Sounds like a similar recipe using buttermilk. Because its cultured a little while, the milk does tend to sour a little. I would say that it could be done without scalding the milk, as today, we have pasturization which is what the scalding is supposed to do. In any event, it could be made with milk from the fridge, but left out a couple of more hours giving it a bit more sour taste, or a litte yogurt or sour cream can be added to help increase the activity. The smell comes from the soured milk when its baked. The corn meal I think, is just for a little texture. I think of the Golden Girls episode where Rose (Betty White) has made something that smells awful, but tastes like a delicacy if you hold your nose while eating it.

"Sounds like a similar recipe using buttermilk."

Ken, I think you missed a key point of my post.

"The linked recipe may appear to be like sourdough but it is very different."

You would have to eat some salt rising bread to fully appreciate this.

Jim

Actually I did taste this some time ago. When my grandparents were alive, my grandmothers older brother also had a smaller bakery up the street, and made this bread. I was always amazed at why people didn't buy much there, as his bakery always had a odd smell, unlike my grandfathers bakery. When your mixing that stuff with milk and allowing it to 'clabber', thats what the end result is, something similar to a buttermilk. Buttermilk isn't really made, or left over from making butter.

It's interesting that the recipe calls specifically for white cornmeal. I wonder why?

I had this bread at home growing up but haven't attempted it since. There's an old book (1960 - not that old, I guess) reprinted by Dover called "Favorite Breads from Rose Lane Farm." I haven't used it for a while but it has some really interesting and wonderful breads. What comes to mind right now is a really nice Flemish Marble bread that calls for sorghum.

But I digress. The Rose Lane recipe calls for the following:

Ferment:
3 medium potatoes
3 tablespoons corn meal, yellow or white
1 tsp. salt
2 T. cold water
4 cups boiling water
1 tsp. sugar

Dough (for 5 large loaves):
The ferment
1 cup warm water
1/2 tsp. soda
2 cups warm milk
4 cups flour
2 tablespoons soft lard
1/2 tsp salt
10 cups flour

The author provides two pages of explicit instructions for the ferment and the bread then closes by observing that it keeps and freezes well. She also says "Salt Rsing Bread, with its tender crumb and toasty malt flavor, is just made to 'go with' homemade jams and jellies."

James Beard's salt-rising bread calls for a potato ferment which is almost identical.

Carol

>calls specifically for white cornmeal. I wonder why? Probably because salt-risen bread is, primarily, a New England thing. And in New England they prefer white cornmeal. Many cooks, up there, have actually convinced themselves that white is inherently better, and will do without before they'll use yellow.

Actually, salt rising bread is not a New England thing, so far as I know. Don't be fooled by the MA in the header, I'm a transplant (or a wash-ashore as we're called on Cape Cod). I grew up in a county in Western New York where you never have far to travel to get a loaf of salt rising, even today.

SRB is a regional thing about which I'll post more later. I just came across some good info.

Jim

Searching the web for salt rising bread again, not having done it recently, I was surprised to find a lot of good information. I am constantly surprised at how web content is growing exponentially.

One site (linked below) was particularly rich in information. I won't try to even summarize it. But one author, who claims SRB is a conundrum, has largely removed conundrum by some extensive and smart experimentation. His experiments overthrow some of the main myths about making SRB.

There is a page telling where SRB can be bought. Basically it is prevalent in the Appalachians and the Western New York (not Central NY, as she says) county where I grew up, plus a few other scattered places. I'm very familiar not only with all the NY towns where SRB is sold, but with some of the specific stores. So I can vouch for the accuracy of this information.

The origin of SRB is more of a mystery than I thought. No one seems to know, other than it predates the availability of commercial yeast or baking powder. It requires no yeast and, since it is started from scratch each time, there is no need to maintain a starter. In fact, someone tried to keep a starter in order to maintain an especially good strain but failed.

As one of the resident fermented food geeks, I found this extremely interesting reading.

Jim

Here is a link that might be useful: Salt Rising Bread Project

I ran across this thread a couple of days ago while doing some research on Salt Rising Bread.

Here's a link to my post on the cooking forum...

Nancy

Here is a link that might be useful: Salt Rising Bread

To jimster, or anyone else,
I am looking for a bakery in New York, preferably Long Island that sells salt-rising bread! I can't find any, and I fell upon your story about the ones that were in your town, and other areas in New York. However, all I find is a website with the recipe. There are many recipes, but I have yet to find a bakery in New York! The closest one is Rising Creek bakery in Mt. Morris,PA! Can you or anyone else point me in the right direction on finding a bakery that sells salt-rising bread?

Rising Creek Bakery?

Ronnie, you might have missed the fact that this thread is 13 years old, I"m sure businesses have changed since then.

Annie