Night before you want to make the bread, place the following ingredients in a mixing bowl, and beat well. Cover, and let set in a warm place overnight.
1 ½ cups starter
2 cups warm water
½ cup sugar
3 cups flour
Next morning, stir down and save 1 ½ cups for next time in a jar. Sprinkle 2 to 3 T. sugar over the top. Cover with plastic or foil. Punch a hole in center of foil for air. Store in refrigerator. Never add salt to this yeast solution.
To remaining starter of 2 cups or so add:
3 or 4 cups warm water
2 cups or so flour
1/2 cup instant potatoes, optional
½ cup oil
½ cup sugar
1 pkg. yeast softened in ¼ cup warm water
1 T. salt
Take out 2 cups liquid starter, place in mixer. Add 2 cups flour or whatever is needed to make good smooth dough. Mix well 5 to 10 minutes. Remove dough to board and knead well to smooth dough. Put in greased bowl and let stand till doubled. Punch down. Let rise again. Turn out on floured surface. Knead well. Shape into loaves and or rolls. Let rise again. Bake at 375 degrees till golden brown. Makes 2 loaves of bread, and a few rolls. Make rolls as normal to point of baking, and bake at 375 degrees until golden brown. Butter top of bread and rolls while hot.
Can keep starter for 3 months but may look like it should be dumped. To revive it, boil 1 potato with no salt. Add 1 cup potato water at night when you start the batter.
Variations
Wheat Bread
2 cups batter
2 T. molasses
1 cup wheat flour
Beat well. Add enough white flour to make medium dough. Proceed as for other breads.
Sweet Rolls
2 cups batter
2 T. sugar
2 T. oil
2 eggs
Beat well. Add more flour to make soft dough. Proceed as for bread, then shape as you wish. Can roll into a rectangle about ½ inch thick. Spread with melted butter, sprinkle with brown sugar, chopped apples, cinnamon, and raisins. Roll as for jellyroll, twist into a right. Make slits in top. Let rise, and bake at 375 degrees.
Grandma’s bread! I remember this so well! She also made cinnamon rolls from it. I remember her rubbing butter over the hot loaves as they came out of the oven.
As I’ve been going through her files, I’ve found multiple copies of this. One is old and tattered–the others are newer.
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