Pour over one cup of rolled oats two cups of boiling water and let stand covered till lukewarm. Add half a cup of molasses, one teaspoonful of salt, and half a yeast cake that has been dissolved in half a cup of warm water. Mix with enough rye flour to make a stiff dough, as stiff as can be beaten. Beat well and let it rise overnight. In the morning beat again well and put in muffin pans. Let them double their size and then bake.
English Muffins
One cup of any kind of sponge (see Sponges). Add enough whole wheat flour to make a very soft dough. Beat well and allow to rise till light, overnight if desired. Beat again and half fill muffin rings that have been greased and set on a cold greased griddle. Set the griddle on the back of the stove or where it will warm slowly. When the muffins begin to rise, move the griddle where it will get hot. When they are brown on one side, turn muffin, ring and all, and bake till brown. Do not bake too quickly.
These can be eaten at once or left till cold, split and toasted. The latter is the usual way of serving them.
Plain Coffee Cake
Cream a tablespoonful of shortening with two of sugar. When well blended add two tablespoonfuls of cream or milk. Beat this into a cup and a half of bread dough, using a knife instead of a spoon; beat till it is a smooth batter and turn into a well-greased shallow pan. Let it stand twenty minutes; then spread with a mixture of brown sugar and milk and sprinkle over it a teaspoonful of cinnamon and a tablespoonful of flour.
Apple Cake
When the coffee cake is in the pan set pieces of apple thickly over it and cover with sugar, sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg to suit the taste.
Peach Cake
Use peaches instead of apples and omit the spice.