The Ferment

Ingredients

• Wash about two quarts (six pounds) of potatoes
• one and one-half pounds of white flour
• one handful of corn meal
• three and one-half to five ounces of dry stock yeast
• two and one-half ounces of fresh compressed yeast

Method

1. 1

   Boil potatoes until soft.

2. 2

   Mash with flour and corn meal, adding hot potato water gradually.

3. 3

   Cool, then add potato liquid and enough water to make 4 gallons.

4. 4

   When warm, add yeast and let sit for 8 hours.

5. 5

   Strain and mix with flour to form a sponge.

Nutrition per serving

As published

This recipe was extracted from Perfection in baking (1895) by Emil Braun, page 36. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

The Ferment. Wash about two quarts (six pounds) of potatoes, and boil them soft, with plenty of water to cover them well. In a very clean tub place the boiled potatoes, add one and one-half pounds of white flour, one handful of corn meal, and mash up fine with the potatoes. Add a little at a time of the boiling hot potato water. Let both now cool a little more, then add all the liquid from the potatoes and enough water to make about four gallons in all. When blood warm in winter or luke warm in summer, add three and one-half to five ounces of dry stock yeast (or two and one-half ounces of fresh com- pressed yeast

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.