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Salt Rising Bread Recipe – Step by Step Tutorial
In this video, I show you How to Make Salt Rising Bread. It’s an easy Recipe and I walk you through the process with a Step by Step Tutorial. You’ll love this delicious and unique bread that is native to the Appalachian Mountains area and dates back to the mid to late 1700s.
A Surprise for Even the Experienced Baker
Even if you are an experienced bread baker, you might be surprised by this recipe. It uses neither commercial yeast nor sourdough starter. Yet the dough will rise beautifully thanks to a fermentation starter! And it will develop into a delightful country white bread with a wonderful crumb. Plus, this bread will have a cheesy taste and aroma. But there is no cheese in it! Toast and then spread with butter and homemade jam, and you will turn this bread into an irresistible snack. It also makes the best grilled cheese sandwiches!
A Treasured Family Recipe
Food historians theorize that Pioneer women living in the Appalachian Mountains developed Salt Rising Bread. And the earliest recipe dates back to the 1750s. As a matter of fact, my father-in-law’s family, native to the mountains of West Virginia, has been making this bread for centuries now!
Unfortunately, bakers don’t turn to this recipe as commonly as they once did. I don’t want this recipe lost to history. Instead, I want to share this recipe and keep it alive by teaching others how to make it. Most importantly, I want to honor my father-in-law’s memory by preserving this fascinating traditional food.
The Importance of Preserving Traditional Foods
It’s so important to preserve recipes such as Salt Rising Bread as well as other recipes for making traditional foods. They contain both historical and nutritional value! Above all, from these recipes, we learn about the wonderful ingenuity of pioneer woman.
For instance, they never wasted anything and made use of everything to create nourishing meals for their families. And often with very limited supplies! We can cherish their memory and hold them in our hearts with admiration by preserving the recipes they developed.
Let’s Get Baking
Salt Rising Bread starts by making a simple starter with the most basic of ingredients: Potatoes or cornmeal. If you decide to use cornmeal, you don’t need anything fancy. Plain old degerminated cornmeal from your local grocery store will work just fine. You may already have it in your pantry. If you don’t have cornmeal, just grab a potato.
Next, find a quart-sized jar. Fill the jar with a bit of cornmeal or some sliced potato and few other ingredients and that’s it. Your starter will be bubbling before you know it! And you’ll know that you’ve been successful if, within a few hours, there is the makings of a strong aroma reminiscent of some rather “stinky” cheese! 😉
Learn the History Surrounding This Unique Bread
If you would like to learn more about this unusual bread and its history, check out Salt Rising Bread, the book that created renewed interest in this fascinating traditional food. The authors are Genevieve Bardwell and Susan Ray Brown, two women who are native to the Appalachian Mountains area.
These lovely ladies have dedicated their time and talent to studying this beloved bread that they grew up eating. And now, as adults, they have been baking this bread for years. They even opened a bakery, The Rising Creek Bakery, which not only sells the bread locally, but ships it all over the United States!
More Naturally Risen Breads
Once you’re ready to try your hand at other naturally risen breads, be sure to check out my video where I share How to Make a Foolproof Sourdough Starter. Then you can give your hand a try at making Traditional Sourdough.
If you’re in a hurry, I’ve got you covered. Give my Fast Sourdough a try when time is short. And when you’re ready to branch out into baking with whole grains, be sure to try my Spelt Sourdough. It’s easy to make and has a wonderfully rustic sweet flavor that only whole grains can provide.
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I look forward to having you join me in my Texas Hill Country Kitchen!
Salt Rising Bread
5 from 8 votes
Prep: 15 minutes mins
Fermentation Time: 10 hours hrs
Total: 10 hours hrs 15 minutes mins
Yield: 18 servings
Author: Mary Bryant Shrader
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You’ll love this delicious and unique bread that is native to the Appalachian Mountains area and dates back to the mid to late 1700s. Choose between a potato or cornmeal starter to make your bread and keep history alive with this recipe.
Ingredients
Potato Starter
- 1 Idaho potato, sliced
- 2 tablespoons White cane sugar
- 1 heaping teaspoon Baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 3 tablespoons All-purpose flour
- Boiling water
Cornmeal Starter
- 2 tablespoons Cornmeal germinated or degerminated
- 1/4 teaspoon Baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1 tablespoon All-purpose flour
- 1 cup Scalded whole milk
Sponge
- Potato starter or cornmeal Starter
- Warm water
- All-purpose flour
Salt Rising Bread
- Sponge
- All-purpose flour
Instructions
Potato Starter
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.)
Cornmeal Starter
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.)
Sponge
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.
Salt Rising Bread
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.
Video
Notes
Salt Rising Bread makes wonderful toast.
Find this recipe and video at https://marysnest.com/salt-rising-bread/
Copyright © 2019 Mary’s Nest, LLC, All Rights Reserved
Nutrition
Calories: 33kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 101mg | Potassium: 76mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 22IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 0.2mg
Course: Breads
Cuisine: Americana
Calories: 33
Keyword: Bread, Salt Rising Bread
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Affiliates note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. My content may contain affiliate links to products and services. If you click through and make a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission. It does not affect the price you pay.
Disclaimer:I am not a medical doctor, a medical professional, a dietician, or a nutritionist. All content found on the MarysNest.com website, including text, images, videos, eBooks or eGuides, social media, or other formats, were created solely for informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or proper nutritional advice. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have watched in a video or read on this website. Use caution when following the recipe in this video. The creator and publisher of this video and website will not be held responsible for any adverse effects that may arise from the use of this recipe and method or any other recipe and method on this website or corresponding video channel.
Posted in: Bread, Featured, Salt Rising Bread
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