Jarhead said

"My Hard Cider turned out great and it was so simple. I bought a gal of Apple Cider at the super market ( make sure it contains no preservatives ) Pour about three cups into a different container.Now take about two cups of sugar and dissolve in warm water re-hydrate your yeast and add it and the sugar water to the apple cider.Take a regular party balloon poke a few holes in it and put it over the mouth of your cider jug to let the co2 escape but no oxygen  enter (end up with vinegar). The balloon will inflate as the yeast turns the sugar into alcohol and co2. When the balloon deflates it's time to rack the cider into different jars. Since the yeast turns all of the sugar to alcohol the cider is very dry.I added a couple of spoonfuls of xylitol for sweetener and a few drops of green apple extract along with a handful of red-hot candies for a cinnamon  flavor. It was great….everyone loved it.

I've started another gal with a pound of honey in place of the sugar,I also used champagne yeast in place of the bread yeast."

Hey Jarhead how much solution should be fermenting for each 3 cups of cider and 2 cups of sugar?

Should it be a half gallon or more like a full gallon? The yeast will keep the process going untill they run out of food or hit 14% alcohol so if I don't use enough water the alcohol content could kill the yeast before all the sugar is consumed.  

As an interesting side note I found this info about yeasts that will survive up to 20% alcohol levels.

Bakers yeast will produce a maximum of around 14% alcohol, whereas the "turbos" can generate up to 20% alcohol. Obviously you'd use different amounts of sugar for either case. Its not that the Turbo makes a higher % from less sugar, its advantage is that it can handle the higher concentrations (first of heaps of sugar, then later, the high alcohol %), and hence you need proportionally less water. Hence you end up with more alcohol in your 20L wash, because you are able to put more sugar in. Only use the Turbo's if you're after a "neutral" alcohol. If you're trying to make a flavoured spirit, (eg corn whisky, brandy, rum, etc) then use a yeast which will help give you the flavour profile that you desire.

http://homedistiller.org/ferment.htm