Text Box: To make two SRB loaves, follow the recipe summarized above. Three ounces of corn oil, soy oil, or other liquid shortening per loaf is my practice. Foaming, after addition of soda and flour, has occurred in three to four hours in my experience. Formed loaves go into greased pans with tops oiled to minimize drying. Bake at 350F for about 50 minutes, or until golden brown, when dough rises to the pan edge (at least doubles in volume). Pan rise time can be anywhere from two to six hours. Cause of the variability escapes me; preparing this summary inspires experiments with a bit of soda added as loaves are made up. Scalding can be avoided by substituting 1/4 Campden tablet for salt; hot water and Campden is also satisfactory. One loaf can be made as follows: Evening before, in 14 oz. insulated mug, mix 1 Tsp sugar, 1/2 Tsp salt or 1/4 Campden, 6 oz, boiling water or scalded (hot) milk, and stir in 1/2 C corn meal as initiator. Morning: 1/2 C hot water on 1/2 Tsp soda, 1 C flour in bowl, add initiator and stir smooth; place in heat box. When doubled in volume (3 - 4 hours), add 2 C flour and 3 oz. shortening; knead in another 1/2 C flour; form loaf and into greased pan, etc. If the flour is quite cold, I find it beneficial to heat it by stirring in a saucepan or steel bowl on a stovetop burner; if the kneading surface can be warmed, the perfringens will act more quickly. A good tasting, brown-textured loaf arises from wheat bran in the foregoing recipes. Some of the many other initators may be valuable. Interest in them is diminished by the excellent results arising on corn meal and wheat bran. Cheddar cheese does not adapt well to the AH recipe. Cheese -based bread can be made using the starter described in the DNA discussion stirred into two cups of flour and a cup of warm water. After this sponge, in a heat box, doubles in volume add water, flour, and shortening in proportions for the desired number of loaves. As a rule of thumb, 3 to 3-1/2 cups of flour and one cup of liquid are required per loaf; sponge flour and liquid are part of the calculation. I have not made so many, but some SRB addicts make up to eight loaves on one starter-sponge. To my knowledge, no one has suffered from "flatulence, heartburn, watchfulness and the like." brought on by eating "butter with (salt-rising) bread hot from the oven." Many people enjoy SRB and I will enjoy comments directed at this essay or accounts of unique experience with SRB. The variability of Clostridium perfringens seemingly guarantees that SRB behavior will continue as a conundrum.


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