[Sca-cooks] Corn Bread & Yeast (haring off in a different directi on)

[ruadh]

Yeast substitute:  On the bark of maples, and sometimes beeches and birches,
in the northern woods, there grows a green broad-leave lichen variously
known as lungwort, liverwort, lung-lichen and lung-moss. This is an
altogether different growth from the "plant" [we're talking about Lichens
here] commonly called lung-wort and liverwort. I believe its scientific name
is Sticta pulmonacea. This lichen is partly made up of a fungus, which does
the business of raising the dough.  Gather a little of it and steep it over
night in luke warm water, set near the embers, but not near enough to get
overheated [ its making Yeast ]. In the morning pour off the infusion and
mix it with enough flour to make a batter, beating it up with a spoon.
Place this "sponge"  in a warm covered pan, and set back near the fire to
work. By evening it will have risen. Leaven your dough with this [ saving
some of the sponge for a future baking].  Treat it like a sourdough starter.

This is what Grandpaw, taught me while lumbering thru his wood farm.  We
also used fresh fallen snow as a substitute for eggs in the corn bread.
Makes a nice 'lite' coloured yellow, not the yolk tint. And baking powder
from the ash of some hardwoods.  Lets really get back to period cooking by
the poor folks.
Ru - enjoying 'flask'-backs of his youth, and four generations of family
birthdays this month. See what gets dredged up in February when its Five
generations and Grandpaw 'nails' down 100.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Elizabeth A Heckert" <spynnere at juno.com>
To: <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
Sent: Sunday, July 08, 2001 6:27 PM
Subject: [Sca-cooks] Re: Corn Bread (haring off in a different directi on)


> On Mon, 9 Jul 2001 09:16:39 -0500 "Decker, Terry D."
> <TerryD at Health.State.OK.US> writes:
> >Properly, a baguette uses yeast, but if you have a very active
> >sourdough, it
> >is possible to produce a sourdough baguette.
>
>   Thank you for the description!
> >
> >I never came across the products you describe,
>
> It was ten-ish years ago!
>