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Salt Rising Bread

Salt rising bread may be made by gelatinizing corn meal with boiling milk and adding a small amount of salt and soda to this mush, allowing it to stand from ten to twelve hours. After the mush has fermented the required length of time, the water, soda and flour are added in sufficient quantities to make a stiff sponge. This sponge is allowed to ferment from 1/2 to 2 hours, when more water, flour, salt, sugar and shortening are added. Following is a formula for Salt Rising Bread:

Fine corn méal, 4 ozs.

Salt, 8 ozs.

Shortening, 12 ozs.

Soda, 12 oz.

Sugar, 12 ozs.

Milk, 1 qt.

Water, 19 lbs.

Flour, 30 lbs.

Method Bring the milk to a boil, remove from the fire and stir in the corn meal, 1/4 oz. salt and 1/4 oz. of bicarbonate of soda. Put this mush in a warm place where it will be possible to maintain a temperature of 100 to 110 degrees from ten to twelve hours. After the ferment has stood the required length of time add 4 lbs. of water, 14 oz. of soda and about 7 lbs. of flour and mix to a firm sponge. Allow this sponge to ferment from 14 to 2 hours. Dough After the sponge has fermented the required length of time, add 12 lbs. of water, 1 lb. of sugar, balance of salt, shortening and 23 lbs. of flour, mix, then divide into loaves immediately. It is advisable not to allow the dough to lie more than ten to fifteen minutes after it is mixed, nor is it advisable to make very large batches of the bread if facilities for moulding the bread quickly are not at hand. It should not require over 20 minutes to mould up the entire batch.