Amish Salt Rising Bread Recipes

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam.
• Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
• Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.

Steps:

• Make starter:.
• Peel potatoes and thinly slice. Put potatoes in a large bowl, then pour boiling-hot water over them. Stir in cornmeal, sugar, and salt until sugar and salt are dissolved. Set bowl into a larger bowl of hot tap water (about 130ºF) and let starter stand in a warm draft-free place (such as the inside of a turned-off gas oven), replacing hot water in larger bowl every 8 hours, for 24 hours. (Starter will be covered with a light, airy foam and have a pungent cheesy aroma.) Discard potatoes.
• Make sponge:.
• Add warm milk, baking soda, and flour to starter, whisking briskly until mixture is smooth. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set into a larger bowl of hot tap water (about 130ºF). Let sponge rise in a warm draft-free place (such as the inside of a turned-off gas oven) until doubled in bulk, about 3 hours. (Sponge will be covered in a thick layer of cappuccino-like foam.).
• Make bread:.
• Whisk together 4 cups flour and salt in a bowl. Blend in shortening with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) lumps.
• Add mixture to sponge and beat with a wooden spoon until combined well. Stir in enough of remaining flour to form a soft dough (it will be sticky).
• Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead, adding more flour as needed to keep from sticking, 2 minutes. Let dough stand 10 minutes, then knead on well-floured surface, flouring your hands as needed, until smoother (it will not feel as elastic as a traditional yeast dough), about 10 minutes more.
• Divide dough into thirds and place each portion into a buttered loaf pan. Cover loaves loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until increased in bulk by one third (it will reach almost to rim of pan), about 3 hours.
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F
• Bake until golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes. Turn loaves out onto a rack and cool completely.

Steps:

• Sprinkle 1 tablespoon salt and the cornmeal over potatoes. Add boiling water and stir until salt has dissolved. Cover and keep warm from noon to the following morning. Drain off liquid into a large bowl. Add the baking soda, 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar and 5 cups flour to the liquid. Stir until ingredients are well blended. This sponge should be the consistency of cake batter. Set mixture in a warm place, and let rise until light and full of bubbles. This requires about 1 1/2 hours. Scald milk and cool to lukewarm. Add shortening. Add milk and remaining flour to sponge. Knead for 10 to 12 minutes and shape into loaves. Makes 3 medium-size loaves. Let rise until light - about 1 1/2 hours. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour.