If you are game to try making salt-risen bread at home (with the warning that the aroma of the bacterially-fermenting starter is not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach), Jenny Bardwell offers two recipes on her blog, one with potatoes with cornmeal and/or chickpea flour, and the other using milk in lieu of potatoes. Jenny emphasizes the need to maintain a consistent warm temperature throughout the fermentation, unlike the tepid environment for sourdoughs.
Further information can be found at wildfermentedbreads.com
Potato based bread:
STARTER: Slice 2-3 potatoes (with the peel) into a quart mason jar. Add 1 tablespoon of cornmeal, 1 tablespoon of garbanzo flour (optional), and 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour, and ¾ teaspoon of baking soda. Pour boiling water over all to cover. Cover jar with plastic wrap and poke a hole in the plastic.
Keep starter in a warm place overnight, until stinky and foamy.
The temperature is crucial for the success of this bread. You must use a source of heat that is consistent and keep the temperature of the starter around 104-110°F for up to 12 hours. Here are some suggestions: 1) Set the starter jar in water with a sous vide thermometer set at 104°F; 2) Set the starter jar in a Styrofoam ice chest with a 40 watt light on; 3) Some bakers also have success when they put their starter in the oven with a light kept on overnight.
SPONGE: 8-11 hours later, if mixture is stinky and foamy, you are successful! Remove the potatoes. Add ½-1 cup of very warm water and enough flour to make a slurry the consistency of pancake batter. Cover, set in a warm place, and leave until doubled in volume, which can take from 30 minutes – 2 hours.
DOUGH: Pour the very light sponge into a large bowl. Add approximately 1 cup of very warm water and 2-3 cups of flour for each loaf of bread you want to make (up to 10 loaves). Add 1 teaspoon of salt for each loaf. Knead till smooth and then form the dough.
Divide dough into sections that fill half the pan (about a pound and half or more). Form dough with smooth side up and place in greased bread pans. Set the loaves in a warm place till they rise to the top of the pans. Make a diluted egg wash and brush the top of the loaves before they go into the oven.
Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes, then turn the pans. Bake another 10-15 minutes until golden brown and hollow sounding on the bottom. Remove loaves from pans to cool.
Milk based bread:
SALT RISING BREAD (made with milk + cornmeal or garbanzo) Yield: 2 loaves
STARTER: In a small bowl or jar, combine 1 tablespoon of cornmeal, 1 tablespoon of garbanzo flour, 1 tablespoon of wheat flour, and ¾ teaspoon of baking soda. Pour 2/3 cup of heated milk (heat to 175°F, just before boiling) over this mixture and stir. Cover jar with plastic wrap and poke a hole in the plastic.
Keep starter in a warm place overnight, until stinky and foamy.
The temperature is crucial for the success of this bread. You must use a source of heat that is consistent and keep the temperature of the starter around 104-110°F for up to 12 hours. Here are some suggestions: 1) Set the starter jar in water with a sous vide thermometer set at 104°F; 2) Set the starter jar in a Styrofoam ice chest with a 40 watt light on; 3) Some bakers also have success when they put their starter in the oven with a light kept on overnight.
SPONGE: 10-12 hours later, if mixture is stinky and foamy, you are successful! Add ½-1 cup of very warm water and enough flour to make a slurry the consistency of pancake batter. Cover, set in a warm place, and leave until doubled in volume, which can take from 30 minutes – 2 hours.
DOUGH: Pour the very light sponge into a large bowl. Add approximately 1 cup of very warm water and 2-3 cups of flour for each loaf of bread you want to make (up to 10 loaves). Add 1 teaspoon of salt for each loaf. Knead till smooth and then form the dough.
Divide dough into sections that fill half the pan (about a pound and half or more). Form dough with smooth side up and place in greased bread pans. Set the loaves in a warm place till they rise to the top of the pans. Make a diluted egg wash and brush the top of the loaves before they go into the oven.
Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes, then turn the pans. Bake another 10-15 minutes until golden brown and hollow sounding on the bottom. Remove loaves from pans to cool.
