barm n [phonetics unavailable]. OED ~ sb² 1 'used to leaven bread'; EDD sb¹ 'yeast.' Fermented preparation used for leavening bread; mixture of yeast and flour added to dough to induce rising; yeast; also attrib.
   [1794] 1968 THOMAS 59 From the Spruce is obtain'd [yeast] or Barm that riseth Bread as well as any yeast that can be procur'd from Malt. 1895 J A Folklore viii, 27 [The term] barm ... is still commonly, if not exclusively, used in Newfoundland. P 14-63 Barm is to make dough rise—used before dry yeast [came into use]. T 92/3-64 You have a proper barm bottle. You put your potato in and your hops and a little bit of sugar, and a little bit of rice, and then that had to work. T 246/7-66 To make what we call barm you'd boil your hops and then scrape some potato and then put a little bit of sugar on it. And you'd hang it up for to let it work. T 253/4-66 You'd take a cupful of [grounds] and make a barm, mix it up with flour and put it back and let it rise up. P 192-67 Sometimes there was a woman in the village called the barm woman. People would go to her to get some barm—borrow leaven or raising dough, and from this their own bread would rise. 1973 BARBOUR 81 In those days it was the old style grounds bread... To make what was called 'barm,' one took a cup full of the grounds, added water and flour, stirred it well, and wrapped it up warm [in a stone jar] and set it to rise.

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