From a Tyrconnell Heritage Society book called
12 Days of Christmas
SPOOKE BREAD
Recipe submitted by Barbara Backus-Zernicke from
handwritten cookbooks belonging to her grandmother, Eliza Potticery Backus, a
grade school teacher in Tyrconnell and wife of Andrew Storey Backus.
To make the
“spooke” take 3 pts. unsalted potato water, add 1 cup white sugar, dissolve
yeast cake in 1 cup luke-warm water, and after it is thoroughly dissolved, let
settle and pour of liquor into the potato water. Let stand in a warm place until it foams and
it is ready for use to make the bread:
At noon on the
day previous to baking, take the water in which the potatoes were boiled
(unsalted) and add the “spooke”. Let
this set in a warm place until evening.
Pour half of this into a glass fruit jar (taking care not to fill too
full) add 1 cup white sugar, screw on the cap and keep in cool place for your
next baking. Take the remaining half,
add enough luke-warm water to make the amount of bread required ( 2 or 3
potatoes mashed fine will improve the bread) salt to taste and mix hard with
flour. In the morning mold into loaves
and when light, bake 1 hour in a moderate oven.

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