Salt Rising Bread Recipes

Steps:

• To Make Starter: Heat the milk, and stir in 1 tablespoon of the sugar, the cornmeal and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Place this in a jar in an electric skillet or crock pot with hot water in it. Maintain the temperature around 105 to 115 degrees F (40 to 47 degrees C) for 7-12 hours or until it shows fermentation. You can hear the gas escaping when it has fermented sufficiently. The bubble foam, which forms over the starter, can take as long as 24 hours. Do not go on with the bread-making until the starter responds. As the starter ferments, the unusual salt-rising smell appears.
• When the starter is bubbly, it is time to make the sponge. Place the starter mixture in a medium-size bowl. Stir in 2 cups of the warm water, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, the shortening and 2 cups of the all-purpose flour. Beat the sponge thoroughly. Put bowl back in the water to maintain an even 105 to 115 degrees F (40 to 47 degrees C) temperature. Cover, and let rise until light and full of bubbles. This will take 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
• Dissolve the baking soda in 1 tablespoon of the warm water and combine it with the sponge. Stir 5 1/4 cups of the flour into the sponge; knead in more flour as necessary. Knead the dough for 10 minutes or until smooth and manageable. Cut dough into 3 parts. Shape dough and place it in three greased 9x5x3 inch pans. Place covered pans in warm water or uncovered pans in a warm oven with a bowl of hot water, maintaining a temperature of 85 degrees F (30 degrees C). It will take approximately 5 hours for the bread to rise 2 1/2 times the original size. The bread will round to the top of the pans.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bake bread at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until light golden brown. YOU CAN DRY SALT RISING CULTURE!!! Save 1/4 cup of a successful sponge and pour it into a saucer, cover with cheesecloth and allow to dry. Store dried flakes in plastic in a cool, dry place or freeze until needed for salt rising bread. When ready to make the bread; dissolve the flakes in the new warm starter and continue with recipe. This will give a flavor boost to your bread.

Steps:

• Heat the milk in a small saucepan over medium just until the edges start to bubble. Let the milk cool for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, set the cornmeal and 1 teaspoon flour in a medium bowl. Once the milk has cooled, pour it over the cornmeal mixture, and whisk it well. Cover with plastic wrap, and keep warm - 104 to 110 degrees - for about 8 hours. You could use a water bath, a crockpot or an oven that has been turned off, but if the starter isn't consistently kept warm, it won't take. When the top of the starter is foamy and it smells a little like cheese, it's ready for Step 2.
• Using a wooden spoon, mix 1 cup/240 milliliters hot water with 1 1/2 cups/190 grams flour and the baking soda, then add the starter to it, and mix well. Cover, and keep warm in the same way you did for Step 1, for 2 to 4 hours, until the dough is bubbly and has nearly doubled in size.
• Scrape into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the beater attachment, with the speed on medium, add butter and salt, then add remaining flour in 1/2-cup increments - you may not need to add it all for the dough to come together. The dough should be smooth and a little soft and sticky after about 5 minutes of beating in the stand mixer on medium speed.
• Transfer dough to a buttered 9-inch loaf tin, cover again and let it rest somewhere warm in the pan for 2 to 3 hours, until the top is slightly puffed and rounded.
• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Once the dough is ready, uncover it and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the top is deeply golden and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool completely in the pan before turning out and slicing.

Steps:

• Preparation: the evening before, in a saucepan scald the milk. In a small bowl pour the scalding hot (but not boiling) milk over the cornmeal and 1 teaspoon sugar. Stir together and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Place in a warm spot (90°-100°) where it will remain for 8 to 10 hours. A bubbly foam will develop over the surface of the cornmeal and it will smell sweet and fermented.
• By Hand: In a large mixing or mixer bowl (warmed under hot water tap), pour the hot water over the 1/2 teaspoon sugar, salt, and baking soda. Stir this briefly with a large spoon. Gradually add 1-1/2 cups flour to make a thick batter. Stir until smooth - about 50 strokes. The batter should be lukewarm to the touch. Not hot. Stir in the fermented cornmeal mixture.
• First Rising: Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap; return to the warm place until the batter has bubbled and foamed to more than double its volume, about 2 hours. When you turn back the plastic wrap the aroma will be quite strong.
• By Hand or Mixer: With the wooden spoon or flat beater mix in the shortening. Gradually add flour, 1/4 cup at a time, first with the spoon and then by hand. Work it well between the fingers, adding more flour, if necessary, until the dough has lost its wetness and a rough mass has formed. If using a mixer, when the dough becomes heavy remove the flat beater and replace it with the dough hook. Continue adding flour until a rough mass forms under the hook.
• Kneading: Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and begin the kneading process. This dough will feel alive under your palms, elastic and soft. The dough under the dough hook will form a soft ball around the revolving arm. Add sprinkles of flour if the dough sticks to the sides of the bowl. Knead for 10 minutes.
• By Processor: the fist 2 steps in the preparation of the dough will be done in 2 bowls, as above. Processing will come later.
• Attach the steel blade. After the batter has risen for the second time and the shortening has been added, pour the mixture into the processor work bowl. With the machine running, add flour, 1/4 cup at a time, to form a rough mass that whirls with the blade and cleans the sides of the bowl. If flour remains along the bottom edge of the bowl, scrape it free with a spatula.
• Kneading: With the processor running, knead for 60 seconds.
• Shaping: Divide the dough in half. Roll each piece into a rectangle, fold in half, pinch the seam closed, and shape the dough into a loaf. Place in the pans, seam to the bottom. The dough usually fills only half of the pan. Brush the tops lightly with oil or melted butter.
• Second Rising: Cover with wax paper and allow to rise until the dough has doubled, about 50 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375° about 20 minutes before baking.
• Baking: Place the pans in the oven. When the loaves are nicely browned and tapping the bottom crust yields a hard and hollow sound, about 45 minute, they are done. (If using a convection oven, reduce heat 50°.).
• Final Step: Remove the bread from the oven and turn out immediately onto a metal cooling rack.
• Toasting enhances the flavor of salt-rising bread. It may be kept frozen for several months at 0°.
• recipe courtesy of Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads.

Steps:

• Make starter:.
• Peel potatoes and thinly slice. Put potatoes in a large bowl, then pour boiling-hot water over them. Stir in cornmeal, sugar, and salt until sugar and salt are dissolved. Set bowl into a larger bowl of hot tap water (about 130ºF) and let starter stand in a warm draft-free place (such as the inside of a turned-off gas oven), replacing hot water in larger bowl every 8 hours, for 24 hours. (Starter will be covered with a light, airy foam and have a pungent cheesy aroma.) Discard potatoes.
• Make sponge:.
• Add warm milk, baking soda, and flour to starter, whisking briskly until mixture is smooth. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set into a larger bowl of hot tap water (about 130ºF). Let sponge rise in a warm draft-free place (such as the inside of a turned-off gas oven) until doubled in bulk, about 3 hours. (Sponge will be covered in a thick layer of cappuccino-like foam.).
• Make bread:.
• Whisk together 4 cups flour and salt in a bowl. Blend in shortening with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) lumps.
• Add mixture to sponge and beat with a wooden spoon until combined well. Stir in enough of remaining flour to form a soft dough (it will be sticky).
• Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead, adding more flour as needed to keep from sticking, 2 minutes. Let dough stand 10 minutes, then knead on well-floured surface, flouring your hands as needed, until smoother (it will not feel as elastic as a traditional yeast dough), about 10 minutes more.
• Divide dough into thirds and place each portion into a buttered loaf pan. Cover loaves loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until increased in bulk by one third (it will reach almost to rim of pan), about 3 hours.
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F
• Bake until golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes. Turn loaves out onto a rack and cool completely.