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Yeast, Bread Without

"Some years since," says Miss Acton, in her "Bread-book," "when unfermented bread was first becoming known, I had it tried very successfully in the following manner, and I have since been told that an almost similar method of preparing it is common in many parts both of England and Ireland, where it is almost impossible to procure a constant supply of yeast. Blend well together a tea-spoonful of pounded sugar and fifty grains of the purest carbonate of soda; mix a salt-spoonful of salt with a pound of flour, and rub the soda and sugar through a hair sieve into it. Stir and mingle them well, and make them quickly into a firm but not hard dough with some buttermilk. Bake the loaf well in a thoroughly-heated but not fierce oven. In a brick or good iron oven a few minutes less than an hour would be sufficient to bake a loaf of ordinary weight. The butter-milk should be kept till it is quite acid, but it must never be in the slightest degree rancid or otherwise bad. All unfermented bread should be placed in the oven directly it is made, or it will be heavy. For a large baking allow rather less than an ounce of soda to the gallon (seven pounds) of flour."