Salt Rising Bread: Recipes and Heartfelt Stories of a Nearly Lost Appalachian Tradition

Salt Rising Bread is a hidden treasure of the Appalachian Mountains -- a newly rediscovered, authentic American "slow food" born from the culinary ingenuity of early pioneer women.

Are you a home baker? Have you ever heard of salt rising bread? Are you looking for a new culinary adventure that you can turn into a family activity? In the universe of breads, salt rising bread stands alone.

There is nothing else remotely like it, in flavor, personality and technique. It was slow food before there was slow food -- a yeast-less bread with a colorful American past going back to early pioneer days in the hills of Appalachia. (It might be the first "mountain-to-table" bread.) Over time, the knowledge was nearly lost, but now a new generation of bakers is rescuing the tradition.

For Salt Rising Bread, expert bakers Susan Brown and Jenny Bardwell set out to rediscover the secrets and the science behind the bread's "wild microbes," unique fermentation and memorable taste. Their search took them from the parlors of Appalachian bread-making elders to the laboratory of a renowned pathologist, the pages of rare cookbooks, bread museums and pioneer diaries. Salt Rising Bread is a richly illustrated, recipe-filled treasure of American culinary lore.

Genevieve Bardwell and Susan Ray Brown live and work in the Appalachian communities where salt rising bread has been a part of life for nearly 300 years. To more deeply understand this beloved heritage bread, the authors have spent over 20 years extensively researching its history, lore and science. Their quest has taken them to archives, scientific labs, bakeries and bread museums across the United States and Europe – and into the kitchens and living rooms of hundreds of expert salt rising bread bakers. Genevieve owns and operates Rising Creek Bakery, which specializes in salt rising bread and ships hundreds of loaves weekly throughout the U.S. She graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, then earned a Masters in Plant Pathology. Susan grew up in southern West Virginia. She learned to make salt rising bread from her grandmother, whose own mother and grandmother had passed on this time-honored family tradition. Together, the authors keep this nearly lost tradition alive through the bakery, classes, Susan's Salt Rising Bread Project website, and this book.