BREAD AND YEAST
REMARKS ON YEAST
Without good yeast to start with it is impossible to make good bread, therefore I devote a few moments to this important consideration. There are several kinds of yeast used for raising bread and rolls. Brewers’ yeast is given to start with, though too strong for a family bread. Bakers’ is better, but not always to be had. A housekeeper should get a little of any good yeast to commence with, and when she finds it is good, and is well risen and sweet, instead of pouring it into flour, and baking it, it is better to thicken it with cornmeal, cut the cakes out, dry in a cool place, and keep the cakes always on hand for any purpose to which they are suited, i. e., in the making of bread, rolls, pocketbooks, loaf, cake, sally lunn, or any kind of light biscuit.
TO MAKE RISING WITH YEAST CAKE
Take a heaping spoonful of good yeast cake pounded, one-half a cup of warm water, a lump of sugar, and enough sifted flour to make a thick batter. Set this to rise in a cool place in summer, and a warm place in winter. It will be light and ready to use in about three hours, unless it is kept very cool. A heaping spoonful is the proper quantity for one quart of flour; half a cup of lard will make the bread better and richer. It is well to grease the bread on top before baking.
TURNPIKE CAKES, COMMONLY CALLED HARD YEAST
Put a cup of hops into a pint of water; when boiling hot, strain it over a pint of corn-meal; add a teacup of bakers’ yeast, and when cool roll the dough in flour, and cut it out into cakes, and dry them for use.
LIQUID YEAST OF PARCHED CORN AND HOPS, WHICH DOES NOT TURN SOUR
Take two teacupfuls of corn, parch it thoroughly, being careful not to burn it; add a good handful of hops; boil in water enough to cover well, for an hour and a half. Pare six good-sized potatoes, and boil them for half an hour with the corn and hops. Sift the potatoes (when done) through a colander, and strain the liquor through a cloth onto the potatoes; add a tablespoonful of vinegar, one cup of sugar, and a half cup of salt; put in cold water enough to make up a gallon. Put the whole in a jug, having added a teacupful of good yeast to raise it. Set the jug, without corking, in a warm place till it begins to “work,” then cork it and put it in the cellar, and the longer it stands the better it becomes. When wanted for bread, you should (at noon) take five or six boiled potatoes, mash them very fine, stir in a teacupful of flour, and pour on a quart of boiling water; then put in a cup nearly full of yeast, and set the ferment in a warm place till night; then set a soft sponge, with warm water and flour, adding the ferment; it will be ready to mould up hard the first thing in the morning. Let it rise till quite light, then mould it out in loaves, rise again, and bake in the usual way. The sponge should not be set near the stove. The superior qualities of this yeast are shown by the fact that you never use saleratus in the bread, and it never sours. If the directions are followed, with good flour, you may be sure of sweet light bread every time.