Salt Rising Bread Recipe

How to make it

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• (NOTE: Dottiet originally posted this recipe, but I can't add it to our family cookbook group here unless I post it myself, and it's a LONG-time family favorite. I've also added a few tips for success not found in Dottiet's original posting.)
• Wash and peel potatoes.
• Slice raw potatoes thinly into a large, non-reactive bowl (I use Tupperware; ceramic also works).
• Sprinkle with cornmeal, sugar and salt and pour on the boiling water.
• Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and set aside.
• Fill a crockpot half full of water, heat that up on high, then turn it down to low. Invert the crockpot lid, set a dinner plate on top of that with a pot holder or 2, place your bowl of starter ingredients on top, and cover the whole thing with a couple of thick bath towels. The trick to a successful starter is keeping it at a constant temperature of 100-105-degrees.
• After 12 to 15 hours your starter should be foamy (see photos) and have a strong, sour smell (kind of like stinky feet). If after 12 to 15 hours the starter isn't foamy and stinky, the starter has failed. Do not continue with the recipe. You must have the foam and the smell!
• Now in a separate bowl, mix together the warm milk, (even skim is fine ), warm water, baking soda, salt and melted shortening or oil.
• Drain the potato mixture in a colander saving the starter liquid (discard the potato slices) and mix the starter liquid with the milk & water mixture. Stir in enough flour to make smooth dough.
• Knead until smooth and elastic as you would for yeast dough, about 8 to 10 minutes, adding more flour as needed to prevent stickiness.
• Divide the kneaded dough into 6 greased 1 pound small loaf (8 x 4) pans.
• Dough should fill pan 1/3 full.
• Lightly cover the bread pans with a floured tea towel or a sheet of plastic wrap that's been lightly sprayed with Pam. Let the breads rise in a consistent warm place until dough has almost doubled. (About 2 hours).
• With a fine-misting spray bottle, spritz the top of the dough with water.
• Bake in a 400-degree oven for 30 minutes or until golden.
• Remove to racks to cool. Brush tops of loaves with melted butter.
• The characteristic strong odor you smell as the bread is baking will not overly manifest itself in the flavor of the bread. The bread has a nice grain and texture and pleasant taste and is MOST delicious when toasted! It also freezes very well.