Salt rising bread

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Salt rising (or salt risen) bread is bread in which the bacterium Clostridium perfringens is used to leaven the bread rather than yeast or baking soda. The salt used in the starter is used to suppress yeast growth and provide an environment more conducive to the C. perfringens bacterium, allowing the flavors from the bacterial metabolic products to predominate over the more typical yeast and lactobacillus flavors; in situations where reduced salt might be necessary, similar yeast suppression results can be achieved by adding a Campden tablet to the starter mixture.

Salt Rising Bread is an artisan bread made from wheat flour with a starter consisting of a liquid (water or milk), either corn, potatoes, or wheat, and some other minor ingredients. The starter distinguishes itself from a sourdough starter by working best with an incubation period of 6-16 hours at temperatures ranging from 38-45° C (98-113° F); a sourdough starter will usually work best at or below room temperature. The resulting bread is of a dense crumb and favorable cheese-like flavor. The exact origin of this bread is unknown at this time but thought to originate in the United States sometime in the early 1800’s or late 1700’s. Currently, the tradition is still in existence by a relatively few individuals and bakeries that tend to be clustered in the mid to eastern United States.

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