WHEAT BREAD. To make it in the most economical way, the coarsest of the bran only is to be taken from the flour, and the second coat, or what is called pollard, is to be left in the meal. Five pounds of the bran are to be boiled in somewhat more than four gallons of water, in order that, when perfectly smooth, three gallons and three quarts of clear bran water may be poured into and kneaded up with forty-six pounds of the meal; adding salt as well as yeast, in the same way as for other bread. When the dough is ready to bake, the loaves are to be made up, and baked two hours and a half in a tolerably hot oven. As flour when thus made up will imbibe three quarts more of this bran liquor than of common water, it evidently produces not only a more nutricious and substantial food, but increases one fifth above the usual quantity; consequently it makes a saving of at least one day's consumption in every week. If this meal bread were in general use, it would be a saving to the nation of nearly ten millions a year. Besides, this bread has the following peculiar property: if put into the oven and baked for twenty minutes, after it is ten days old, it will appear again like new bread.
WHEAT EARS. To roast wheat ears and ortolans, they should be spitted sideways, with a vine leaf between each. Baste them with butter, and strew them with bread crumbs while roasting. Ten or twelve minutes will do them. Serve them up with fried bread crumbs in the dish, and gravy in a tureen.
WHEY. Cheese whey is a very wholesome drink for weakly persons, especially when the cows are in fresh pasture. Tending to quench thirst, and to promote sleep, it is well adapted to feverish constitutions. It is the most relaxing and diluting of all drinks, dissolving and carrying off the salts, and is a powerful remedy in the hot scurvy.
WHEY BUTTER. The whey is first set in mugs, to acquire a sufficient degree of consistence and sourness for churning, either by the warmth of the season, or by a fire, as in the making of milk butter. Sometimes the green and white whey are boiled together, and turned by a little sour ale. When the green whey is boiled alone, it is necessary to keep it over the fire about half an hour, till it begins to break and separate, but it must be allowed to simmer only. The process is much the same as in milk butter, but it will keep only a few days, and does not cut so firm as the butter which is made of cream.
WHIGS. Mix with two pounds of fine flour, half a pound of sugar pounded and sifted, and an ounce of carraway seeds. Melt half a pound of butter in a pint of milk; when as warm as new milk, put to it three eggs, leaving out one white, and a spoonful of yeast. Mix them well together, and let the paste stand four hours to rise. Make them into whigs, and bake them on buttered tins.—Another way. Rub half a pound of butter into a pound and a half of flour, add a quarter of a pound of sugar, a very little salt, and three spoonfuls of new yeast. Make it into a light paste with warm milk, let it stand an hour to rise, and then form it into whigs. Bake them upon sheets of tin in a quick oven. Carraway seeds may be added if preferred.—Another way. Take two pounds and a half of flour, dry it before the fire, and when cold rub in a quarter of a pound of fresh butter, and six ounces of sugar; mix half a pint of yeast that is not bitter, with warm milk, put this to the flour with some carraway seeds; mix all together to a light dough, set it before the fire to rise, then make it into what shape you please; bake them in a slack oven. You may add allspice beat fine, instead of carraways, if you please.—Another way. Take a pound and a half of flour, add a quarter of a pint of ale yeast to half a pint of warm milk, mix these together, and let it lie by the fire half an hour; then work in half a pound of sugar and half a pound of fresh butter to a paste; make them up, and let them be put into a quick oven.
WHIPT CREAM. Take a quart of thick cream, the whites of eight eggs well beaten, with half a pint of sack; mix all together, and sweeten it to your taste, with double-refined sugar; (you may perfume it if you please, with a little musk, or ambergris, tied in a piece of muslin, and steeped a little while in the cream) pare a lemon, and tie some of the peel in the middle of the whisk, then whip up the cream, take off the froth with a spoon, and lay it in the glasses, or basons. This does well over a fine tart.
WHIPT SYLLABUBS. Put some rich cream into an earthen pot, add some white wine, lemon juice, and sugar to the taste. Mill them well together with a chocolate mill, and as the froth keeps rising take it off with a spoon, and put it into syllabub glasses. They should be made the day before they are to be used. Syllabubs are very pretty in the summer time made with red currant juice, instead of lemon juice.—Another way. Take a quart of cream, boil it, and let it stand till cold; then take a pint of white wine, pare a lemon thin, and steep the peel in the wine two hours before you use it; to this add the juice of a lemon, and as much sugar as will make it very sweet; put all together into a bowl, and whisk it one way till it is pretty thick, fill the glasses, and keep it a day before you use it. It will keep good for three or four days. Let the cream be full measure, and the wine rather less; if you like it perfumed, put in a grain or two of ambergris.—Another way. To a quart of thick cream put half a pint of sack, the juice of two Seville oranges, or lemons, grate the peel of two lemons, and add half a pound of double-refined sugar well pounded; mix a little sack with sugar, and put it into some of the glasses, and red wine and sugar into others, the rest fill with syllabub only. Then whisk your cream up very well, take off the froth with a spoon, and fill the glasses carefully, as full as they will hold. Observe, that this sort must not be made long before they are used.
WHITE BREAD. This is made the same as household bread, except that it consists of fine flour unmixed. The water to be used should be lukewarm in summer, and in very cold weather it must be hot, but not so as to scald the yeast. Bricks are made by moulding the loaves long instead of round, and cutting the sides in several places before they are put into the oven.
WHITE CAKES. Dry half a pound of flour, rub into it a very little pounded sugar, one ounce of butter, an egg, a few carraways, and as much milk and water as will make it into a paste. Roll it thin, cut it into little cakes with a wine glass, or the top of a canister, and bake them fifteen minutes on tin plates.
WHITE CAUDLE. Boil four spoonfuls of oatmeal in two quarts of water, with a blade or two of mace, and a piece of lemon peel; stir it often, and let it boil a full quarter of an hour, then strain it through a sieve for use; when you use it, grate in some nutmeg, sweeten it to your palate, and add what white wine you think proper: if it is not for a sick person, you may squeeze in a little lemon juice.