On Apr. 22 and 23 salt rising bread takes center stage at Carnegie Hall. On Friday, Apr. 22, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Carnegie Hall presents a free Baking Salt Rising Bread lecture in the Old Stone Room. The event is in conjunction with Learn to Bake Salt Rising Bread, a sold-out Carnegie Hall Classes & Workshops Series Appalachian Heritage Class on Saturday morning, Apr. 23, and a Legends & Lore marker dedication and book signing at 3 p.m. at the Ronceverte Public Library.
The Baking Salt Rising Bread free lecture features salt rising bread experts Genevieve Bardwell and Susan Ray Brown. Genevieve Bardwell lives and works in Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania, an Appalachian community where salt rising bread has been a part of life for nearly 200 years. Inspired to understand this beloved heritage bread by Susan Ray Brown, they have spent decades extensively researching its history, lore, and science. This quest has taken them to libraries, bakeries, and bread museums across the world, as well as into the kitchens and living rooms of many expert salt rising bread bakers. Genevieve started Rising Creek Bakery, in Mt. Morris, PA, then sold it in 2017. Rising Creek Bakery specializes in salt rising bread and ships hundreds of loaves weekly throughout the US. Genevieve graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, and went on to earn a master’s in Plant Pathology. She continues to conduct research and teach classes about salt rising bread. Admission is free, but space is limited, so reservations are required. To reserve a seat, visit www.carnegiehallwv.org/classes-and-workshops.
A dedication ceremony and unveiling for a new Legends & Lore marker commemorating the Salt Rising Bread Tradition will be held in Ronceverte on Saturday, Apr. 23, at 3 p.m. at Ronceverte Public Library. Genevieve Bardwell and Susan Ray Brown will be available to sign their co-authored book – Salt Rising Bread: Recipes and Heartfelt Stories of a Nearly Forgotten Appalachian Tradition (Bardwell and Brown, 2016). Copies will be available for purchase.
