according to Joy of Cooking, yes, the yeast does require more heat than most yeast-- we kept in the oven, where the oven pilot light kept the oven at 78 (f).
But the yeast is also extremely salt tolerant. Joy makes no mention of the starter being stored in a salt box.. we used glass jars. Joy pointed out that salt rising bread was a good way to get yeast when none could be purchased, and thought the bread developed out in the western parts of the US, where salt was a readily available.
but i would be interested to learn more.
i know this borders on being a food thread, but i see this as closer to biology-- since the whole basis of salt rising bread is a salt tolerent strain of yeast, and the idea that you can use high salt to kill off bad bacteria, and leave only the good one.
i am often impressed by how people, common people, used advanced science and chemistry, with no advanced knowledge.
i wonder how well i would do, with out all the technology i depend on.
