"Mike Romain" > wrote in message g.com...
> I use a formula found in The Joy Of Cooking cookbook which says 2 cups
> of sponge equal 1 measure of yeast. My 2 cups of sponge stirs down to 1
> cup.

Which measure was that? Are we saying that one measure of yeast actually
actually has the leavening power of one cup of stirred-down sponge and
that The Joy forgot to mention about stirring down?

Not everyone can remember this, but the little spoon that came with
each Gilbert chemistry set was called "the measure". (Just a little bit of
nostalgia here to round things out.) That measure, actually an itty-bitty
spatula with a rounded tip, would measure maybe 25 milligrams. That
much yeast would actually be enough to leaven a couple of loaves of
bread, but it might take over 24 hours to do it.

--
Dicky