I have always had an interest in how our ancestors made bread 100 to
200 years ago. Before there was refrigeration and before yeast was
commercially available. I found an old cookbook from 1897 (compiled
for the United States from the Thirty-Firth German Edition). Here
are a couple of recipes from the book:
1) Sponge for Winter Use:
Peel and boil 4-5 medium-sized potatoes in 2 quarts of water; when
done take out of the water, and press through a sieve or mash very
fine in the dish in which the sponge is to be made, make a depression
in the center into which put a cupful of flour, and pour over it the
boiling water from the potatoes. Stir thoroughly, and when cool add a
pint of warm water to make a thin batter, and a cupful of
yeast. This sponge will make very moist bread.
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Seems to me this sponge is mainly liquid. 2 quarts potato water + 1
pint warm water with 1 cup flour and 4-5 mashed potatoes. I wonder
what a cupful of yeast is?
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2) Bread Raised Twice:
Measure out 4 quarts of flour, take out about 1 cupful and put the
remainder into a pan. Make a depression in the middle, into which
put 1 tablespoonful of sugar, 1 tablespoonful of salt and 1 cupful of
yeast; then mix in 1 pint of milk which was made lukewarm by adding 1
pint of warm water. Beat well with a strong spoon, and knead for
20-30 minutes; let it raise over night; in the morning knead again,
mould into loaves, let them raise until about twice their size, and
bake not quite 1 hour.
3) Raw Potato Yeast:
Peal 3 large potatoes and lay them into cold water. Then grate one
potato into a large dish, pour over it at once one pint of boiling
water to cook the potato. Grate the next potato, and pour on another
pint of water, then grate the third, and over this also pour 1 pint
of boiling water. Do not grate them all at once as the potato will
turn dark. Stir quickly with a silver spoon, adding salt and about
1/2 cup of sugar. When it is lukewarm stir in 1 cupful of
yeast. When light it will be covered with a thick foam. This yeast
makes delicious bread.
4) Brown Bread:
2 1/2 cupfuls of sour milk, and 1/2 cupful of molasses; put into this
1 heaping teaspoonful of soda, 2 cupfuls of cornmeal, 1 cupful of
graham flour, add 1 teaspoonful of salt. Steam 3 hours and
afterwards brown in the oven.
5) Graham Bread:
To a little more than 1 quart of warm water add 1/2 cupful of brown
sugar or molasses, 1/4 cupful of yeast and 1-1/2 teaspoonfuls of
salt, thicken the water with flour to a thin batter, then add yeast,
salt and sugar, and stir in more flour until thick. In the morning
add a small teaspoonful of soda and flour to make a stiff batter,
pour it into pans and let it raise again, then bake in a moderate
oven. Keep in a warm place while raising.
Tom