Salt Rise Bread Authentic Prairie Recipes

SALT RISING BREAD

Steps:

• Add enough sliced potato to a quart-sized jar to fill the jar halfway.
• To the jar, add the remaining potato starter ingredients and then pour the boiling water into the jar to fully cover the potatoes.
• Cover the jar with plastic wrap and put a slit in the plastic wrap at the top.
• Place the jar in a warm area that can maintain a temperature between 105-110 degrees Fahrenheit. An electric oven with the light on can work well.
• Allow the starter to ferment. This will take between 8-12 hours. It will become bubbly and foamy. (See recipe video.)
• Put all the dry cornmeal starter ingredients into a quart-sized jar and then pour in the scalded milk. Stir well.
• Cover the jar with plastic wrap and put a slit in the plastic wrap at the top.
• Place the jar in a warm area that can maintain a temperature between 105-110 degrees Fahrenheit. An electric oven with the light on can work well.
• Allow the starter to ferment. This will take between 8-12 hours. It will become bubbly and foamy. (See recipe video.)
• To make the sponge, pour the starter of your choice into a large bowl and add 1 cup of water. Stir well.
• To this bowl, add enough all-purpose flour to make a loose batter that's similar to a pancake batter.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a dish towel and return to a warm place between 105-110 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Allow the sponge to ferment for approximately 2-3 hours. It should be bubbly and foamy in appearance. Do not allow it to over ferment and go flat, losing the bubbly and foamy appearance.
• Grease two bread loaf pans with butter and set aside.
• To make the Salt Rising Bread, add enough all-purpose flour to the sponge to create a wet shaggy dough.
• Pour this dough out onto a well-floured board and begin to knead lightly, incorporating the flour until the dough is no longer sticky. This should take no more than a minute to do. Do not over knead the bread.
• Use a knife of bench scrape to cut the dough in half. Shape each half into an oblong loaf. One at a time, place one loaf into a prepared loaf pan.
• Return the loaves to the warm place between 105-110 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow the loaves to rise in their loaf pans until they reach the rim of the loaf pan. This can take between 1-3 hours.
• Once risen, remove the loaves from the warm place (if they are in the electric oven) but keep the loaf pans warm by covering them with a dish towel.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. When the oven reaches the proper temperature, place the loaf pans on the middle rack of the oven.
• Bread should bake for approximately 30 minutes. Once the tops are golden brown, the bread is ready.
• Remove the loaf pans from the oven using oven mitts or pot holders and transfer to a cooling rack.
• Allow the loaf pans to cool enough so that they can be handled comfortably. Remove each loaf of Salt Rising Bread from their respective loaf pans and place the bread onto a cooling rack.
• Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing.

SALT RISING BREAD

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.

SALT-RISE BREAD (AUTHENTIC PRAIRIE RECIPE)

Steps:

• Combine potatoes, cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Pour boiling water on top. Cover with a dish towel; let sit for 24 hours in a warm place.
• Remove potatoes from the yeast water, and add milk, 1 cup water, butter, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and baking soda to the bowl. Add 1 cup flour at a time, stirring constantly, until dough begins to come together and pull away from the sides of the bowl.
• Turn dough out onto a floured surface; cut into 3 equal pieces. Knead each piece until soft and elastic. Place dough in 3 well-buttered bread pans and turn to coat. Cover loosely with greased plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 24 hours.
• Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Bake in the preheated oven until tops are golden brown, about 45 minutes.

NANA'S PRAIRIE BREAD

Steps:

• Combine boiling water, raisins, cherries, 1/4 cup honey, and dark brown sugar in a blender. Let stand until raisins and cherries have plumped up and liquid has cooled, about 10 minutes. Puree until liquefied.
• Mix yeast, 1 tablespoon honey, and warm water together in a large bowl; let stand until bubbly, about 10 minutes.
• Combine 2 cups bread flour, 2 cups whole wheat flour, rye flour, powdered milk, vital wheat gluten, and salt in a bowl.
• Stir liquefied fruit mixture into the yeast mixture. Add the flour mixture. Stir until combined and a dough is formed, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Mix oil into the dough. Add the remaining 1 cup whole wheat flour. Mix in the remaining 1 cup bread flour 1/4 cup at a time; dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl but still be sticky.
• Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface; allow to rest for 10 minutes.
• Knead until dough is smooth and elastic. Dust with as little additional flour as possible; dough should be tacky, not dry.
• Turn dough into an oiled bowl and cover with a loose cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Turn dough onto a work surface and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces and shape into rounds. Place on a baking sheet. Score the top of each loaf with a sharp knife. Cover and allow to rise again until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake until internal temperature reaches 180 degrees F (82 degrees C), 20 to 25 minutes more.
• Cool loaves on racks for at least 20 minutes before slicing.

SALT-RISING 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.

SALT-RISING BREAD

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.