Page 148 - The Lost Ways

❖ 1 cup warm water
❖ ½ of the sourdough starter
❖ 2 Tbs. molasses (or whole cane sugar)
❖ 1 tsp. salt

❖ Optional: ½ tsp. baking soda

Procedure

❖ Mix flour and salt in a mixing bowl.

❖ Add sourdough starter, molasses, and warm water.
❖ Stir until the dough feels wet and sticky.
❖ Optional: To remove the sour flavor in your loaf, add a ½ tsp. of baking soda, and
mix it thoroughly.
❖ Place the dough into a greased 9x5-inch bread pan.
❖ Cover with a damp dish cloth or tea towel with a dry towel over it, and let it rise
for 12–24 hours.
❖ Once it has risen, the dough should be light and fluffy. To make sure, press lightly
on the dough. If it dents, it’s ready.
❖ Bake at 350°F for about 40–45 minutes. If you don’t have a timer, bake the bread
until it is golden brown.

❖ Tap on the bread, and if it sounds hollow, it’s ready for breakfast.

Making Bark Bread (Famine Bread)

Bark bread is a common form of survival food. Many would ask if tree inner bark is really
edible, and the answer to that is yes, it is. It is actually a safe and nutritious wild food as
long as you’re using the right part of the bark from the right species of tree. The edible
part of the tree bark is the cambium layer, which lies right next to the tough inner wood.
Edible and safe bark can be harvested from trees, the most common being pine trees.
Slippery elm, black birch, yellow birch, red spruce, black spruce, balsam fir, and tamarack
barks are also some of the trees with the specific bark you’re going to look for. The light
inner bark of a pine tree is harvested in the spring when the bark is more easily removed

from the tree trunk.

Another reason why it’s best to harvest in spring is because the vitamin content of the
bark is highest then. Here’s how you should harvest and prepare bark.

❖ Positively identify the tree species.
❖ Take only narrow vertical portions of the bark from the tree.

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