Instructions

Yeast Mixture

2 days before:

First at 7 a.m., put 1 oz of hops in 2 pints of water, and boil for 20 minutes, and drain boiling on to one breakfast cup of sifted flour, 1 cup white sugar, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon salt, stir well, mix the sugar and flour and ginger well in the dry state, and it will stir nicely as the sugar dissolves; when nice lukewarm add a cup of good yeast, let it stand for hours till well worked, skim and bottle at 6 p.m., keeping in a nice warm place till then; put a breakfast cup of yeast in a small bottle, pints are very good; this quantity makes a batch of 6; small loaves and allows a fresh bottle to be opened for each batch, and divides into 5, allowing a little in the last bottle, which does to start the next boiling of yeast.

Next Day

This is ready to use the next day at 3.30 or 4 p.m. Sift 5 good pints of flour in an enameled bucket, ½ teaspoons of salt for each pint of flour. Before sifting; make a well in the flour by pressing it up against the sides, then put into the well a handful of white sugar, and 6 breakfast cups of warm water and one of the bottles of yeast or a cupful, stir with the hand or silver fork till a thick batter is formed, cover over with flour and a warm cloth; and let it stand in a warm place till 9 or 10pm, then work it up into a dough as long as you can in  the bucket, then on the board with a good pint of sifted flour, work well into a light elastic, dough for at least 20 minutes, taking care it does not get cold, place it back in the bucket, put the dough in in a rolling motion to prevent sticking, cover with a warm cloth, and put in a warm place for night working.

Final Day

Between 5.30 and 6 a.m., it will have risen to the top of the bucket, work it into 6 loaves, put into a large meat baking dish and let it stand for an hour and a quarter; have a nice hot oven ready and bake for an hour. The bread is generally ready for baking at 7, and out at 8, leaving the day oven free for other cooking. The bread will be white and soft and sweet, and of a nutty flavor; warmth is most essential, and if directions are followed will never fail.