Why it works: Flour and potato are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,355 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Good Yeast
Ingredients
Directions
Make the base
Boil eight potatoes and mash them finely.
Add four tablespoons of flour to the mashed potatoes.
Add two tablespoons of salt and two tablespoons of sugar.
Pour one quart of boiling water over the mixture, stirring carefully to dissolve.
Add one quart of cold water.
Strain and cool
Strain the mixture.
When the mixture is cold, add one cup of yeast.
Rise and bottle
Set the mixture in a warm place to rise.
When it is light, pour it into a jug or bottle and cork tightly.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 3 of 4 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Potato | 1 medium (173g) baked | 161 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Flour + potatotop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,355 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Potatoes
- Provide starch and body, giving the starter its thick, substantial texture.
- Flour
- Adds starch that thickens the mixture and gives the yeast material to feed on.
- Yeast
- Produces carbon dioxide as it ferments, making the starter rise and turn light.
The step that matters
Add the yeast only when the mixture is cold. Yeast cells are killed by high heat, so adding yeast to hot liquid can stop it from working. Waiting for the mixture to cool keeps the yeast alive so it can ferment and make the starter rise.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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