Salt Rising Bread
Been loving this bread for nearly 60 years. My grandkids call it "stinky-feet bread" because when the loaves are baking, or you're toasting slices (we like it best toasted!), it smells like stinky feet. Toasted slices are very crunchy on the outside, and moist and chewy on the inside. DELICIOUS!!!!! NOT easy to make, but well worth the effort! Our home town bakery used to make this once a week, and throughout the 1950s and 60s my dad was always first in line to buy half a dozen loaves. These days the only way you're likely to experience this delicious bread is to bake it yourself.
Salt Rising Bread
Been loving this bread for nearly 60 years. My grandkids call it "stinky-feet bread" because when the loaves are baking, or you're toasting slices (we like it best toasted!), it smells like stinky feet. Toasted slices are very crunchy on the outside, and moist and chewy on the inside. DELICIOUS!!!!! NOT easy to make, but well worth the effort! Our home town bakery used to make this once a week, and throughout the 1950s and 60s my dad was always first in line to buy half a dozen loaves. These days the only way you're likely to experience this delicious bread is to bake it yourself.
Cooking Instructions
- 1
Wash and peel potatoes. Slice raw potatoes thinly into a large, non-reactive bowl (I use Tupperware; ceramic also works). Sprinkle with cornmeal, sugar and salt and pour on the boiling water. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and set aside.
- 2
Fill a crockpot half full of water, heat that up on high, then turn it down to low. Invert the crockpot lid, set a dinner plate on top of that with a pot holder or 2, place your bowl of starter ingredients on top, and cover the whole thing with a couple of thick bath towels. The trick to a successful starter is keeping it at a constant temperature of 100-105-degrees.
- 3
After 12 to 15 hours your starter should be foamy (see photo) and have a strong, sour smell (kind of like stinky feet). If after 12 to 15 hours the starter isn't foamy and stinky, the starter has failed. Do not continue with the recipe. You must have the foam and the smell!
- 4
Now in a separate bowl, mix together the warm milk, (even skim is fine), warm water, baking soda, salt and melted shortening or oil.
- 5
Drain the potato mixture in a colander saving the starter liquid (discard the potato slices) and mix the starter liquid with the milk & water mixture. Stir in enough flour to make smooth dough.
- 6
Knead until smooth and elastic as you would for yeast dough, about 8 to 10 minutes, adding more flour as needed to prevent stickiness.
- 7
Divide the kneaded dough into 6 greased 1 pound small loaf (8 x 4) pans. Dough should fill pan 1/3 full.
- 8
Lightly cover the bread pans with a floured tea towel or a sheet of plastic wrap that's been lightly sprayed with Pam. Let the breads rise in a consistent warm place until dough has almost doubled. (About 2 hours).
- 9
With a fine-misting spray bottle, spritz the top of the dough with water. Bake in a 400°F oven for 30 minutes or until golden.
- 10
Remove to racks to cool. Brush tops of loaves with melted butter.
- 11
The characteristic strong odor you smell as the bread is baking will not overly manifest itself in the flavor of the bread. The bread has a nice grain and texture and pleasant taste and is MOST delicious when toasted! It also freezes very well.
- 12
UPDATE 7/25/17: FINALLY found a bakery (in Pennsylvania) that sells authentic Salt Rising Bread. Somewhat pricey with shipping (but worth it), BUT they also sell a dried starter that makes it a bit easier to make your own. Also recently got a sous vide gadget and found it much easier to use than the crockpot to maintain the consistent temperature for a successful starter.
- 13
UPDATE 5/11/2020: Recently ordered from the PA bakery mentioned in comment 12, and, sadly, it's no longer the authentic salt rising recipe. 😢
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