Old Southern Recipes: Ozark Salt Risin’ Breadby Kendall

This recipe for Ozark Salt Risin’ Bread provides an interesting (and simple) approach to bread making. The recipe arose out of necessity, as yeast was not always readily available to early settlers. The initial batter stage uses ingredients that ferment together to produce wild yeasts that enable the dough to rise. Salt risin’ bread is so good that even after commercial yeast became available, the recipe was not altered. The bread is great toasted.

Ozark Salt Risin’ Bread

While getting breakfast in the morning, as soon as the teakettle has boiled, take a quart tin cup or an earthen quart milk pitcher, scald it, then fill 1/3 full of water about as warm as the finger could be held in. To this add a teaspoon of salt, a pinch of brown sugar, and coarse flour enough to make a batter of about the right consistency for griddle-cakes. Set the cup, with the spoon in it, in a closed vessel half-filled with water moderately hot, but not scalding. Keep the temperature as nearly even as possible and add a teaspoon of flour once or twice during the fermentation. The yeast ought to reach to the top of the bowl in about five hours. Sift your flour into a pan, make an opening in the center and pour in your yeast. Have ready a pitcher of warm milk, salted, or milk and water (not too hot, or you will scald the yeast germs), and stir rapidly into a pulpy mass with a spoon. Cover this sponge closely and keep warm for an hour, then knead into loaves adding flour to make the proper consistency. Place in warm, well-greased pans, cover closely and leave till it is light. Bake in a steady moderate oven, and when done let all the hot steam escape. Wrap closely in damp towels and keep in closed earthen jars until it is wanted.