Household hints

Potato Yeast, — Take six good-sized potatoes, about a quart of water, a large handful of hops in a little bag, a tablespoonful of sugar, and one of salt ; put all together and cook till the potatoes' are soft enough to mash readily ; then take them out, mash the potatoes, and stir in with them a pint of flour ; when the flour is thoroughly mixed with the potatoes, so that there will be no danger of lumps, put this into a clean tin pan and set on the stove ; then pour over it the hot water in which the potatoes and hops were boiled ; put it in a little at a time. If the water has boiled away so that you haven't enough to make nearly a quart. pour in boiling water from the tea-kettle (which, by the way, should always be on the stove with plenty of hot water in whenever you are cooking anything). Have, when the yeast is done, nearly two quarts ; cook it until it is as thick as boiled custard. This will be ready for use in a day or two. Warm Weather Yeast. — Take a handful of hops and put into a pint of cold water ; let the water come to a boil, but do not let it boil, as an undesirable substance is then extracted from the hops. Put two large potatoes into a pint of water, boil until soft, then take out and mash thoroughly ; stir two tablespoonfuls of flour and one of sugar into the potato, then add the water the potatoes were boiled in, and the hop- water ; if less than a quart, fill from the tea-kettle, stir well, and when cool add three tablespoonfuls of yeast ; put into a jug, cork, and set in a convenient place in the pantry ; shake well every morning ; on this command hangs all the virtue of the yeast. Use less of this than of ordinary baker's yeast ; about half the quantity will do. Yeast which will keep well in summer is something greatly to be desired. The recipe here given supplies a need long felt by those who do not like yeast-cakes. The yeast and white bread question being settled, you can proceed to try other kinds of bread. It is desirable to have a variety, especially if there are children in the family, that the needs of their growing bodies may be supplied. Corn meal and Graham are excellent, and especially good to help make strong and white teeth. Brown Bread. — Two cups of meal, one of flour (white or Graham may be used), one cup of sweet milk, one of sour, two tablespoonfuls of molasses, one teaspoonful of bi-carbonate of soda, and a pinch of salt. Sometimes when making it I find that I haven't any sweet milk, and so use water in place of it. Of course the milk makes it more nourishing. This should be well beaten ; be sure that there are BREAD, TEA, AND COFFEE. 17 no lumps of flour left, and that the soda is entirely dissolved. Put into a two-quart basin, which must first be thoroughly greased. Steam the bread one hour ; then set it in the oven to dry and to brown ; any time from fifteen minutes to half an hour will do ; this will depend on the state of the oven. Ordham Bread. — Take some of your white bread-sponge — the quantity to depend upon how much you wish to make ; to enough of the sponge for one loaf add a cup of molasses and a little warm water ; stir (not knead) the Graham flour into it ; make the dough a little stiffer than that for corn bread ; let it rise, and bake it in a slow oven. Another way, which -has the advantage of being made quicker than the other, is to take two cups of Graham flour and one cup of white flour, one cup of sour milk, one cup of molasses, one teaspoonful of soda; stir it thoroughly and put into a well-buttered tin, steam two hours, then dry off in the oven.