I ordered the salt-rising yeast from the Baker's Catalog, and the literature
that came with it included the following bit of information.
"Speaking of fermentation, be prepared; the starter and dough will smell
like...dirty socks? Old sneakers mixed with parmesan cheese? Something
somewhat unpleasant, anyway, but please bear with it - it's just the enzymes
and bacteria doing their jobs and giving the bread its special qualities."
They also say that the bread is best made over a two to three day period. I
made it in two days, and the bread itself turned out looking very good.
There was just one problem with it. I couldn't decide whether it smelled
like dirty socks, or old sneakers mixed with parmesan cheese, or a
combination of both. I had been prepared for the smell during the
fermentation process, but I thought most of it would disperse somewhere along
the way. I wasn't prepared to have to clamp a clothespin on my nose to eat
the bread. I can report that the bread and the remaining yeast landed with a
firm thud when they hit the trash can into which I tossed them.
So rturnbull, who asked the question, should check with his father and see if
this is the way he remembers the bread smelling before spending 2 to 3 days
making the stuff.