Salt Rising Bread, by Mary S.

12 hours.  That is how long it took to make this bread.  It is very interesting.  I was expecting something like sourdough, but it isn't.  The texture resembles my daughter's gluten-free bread.  The flavor is good.  If I ran out of yeast, and all my neighbors did too, and all the grocery stores burned down, this would be a handy recipe to have.  Otherwise, I am not sure that it is worth the effort.  Mary must have had a handy way to keep the starter at 110 degrees, but the only thing I could think of was my oven, but the lowest temperature on it is 170 degrees.  So I set the timer and turned it on every hour for 10 minutes.  That worked OK, but it was a lot more effort than yeast bread.  I would be interested to learn the chemistry of how the starter mix makes it all rise.

See the little bubbles

Salt Rising Bread by Mary S.

Step 1:  Starter
4 c water
1/2 tsp salt
4 heaping T whole wheat flour
2 tsp sugar
4 heaping T corn meal

Boil water and cool to 120 degrees.  Mix with other ingredients. Place where it will stay between 110-120 degrees for 7-8 hours or until it is foamy and bubbly on top. (I may have needed to let more foam form, but it had been 9 hours and I was impatient)


Step 2: Sponge
3 c scalded milk, cooled
3/8 tsp soda
4 c flour

Add to starter .  Beat well and keep between 110-120 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until it is spongy and risen a little bit.

Step 3:  Dough
About 6 c sifted flour

2 T salt
2 T sugar
6 T shortening
1 1/2 c scalded milk, cooled (115 degrees)
1 1/2 c warm water (115 degrees)

Add everything to the sponge and mix well.  Let stand 10 minutes.  Turn onto a floured surface and knead well, adding flour if necessary.  Divide into 6 parts and place in well greased pans.  Keep warm until light (I let it double, it may be better to let it rise more)  Bake at 375 for 10 minutes, turn down to 350 and bake another 25 minutes, or until done.  Oil top and remove from pans to cool.