BISCUIT.
Morning Biscuit.—One quart of flour, half a teaspoonful of salt, two table-spoonfuls of yeast, and one pint of sour milk, with half a teaspoonful of soda dissolved in it. Work this into a dough; then rub into the dough half a cup of butter. Knead well; cut off small bits; shape them into biscuits; lay them in the bake-pan, cover closely with a bread-cloth, and let them stand overnight in a warm place in winter and a cool place in summer. Bake in the morning for breakfast.
Tea Biscuit.—Peel and boil four potatoes of medium size. When done, mash and roll them smooth and perfectly free from lumps, sprinkling a table-spoonful of salt over them. Put to the potatoes a half-pint of the water in which they were boiled, a half-pint of milk, and a table-spoonful of sugar. Stir into this sufficient flour to make it a stiff batter. When cool, add half a penny’s worth of bakers’ yeast, or half a teacup of home-made yeast. Cover over with a bread-cloth and blanket. In cold weather leave this sponge in a warm place overnight to rise. In the summer, make it early in the morning. When this is risen until quite foamy, soften—but do not melt—two thirds of a teacupful of butter, and beat it into the sponge, together with two eggs, yelks and whites beaten separately; add flour to make it stiff enough to mold,—the softer it can be worked the better it will be. Knead it half an hour, then cover and set it to rise. When light, knead and chop the dough at least fifteen minutes. This done, return it to the bread-bowl, again cover closely, and set to rise. When light, repeat the kneading; let it rise the second time, when it should be worked down and set on the ice in the ice-box, until within an hour of tea-time; then it must be again molded, rolled out, cut into small biscuits, pricked on the top, put into a bake-pan, covered over, and set to rise on a bench, near the stove, twenty minutes or half an hour. When light, set the biscuits into an evenly heated oven, and bake quickly to a delicate brown. When done, cover over with a bread-cloth for a short time before removing from the pan, to soften the crust.
Soda Biscuit.—Put two teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar into one quart of flour; sift both together and rub in thoroughly two great spoonfuls of butter. Put one teaspoonful of soda into a table-spoonful of cold water, and stir till all is dissolved, then put it into a pint of cold water and pour it on the flour. Stir together quickly; if it cannot be rolled out, add a little more flour, but just as little as it is possible to roll out the biscuits with. Cut in shape and bake immediately. The great secret of making good soda biscuit is to sift the soda with the flour, to have it thoroughly dissolved, the dough made as thin and as quickly as possible, and baked immediately.
Indian-Corn Biscuit.—One quart of corn meal, one pint of wheat flour, sifted together, and stirred into three pints of milk; add a teaspoonful of salt. Beat four eggs, the yelks and whites separately, as for sponge-cakes. First stir the yelks into the batter; then add the whites, and a small teaspoonful of soda, the last thing. Have ready buttered some cups or small pans; nearly fill them with the batter, and set into the hot oven immediately. Bake fast, turn from the cups as soon as done, and serve immediately. They should puff up so as to more than fill the cups.
Parker House Rolls.—Two quarts flour, one large spoonful of lard, small teaspoonful of salt, one pint boiled milk,—set aside till cold,—half cup sugar, half cup yeast. Make a hole in center of the flour, put in milk, etc., and let it rise overnight. In the morning knead it well, and let it rise till noon; then cut it into long, narrow rolls and let it rise till tea-time. Bake.
Rusk.—Three coffee-cups new milk, three eggs, one teacup butter, one teacup sugar, one of yeast, and flour enough for batter. When the batter has well risen, work in more flour, but mix it rather soft; let it rise once more, quite light, but be careful that it does not sour; then make it out into rolls or biscuits; let it stand again a short time, and bake in a moderately hot oven; fifteen or twenty minutes should cook them.
Sweet Potato Buns.—Boil and mash two good-sized potatoes; rub in as much flour as will make it like bread; add a little nutmeg and one table-spoonful of sugar, with a table-spoonful of good yeast. When it has risen, work in two table-spoonfuls of butter, and soften so as to be easily mixed thoroughly with the dough; then form into small rolls, and, when raised the second time, bake on tins a nice brown. Serve hot.
Potato Pone.—Pare and grate on a large grater sweet potatoes enough to make one quart of grated potato. Stir to this one pint of sweet milk, two eggs, two thirds of a cup of butter, and enough sugar to make it as sweet as plain cake; season with ginger. Bake till well done. Eat, hot or cold, with butter. If desired to be light colored, put the potatoes into cold water as soon as pared, and when ready grate into the milk. If dark-colored pone is preferred, sweeten with molasses and season with allspice. This is very rich made like pound-cake, using one and a half pounds of grated potato in place of flour.
Gems.—Break into a quart of milk four eggs (two will answer) without beating, stir in flour till as thick as waffles. Beat till smooth, and fill the “gem” pans half full. Bake quick in a hot oven. No salt, soda, or cream of tartar.
The “gem” pans should be well buttered, and set into the oven to get quite hot while the batter is being prepared, and when you are filling them, set the pan on the top of the range to keep it hot. When filled, set them immediately in the oven.
Gems, No. 2.—Drop four eggs, without beating, into a quart of milk; add two great spoonfuls of melted butter, and beat in flour until as thick as waffles. Pour into hot buttered gem pans, and bake like the first.
Graham Gems.—Drop one egg into a quart of milk or water. Stir in Graham flour until as stiff as waffles. Pour into hot, buttered gem pans, and bake quickly. Or add to the above one table-spoonful of melted butter; they will be tenderer.
In all measures the spoon, cup, or tin should never be heaped, but even full.