I just got a cookbook called Rare Recipe’s and Budget Savers, published in 1967 with old time recipes.
Sourdough Starter
“only a person raised in this age of refrigeration would ask where to get the yeast for sourdough starter. The air is full of yeast; the pourpose of refigeration is to keep yeast from spoiling our foods.
“Mix flour and water to a soft paste and set in the sun in hot weather
and it will soon begin to ferment and rise. Also any other food or fruit juice will ferment it faster, I believe”
“In winter set the dough or pase in any warm place ‘til it ferments.”
“Sourdough starter is just that sour dough and in the good old days if farm baking was delayed too long for any reason it would be so sour only a small portion would be mixed with fresh flour and water for a new starter or the bread would tast sour.”
Homemade Yeast
Save the last cake out of each batch to start another. If this in not done, it is necessay to make a fresh start with a cake of commercial yeast.
2 cups boiling water 3/4 teaspoon salt
(from potato water) 1 1/2 tablespoons ginger
2 medium sized potatoes, peeled 1 cake dry yeast
and boiled until tender 2 \tablespoons sugar
1 cup flour Cornmeal
Pour the boiling potato water over the flour, sugar, salt and ginger, and mix. Then add potatoes which have been mashed while hot. When this is lukewarm, add the cake of yeast which has been soaked in a little lukewarm water. Let the mixture work about eighteen hours in a warm place. Then stir in the cornmeal until the batter becomes thick enough to mold into cakes. Dry the cakes as quickly as possible in dry air, but do not permit them to become hot. Use as anyother dry yeast.
These cakes may be put into a paper bag, when almost dry, until compleatly dry, then stored in a glass jar. We used tow of these cakes, softened in a little water, mixed into a sponge (three cups of water made into a medium batter with flour) int he evening and then made into bread in the early morning. (So we could bake the loaves earlier inthe day.)
Years ago, many added 2 large tablespoons of dried hops, tied loosely in a small piece of cheese cloth, with the potatoes and taken out when the potatoes are soft. Some of the cooks saved a pint of the sponge, before kneading stiff with flour, placed it in a large mouthed jug, then cork and place in a cool place. Wash jug and scald before adding new yeast. Save enough of the old every time to start the next quantity. Renew about once a week.
By Mrs. Elmer Lehrling
Yeast Starter Mix
In a quart jar mix1/2 cup sweet milk amd cold water (just the half cup when mixed), ad 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup flour. Place in a warm place and stir occasionally. In a day or two add another tablespon of flour. It takes a week or ten days. Before using to bake the next day, add cold water to the mixture around 2 or 3 p.m. and stir well. At bedtime pour into a crock or pan. Use only a quart of water the first time. Mix the batter, cover, and let stand until morning.
Take out three of four tablespoons, place in a jar and add about one cup sugar, more if you want the bread sweeter. Set this aside for the next time, keeping in a cool place.
To the rest of the sponge add salt; Then proceed as with any bread. If this is used at least twice a week it works fine.
by Mrs. Frank Oliver
Corkscrew Bread
8 Cups flour
4 Tablespoons lard
2 Tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup milk
Mix and sift dry ingredients, rub in the lard, add milk and water gradually, and mix to a dough that can be handled easily. Have a good bed of coals and the usually 2-forked sticks to hold cooking utinsils. Take a green stick an inch or more in diameter and wind the dough around it. Rest the ends on the 2-forked sticks and turn frequently until brown and crisp on all sides. Pull out the stick and the bread is ready for eating. Sufficient fot eight to ten persons.
by Mrs. Eldon Bonham
Spoon Bread
2 cups corn meal
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon soda
1 1/2 teaspoon butter
Scald the corn meal with enough hot water to make it the consistency of mush. Add salt and butter. Set aside to cool. Then beat in the eggs whipped light. Dissolve the soda in buttermilk. Beat the mixture and beak in a rather deep greased pan in a quick oven for 35 to 40 minutes.
by Mrs. Sam Haynes
The day after tomorrow – at 13:11
Thanks for the great yeast recipe’s. This is the kind of information that I think we all need in order to go back to basics when these products are not readily available.
Here’s a recipe I have for yeast starter:
Mix a few tablespoons of flour and a couple of tablespoons of filtered water (not tap water… it’s been chlorinated) into a clean glass jar. Let it sit out a while. Later cover the top of the jar with a folded paper towel attached to the jar by a rubber band. For several days, continue mixing up a fresh flour-water batch and stir into the first batch. When bubbles and a foamy head form, a “wild yeast” colony has arrived!!
I was wondering if yeast could be made! Thanks for the useful recipes, I’m going to print those out!