Pioneer Bread

[Roseofsharon]

A friend suscribes to a Magazine called Country for me every Christmas. In the back of the issue I just recieved there is a small letter that refers to 'Pioneer Bread' mentioned in the Dec/Jan issue (I did not get). The writer refers to the bread as "delicious sounding SALT rising bread. She mentions her daughter is allergic to yeast. I though this might make a good alternitive if yeast was hard to come by.

 

Anyway they said the recipe is to long to print

 

but you can e-amil for the recipe at editors@country-magazine.com -put 'pioneer bread recipe' in the subject line.

 

I will post it if I get it -

 

Has anyone heard of this bread before?

 

 

edited to fix email address

[ricardo]

You got me courious on this one! I did a search

and from what I read this is a very hard bread to make.

After recipe see notes.

 

Here is the easiest recipe I could find.

 

SALT RISEN BREAD

from COOKS.COM

 

 

1/2 c. cornmeal

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

 

Mix with water just at boiling state. Keep in warm place 12 hours. When light add one pint tepid water, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon sugar. Use enough flour to make thick sponge. Cover closely. Place container in very warm water, and leave until pan rises full. Sift flour, add 1 teaspoon salt to each quart of flour. Mix with warm water. Knead until bread blisters. Shape, grease, and let rise again until double in bulk. Bake.

 

***********************************

 

Note 1.)Salt rising bread is a bread made from a

potato/cornmeal starter which produces the only

leavening in the recipe. This is a fickle bread

because sometimes the mixture doesnt "take ". It is

called salt rising not because of salt content but

because the bowl containing the starter was packed or

surrounded by salt to keep the bread warm!

 

The recipe is a challenge because of this. Technically

it is not a hard bread to make. If your starter doesnt

bubble, foam , smell yeasty or unpleasant ( like

ripened cheese ) then DONT BOTHER TO CONTNUE WITH THE

RECIPE.

 

Note 2.) "THIS IS NOT AN EASY BREAD TO MAKE! It is tricky, but worth the effort for one who loves that very different, pungent smell of salt-rising bread. The cornmeal used for the starter must contain the inner germ of the corn and a constant warm temperature must be maintained."

 

 

[Synn]

I like indian fry bread as well.

[Mother]

For those of you who have Carla Emery's Old Fashioned Recipe Book, she explains salt rising breads in there and has recipes. I tried it a few times and it's edible but is too fussy to make I actually like sour dough bread better.

 

And I like Indian Fry Bread also, Buttercup.

[Roseofsharon]

I have Carla's book -I should have thought too look there. After hearing about the dificulty I will try and stock up on more yeast. But- here is the recipe they sent me -

 

 

> Salt Rising Bread

>

> The following recipe is the one I used to make the loaves of bread you see on page 41 of the Dec/Jan 2006 issue of COUNTRY Magazine. I have used italics to denote special instructions from the original recipe. Doris Musick

>

> The night before you wish to do your baking:

>

> Use a pint jar in which you will put 8 tablespoons of cornmeal (the original recipe measured this in inches high, but it will work out to about 8 tablespoons) The grist mill ground is best because it is ground much slower and doesn> '> t > "> burn> "> the heart of the corn. Add a pinch each of salt and soda, along with just enough sugar to fill the palm of your hand. This works out to be about 1 teaspoon. Then fill the jar with > "> scalding> "> water. Stir well. Cover with a lid and let stand overnight in a warm place (the old recipe says to wrap first in a towel and then place in a paper bag) but the point is to keep it very warm and out of a draft. In later years, the cook would place this concoction near a hot air register to keep it warm.

>

> Next morning take 1 quart of milk (or you can use 1/2 milk and 1/2 water), combine the starter with 1/2 teaspoon salt and add enough > "> plain> "> (all purpose) flour to make a stiff batter ( I found this to be around 4 cups).

>

> Stir well. Cover the batter and place the entire bowl in a container of warm water (just warm enough to put your hand in it). Try to hold the same temperature by setting this in a warm place. You will likely have to drain some of the water off and replace with warmer water on a continuing basis. Try not to make any drastic change in the temperature as you are adding the warmer water, change only a small amount of water at a time to hold the temperature as constant as possible. It will take 3 to 4 hours to rise. ( If it is very slow in rising, you can stir it again, then place the bowl back into the warm water.)

>

> When dough rises combine 1 teaspoon salt, 3 to 4 tablespoons of shortening (butter or lard says the old recipe) and flour enough to make a stiff dough. Then knead for 10 minutes.

>

> Shape into 3 loaves. Grease the sides of the loaf pans well with butter, then place the loaves in the pans and let rise until they are doubled in bulk. This is usually about 45 min. to 1 hour.

>

> Bake at 375 degrees - 30 to 40 minutes. When bread has finished baking, grease the crust heavily with butter as soon as you remove from the oven.

>

> Note: the instructions were not specific as our recipes are today, and it may take more than one try to get it right. But the results are worth it !!

[ricardo]

I have a pound or so of yeast in the freezer but once that

runs out I will be using sourdough.