Yeast
How was yeast first made?
How can a young housekeeper start her own, when away from stores and
friends, where she can neither buy nor borrow?
These questions are often asked, and the answer is simple:
Make a thin batter with flour and water, and let it stand in a warm place
till it ferments and is full of bubbles. A pint of this ferment is equal
to one cup of old yeast in starting the new.
There are three kinds of yeast in general use: the dry, the compressed,
and the liquid.
Dry yeast cakes, like the “National” or “Twin Brothers,” are cheap and
always ready to use. Mrs. Lincoln, in her cookbook, says: “They are generally
liked by those who care more for economy of time and trouble than for
the quality of their bread.”
Compressed yeast cakes, such as the “Vienna” or “Fleischmann’s,” give
excellent satisfaction when perfectly fresh, and where bread is made in
large quantities. For a small family, however, where only a quarter of
a cake is used perhaps not more than twice a week, they are inconvenient,
expensive, and wasteful.
There are none so independent as those who make their own yeast.
The best home-made yeast is that made from the potato. The grated raw
potato is to be preferred to the boiled potato, and the yeast is made
in much less time. Old potatoes are better than new for yeast, because
they contain more sugar.
The really essential points are that the water shall be boiling, so
that all the cells of the potato shall be acted upon. The salt and sugar
assist in the fermentation, and the hops and ginger serve to prevent the
yeast from souring, by checking the fermentation before all the sugar
is converted into alcohol. Porcelain or granite kettles should be used
for boiling the hops and potatoes, as iron or tin causes the yeast to
turn dark-colored.
The yeast for starting must be perfectly fresh, and never added until
the boiling mixture has become lukewarm, or the plant will be killed.
It must be kept warm, and stirred several times while rising, and the
next day put away in glass jars that have been well scalded. Keep in a
cool place, and always shake or stir well before using.
RAW-POTATO YEAST
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 3 raw potatoes
- 1 to 2 quarts boiling water
- 1 cup yeast
Have at least three quarts of water that is boiling.
Mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl, grate the potatoes as quickly
as possible, and mix them at once with the flour. Pour the boiling water
over the grater, and rinse off the potato into the bowl, using perhaps
a pint of water at first.
Mix the water thoroughly with the potato and flour; then add, slowly,
enough more boiling water to make it the consistency of thin starch. If
it does not thicken, pour the mixture into a double boiler or granite
pan, and let it come to the boiling point, stirring well to keep it from
sticking. Put through a strainer and let it cool.
When lukewarm add the yeast. Cover slightly, and keep in a warm (not
hot) place, until light and covered with white foam. After it begins to
rise, beat it well a number of times, as this makes it stronger. When
well risen, put it into wide-mouthed earthen or glass jars. Reserve one
cupful or more in a small glass jar for the next yeast-making.
This yeast will keep well for two weeks, and makes the finest kind of
bread.
This receipt for making yeast can be varied by using boiling hop-water.
Steep one-fourth of a cup of loose hops five minutes in three pints of
water, and strain into the potato and flour. Or the flour may be left
out, using more potato or less water.
Many think it an improvement to mix one teaspoon of sifted ginger with
the flour, sugar, and salt. The hops and ginger will make the yeast dark-colored,
but it will not be perceptible in the bread. There are other ways of making
yeast, but none that possess any advantage over the raw-potato yeast just
given.