Another one of the most dangerous breads you will ever eat, but with a different starter than the cornmeal version. This recipe yields a slightly dense, but tender loaf with a slightly thick crust. It has a funky cheese-like flavor that is not for everyone! It is great as toast, with or without butter! Or with other savory foods!
The original recipe is from: https://www.agardenforthehouse.com/salt-rising-bread/#recipe
The recipe is here, and pictures of the process are below:
Ingredients:
Starter 1
1 medium russet potato, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/2 Tbsp. sugar (6.5 g)
3/4 tsp. baking soda (1.5 g)
1/8 tsp. salt (0.5 g)
1 1/2 Tbsp. all purpose flour (17 g)
Enough boiling water to cover the potato (I used about 225 g)
Starter 2
1/2 cup warm (100°F water) (119 g)
1 cup all purpose flour (150 g)
Dough
2 to 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (I needed about 384 grams of flour)
Butter for greasing the pan (optional)
Directions:
If needed, prepare a warm spot (90-105°F or 32-40°C) 2 hours before preparing the bread. For some people an oven with the light turned on gets warm enough. I used a wax warmer covered with a cardboard box. A proofing box or other temperature controlled environment will also work.
Prepare the first starter the night before you plan to make the bread.
Add the potato slices into a clean jar until the jar is halfway full of potato slices.
Add in the sugar, baking soda, salt, and flour.
Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Pour the boiling water into the jar until it covers the potato. Use a fork or chopstick to stir it around to somewhat combine the ingredients. It does not have to be completely mixed.
Cover the jar with plastic wrap, poke a hole in the top, and store the jar in the warm place until bubbles form and it stinks, about 8-12 hours. Mine needed ~12 hours until it was starting to stink, bubbles were visible, and the liquid went from clear to yellow.
When the starter is ready, drain the liquid into a bowl (or large jar) and discard the potato slices (these are not safe to eat and would probably not taste good if cooked).
Add 1/2 cup of warm water and gradually mix in the flour until a batter-like mixture forms and all the flour is absorbed.
Cover the bowl (or jar) with plastic wrap and place in the same warm environment as before, until doubled in size and very bubbly, about 2-4 hours. It should become pretty stinky, this is good! Just don't taste it!!!
Transfer the bubbly starter into a larger bowl and add about 2 cups of flour. Begin to mix by hand until all the flour is absorbed.
Transfer to a well floured surface and knead the dough until a smooth elastic dough forms, about 5-8 minutes. Add more flour if it is too sticky.
Shape the dough into a loaf and place in a parchment lined or greased loaf pan. 8x4" and 9x5" pans both work.
Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until it comes on top and doubles in size, 2-4 hours.
Near the end of the rise, preheat the oven to 400°F. Bake the loaf for 30-40 minutes, or until well browned all over and the inside registers 200°F (so it is safe to eat!)
Let the loaf cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
The bread can be eaten fresh, or stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 7 days, or frozen up to 1 month. It goes great with butter and other savory things! Toasted or untoasted.
Makes 1 loaf.
The ingredients I used.
Wash the potato and cut the potato into 1/4 inch slices.
Add enough slices to fill the jar about halfway.
After adding the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda.
Bring some water to a boil.
After pouring the boiling water over the potato and mixing together.
Place plastic wrap on top and poke a hole in it.
Prepared starter 1, side view.
I used a wax warmer covered with a cardboard box to keep the starter warm.
It was about 98-104°F most of the time. I let the starter rest here overnight.
The next morning the starter looked like this. More yellow, cloudy, and lots of bubbles. It also smelled kind of bad!
Top view.
Then pour the potato water out (discard the potato).
Mix in some warm water.
And mix in the flour until it's like pancake batter.
I poured my starter 2 into a jar. This is the top view.
Side view of starter 2. Now let it rest in a warm place for 2-4 hours, or until doubled.
After doubling during the second rise, nice and bubbly!
After the second rise, top view.
Dump it into a larger bowl.
Add most of the flour for forming a dough.
And mix in, it may be quite sticky.
Then dump onto a floured surface.
And gradually add more flour, if needed, and knead into a smooth elastic dough.
Shape into a loaf and place in a buttered pan, squishing it down to flatten it.
Before the final rise, side view.
After the final rise, side view.
It's read to bake! Those weird bumps are from where the plastic stuck that I covered the dough with.
After baking!
After baking side view. You could probably make this in an 8x4" pan and get a taller loaf!
Let cool on a wire rack.
Bottom of the loaf.
Side of the loaf.
And then you can cut in and enjoy!
Funky and tasty!