iiig hop-water slowly upon the paste, stirring con-
tinuously that it might grow thin by degrees, and
perfectly mix with the hop-infusion. She boiled
this thin starch for a few minutes, stirring it while
on the range, lest it should settle and burn on the
bottom of the pan. Then she returned it to the
bowl, adding a large spoonful of salt and the same
of white sugar. When this mixture had cooled
to blood heat — or say 98° Fahrenheit — she
added a gill of yeast✪ Homemade Yeast procured from the baker.
Stirring all well together, she covered the bowl
closely, throwing over it several folds of blanket
to protect it from draughts of air, and left it to
ferment or rise. Five or six hours later, finding
it getting light, she gave it a good beating, which
caused it to settle ; and this she repeated several
times during the day, until the yeast was " quiet "
enough to be poured into a glass jar, covered, and
set away in the cellar.
Each week during the summer this process of
making yeast should be repeated, always reserv-
ing a gill of the old yeast to start the new, and
always washing and scalding the glass jar with
care. If at any time your old yeast should be
unfit to start the new with, and you are unable to
procure any of a baker, yeast cakes will answer
the purpose.
It is less trouble to make yeast and keep it on
hand, than to send to the baker's for it when
18 COOKING AND CASTLE-BUILDING.
required ; besides, yeast made in this manner is
superior to that used by most bakers. In winter
it will keep two weeks. Glass is better than
stone for keeping yeast, being less porous, more
easily handled, and more readily cleansed.
At nine o'clock in the eveninsr we set the fer-
ment for the next day's baking. Into a large
earthen bowl we put four medium-sized potatoes,
— pared, boiled, and mashed, the same as for the
table. The water in which they boiled, we
drained carefully away. Many cooks use this
potato- water to set the ferment ; but " the potato,
nutritious and harmless as it appears, belongs to a
family suspected of very dangerous traits. It is
a family connection of the deadly nightshade, and
other ill-reputed gentry, and sometimes shows
strange proclivities to evil, — now breaking out
uproariously, as in the noted potato-rot, and now
more covertly in various evil affections. For this
reason, scientific directors bid us beware of the
Avater in which potatoes are boiled — into which it
appears the evil principle is drawn off; and they
caution us not to shred them into stews without
previously suffering the slices to lie for an hour or
so in salt and water."
To the potato we added a pint of flour, and,
gradually, two quarts of boiling water, stirring
the mixture constantly meanwhile. When all the
water was in, the contents of the bowl resembled
HOW WE MADE BREAD. 19
thin starch. When the temperature of the fer-
ment had cooled to blood-heat, we added a gill of
our new yeast✪ Bread, stirred it well, and covered it
closely, that it might retain its warmth unchilled
till morning.
Upon entering the kitchen next morning, I
found Alice already there.
"Have you looked at the ferment?" I asked.
"No, Cousin Kate, I dare not touch anything in
3^our absence, lest I do mischief; but, pray, let
me see it. Why, it looks like sea-foam. How
very lovely ! "
Page 5 · 2 recipe records on this page
Presented as published in 1880. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
ing hop-water slowly upon the paste, stirring continuously that it might grow thin by degrees, and perfectly mix with the hop-infusion. She boiled this thin starch for a few minutes, stirring it while on the range, lest it should settle and burn on the bottom of the pan. Then she returned it to the bowl, adding a large spoonful of salt and the same of white sugar. When this mixture had cooled to blood heat — or say 98° Fahrenheit — she added a gill of yeast procured from the baker. Stirring all well together, she covered the bowl closely, throwing over it several folds of blanket to protect it from draughts of air, and left it to ferment or rise. Five or six hours later, finding it getting light, she gave it a good beating, which caused it to settle ; and this she repeated several times during the day, until the yeast was " quiet " enough to be poured into a glass jar, covered, and set away in the cellar.
Each week during the summer this process of making yeast should be repeated, always reserving a gill of the old yeast to start the new, and always washing and scalding the glass jar with care. If at any time your old yeast should be unfit to start the new with, and you are unable to procure any of a baker, yeast cakes will answer the purpose.
It is less trouble to make yeast and keep it on hand, than to send to the baker's for it when
required ; besides, yeast made in this manner is superior to that used by most bakers. In winter it will keep two weeks. Glass is better than stone for keeping yeast, being less porous, more easily handled, and more readily cleansed.
At nine o'clock in the evening we set the ferment for the next day's baking. Into a large earthen bowl we put four medium-sized potatoes, — pared, boiled, and mashed, the same as for the table. The water in which they boiled, we drained carefully away. Many cooks use this potato- water to set the ferment ; but " the potato, nutritious and harmless as it appears, belongs to a family suspected of very dangerous traits. It is a family connection of the deadly nightshade, and other ill-reputed gentry, and sometimes shows strange proclivities to evil, — now breaking out uproariously, as in the noted potato-rot, and now more covertly in various evil affections. For this reason, scientific directors bid us beware of the water in which potatoes are boiled — into which it appears the evil principle is drawn off; and they caution us not to shred them into stews without previously suffering the slices to lie for an hour or so in salt and water."
To the potato we added a pint of flour, and, gradually, two quarts of boiling water, stirring the mixture constantly meanwhile. When all the water was in, the contents of the bowl resembled
thin starch. When the temperature of the ferment had cooled to blood-heat, we added a gill of our new yeast, stirred it well, and covered it closely, that it might retain its warmth unchilled till morning.
Upon entering the kitchen next morning, I found Alice already there.
"Have you looked at the ferment?" I asked.
"No, Cousin Kate, I dare not touch anything in 3^our absence, lest I do mischief; but, pray, let me see it. Why, it looks like sea-foam. How very lovely ! "
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