No. 3674 — Purchased Thick or Liquid Yeast
English historical translation of Molokhovets recipe No. 3674 from the 1901 Russian cookbook, retaining original methods and measures.
Dissolve ¾ pound dry yeast of the kind described in recipe No. 3672 in one bottle of very cold water. Store cool, with the bottle mouth covered by mesh rather than a cork.
Shake before use. The author measures this concentrated liquid yeast into baba dough by half-glass or full-glass portions.
For households without an icehouse, the source recommends converting dry yeast into a liquid mixture immediately.
The calculation given is ¾ pound = 72 zolotniks dry yeast in a bottle equal to 3 glasses or 36 tablespoons. Thus each tablespoon supplies 2 zolotniks. The original prints 14 zolotniks for half a glass.
To judge quality, set a partly filled bottle in warm water. Rising yeast is considered viable, whereas yeast remaining at the bottom is rejected.