*Salt-Rising Bread Facts
Source of Recipe
see recipe intro
Recipe Introduction
information from Bernard Clayton�s New Complete Book of Breads
Salt-Rising Breads
This is a natural way to make bread, but also one of the most difficult and temperamental. No yeast is used. If the sponge doesn�t bubble up during the night to produce its oddly sweet odor, have no patience. Throw it out. It is only a sacrifice of cornmeal and milk. Begin again, but try another way � different milk, another grind of Bob�s Red Mill 100% stone ground cornmeal. There is no easy explanation of why one combination will work and another will not.
The phrase �salt-rising� refers to the old kitchen practice of keeping the bowl of starter nested overnight in a bed of salt, which is easy to heat and will retain the heat nicely. It does not refer to the bread�s peculiar taste.
Salt-rising bread loves warmth. Warm everything it touches � the bowl, the cups, and the spoons. Don�t let it chill. Search out a place in the kitchen where the temperature is consistent over a twenty-four-hour period. The ideal place for the starter is between 90� and 100�. I sometimes place in on a shelf near the hot water heater. The pilot light in my gas stove keeps the temperature at a constant 90�, with the door slightly ajar. My wife�s yogurt machine of jars nested in a heating unit is fine, too. The sponge and dough demand less heat and attention as the bacteria strain grows and strengthens.
Always use whole milk. I have used nonfat dry milk, but not always with success.
The smell of salt-rising bread hot out of the oven or toasted is one of baking�s most distinctive aromas. The taste and texture are equally so.
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