Yeast is a plant and success in bread-making depends upon its growth.
Plants require warmth, food and moisture and thrive the best when not
too warm nor too cold.
A temperature of from 75 degrees to not over 90 degrees is the most
favorable for the growth of the yeast plant.
Compressed yeast is the most convenient to use when it can be obtained
fresh, but the bread made from it lacks the sweet rich flavor of that
made from a good soft yeast; so from the great number of good recipes
for liquid yeast I give two with which I have had excellent success.
Use only mature, well ripened potatoes for yeast. Hops may be omitted
but the yeast keeps better and the bread is lighter and sweeter when a
few are used.
Keep yeast in several small jars rather than in one large one, so as
not to disturb the whole when using from it.
Bread rises slowly from yeast that is less than 48 hours old. When
liquid yeast is used, let it count as part of the wetting. Compressed
yeast is meant when dry is not specified in recipes calling for cakes
of yeast.
To use compressed yeast, slice it in rather thin slices, sprinkle sugar
between the layers and pour just enough lukewarm water over it to
moisten the sugar, not enough to cover the yeast. Let stand until foamy
and use at once.
One cake of compressed yeast equals 4 tablespns. of either grated or
mashed potato yeast.
=Grated Potato Yeast=
2 qts. water
2 tablespns. hops
6 medium sized or 3 very large potatoes
½ cup sugar
¼ cup salt
1 cup soft yeast, or 2 cakes of good dry yeast
(yeast foam when obtainable)
Dissolve yeast in warm water with part of the sugar. Simmer the hops
in water for half an hour, strain, add enough water to make 2 qts.
and keep at boiling point. Put sugar and salt into a large granite or
porcelain kettle, quickly grate the pared potatoes over them, set the
kettle over the fire and pour the boiling hop water on to the mixture,
stirring; let boil until thickened, remove from fire, cool to lukewarm,
add the yeast, beating it in well and let stand on table or shelf in
warm kitchen; as it rises, stir it down once in a while; when well
risen, set in a cool place and stir down occasionally until it does
not rise any more. Fill clean cold jars about ⅔ full and when settled,
fasten covers on and put in ice box.
Use 1 tablespn. of yeast to each pint of water when setting bread over
night, and double the quantity for starting in the morning.
=Mashed Potato Yeast=
1¼ cup smooth mashed potato
1 tablespn. loose hops
1 tablespn. sugar
1 teaspn. salt
¾ cup of water in which potatoes and hops were boiled, 1 cake of dry
yeast dissolved in ¼ cup of water with a little of the sugar, or, ½ cup
of hop water and ½ cup of liquid yeast.
Tie the hops in a piece of cheese cloth and cook with the well washed
but not pared potatoes (the yeast is lighter if the skins are left on);
when done, drain and peel potatoes and rub through colander on to the
salt and sugar; beat well, pour water on gradually, add yeast, beat,
put into a clean glass jar, lay the cover on without fastening down and
let stand in a warm room until full of bubbles, no longer; then set in
a cold place. When thoroughly cooled, fasten the cover tight and keep
in refrigerator.
Use ¼-½ cup of yeast to a pint of liquid, according to the time you
wish to give the bread to rise.
=Dry Yeast=
1 cup loose hops
2 qts. water
1 qt. pared potatoes in small pieces
flour
1 cup corn meal
Boil potatoes with hops tied in cheese cloth until tender; remove hops
(squeezing bag when cool), put potatoes and water through colander,
and stir into the liquid while scalding hot, enough flour to make a
rather stiff batter. Beat well, add ½ cup of yeast or 2 dry yeast cakes
dissolved in water. When light, add the cup of corn meal or enough to
make a dough stiff enough to roll; roll ⅓-½ in. thick, cut into small
square or round cakes, dry in the sun or in a slightly warm oven (they
are sometimes dried between two boards covered with corn meal) until so
much of the moisture is expelled that they cannot ferment.
If kept dry the cakes will retain their strength for a long time. The
small pieces of dough may be crumbled and dried.