Hop Yeast

There are many varieties of yeast - hop, potato, milk, salt, corn-meal, etc., - but the one old recipe, which 1 have used for years, has, I believe, no equal. It is this:

Take eight good sized potatoes, peel and slice into cold water, put three coffeecupfuls of loose, or half cake of pressed hops into a thin bag, tie securely and boil for half an hour in three quarts of water, with the potatoes. When soft, remove the potatoes, mash them into paste with one pint of flour, adding one teaspoonful of ground ginger, one-half teacupful of salt and the same of brown sugar; when cool, beat in one large cup of yeast, or two cakes of leaven, soaked in tepid water. Cover closely and place in a warm place to "rise" for twenty-four hours, when turn into jars which can be closed air tight, but do not fasten down the cover, or cork tightly until it has ceased to "work," lest the bottles be broken. (I have used the Mason self-sealing glass jars for several years past, and nothing can be better for keeping yeast pure and sweet). Place the jars, after tightening the lids, in a cool place. This yeast will keep four weeks in winter, but in summer it should be made weekly.

Yeast - Self-Working

I said I never used any but the above recipe for years, but I have a few times in my life been so situated that my yeast ran out, and I had no opportunity of obtaining any from other sources, in which case I have made the following with perfect success:

Take two handfuls of good hops, which tie in a bag and boil in one gallon of soft water for an hour or more. Allow it to cool and with it make a batter of three coffeecups of flour, beating until perfectly smooth, and gradually adding half a pound of brown sugar, one tablespoonful of ginger, and one handful of salt. Put into a shallow vessel, cover lightly and place in a constantly and uniformly warm spot for two or three days. On the fourth morning, peel a dozen potatoes, par-boil them, and grate into the batter, and allow to stand another day, stirring occasionally. Then put into jars and fasten the covers securely, placing in a cool celler or refrigerator. This yeast will remain sweet for a length of time, and is excellent.

Potato Yeast

Boil one cupful hops in a sack in two quarts water for fifteen minutes, remove sack with hops, add five good sized Irish potatoes, peeled and grated raw, one cupful of white sugar, one tablespoonful salt, and one of ginger; stir occasionally, and cook from five to ten minutes, and it will boil up thick like starch; turn into a jar, and when just tepid in summer, or quite warm in winter, add one-half pint good yeast (always save some to start with); set jar in a large tin pan, and as often as it rises, stir down until fermentation ceases, when it will be quite thin. Cover closely, and set away in a cool place and it will keep two weeks. When yeast smells sour, but does not taste sour, it is still good; if it has no smell it is dead. One cupful will make six good loaves.

Rubs Or Flour Hard Yeast

This is better than hard yeast made with Indian. Take two quarts of best home-brewed yeast, and a tablespoonful of salt, and mix in wheat flour, so that it, will be in hard lumps. Set it in a dry, warm place (but not in the sun) till quite dry. Then leave out the fine parts to use the next baking, and put up the lumps in a bag, and hang it in a dry place. In using this yeast, take a pint of the rubs for six quarts of flour, and let it soak from noon till night. Then wet up the bread to bake next day. Brew_ er's and distillery yeast cannot be trusted to make hard yeast. Home-brewed is the best, and some housekeepers say, the only yeast for this purpose. This recipe is very convenient, especially for hot weather, when it is difficult to keep yeast.

N. B. - When you wish to use the liquid yeast in either of the recipes, pour off the beer that rises on the top of the yeast, shake the jar well, pour out what yeast you want to use, and pour the beer back on the yeast. The beer keeps the yeast sweet.