vent fermentation gases were completed for usability; they were not directly reported as Williams-family-tested steps.
- No precise water volume, mullein quantity, vessel size or validated salt concentration was supplied, so none was invented.
- A later assistant-generated scaling answer was not independently confirmed and has not replaced the earliest family-reported formula.
Recorded by Williams family record + completion on Sep 26, 2026.