Sponge for Bread
From The Pattern cook-book, 1890
Serves 2
The sponge should be stirred thick with flour and not allowed to stand in a draught.
Presented as published in 1890. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation below, not the original instructions.
A modern interpretation · AI-generated from the original record
Ingredients
Method
As published
This recipe was extracted from The Pattern cook-book (1890) by Butterick Publishing Company, page 147. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.
Yeast cakes have almost entirely taken the place of bakers' yeast. One two-cent cake of compressed yeast dissolved in a cupful of water is equal to a cupful of home-made yeast. There are many varieties of home-made yeast, all of which require some form of yeast for starting. Who made the first yeast, and how can a young housekeeper 336 THE PATTERN COOK-BOOK. : start her own when at a distance from stores or neigh- bors so that she can neither buy nor borrow, are ques- tions often asked. The answer to the latter question is, simply make a thin batter of flour and water, and let it stand in a warm place until it ferments and is full of bub- bles. A pint of this "ferment" is equal to a cupful of old yeast in starting the new. Yeast made with potatoes is always satisfactory, as the potato starch is particularly well adapted to yeast fermentation. Potato yeast rises rapidly, and it keeps longer without souring than any other variety; and bread made with it is sweet and light, and does not dry quickly. Porcelain or granite kettles are best for boiling the hops and potatoes, and earthen bowls and wooden spoons for mixing them, since iron and tin darken the yeast. The yeast for starting should be light in color, foaming or full of beads, effervescing easily when shaken and emitting an odor like weak am- monia ; it is poor when it has an acid odor and looks watery or has a thin film over the top. This yeast should be put away in glass jars as soon as made and kept in a cool place, for intense heat or freezing will " kill " it. It is a good plan to reserve a portion of the yeast for the next rising in a small jar by itself, as opening the jar often causes the yeast to lose its strength. The next subject to consider in the making of bread is THE SPONGE. This is made with lukewarm water or milk
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