The same directions will apply to hot baking powder breads made with a batter. If baked in a sheet the batter should rarely be more than an inch deep in the pan, sometimes less; if in cups or molds they should not be more than ⅔ full. This allows the heat to penetrate the mixture quickly; the moisture and heat start the baking powder into life; each tiny grain of the powder acts on the materials surrounding it; the dough or batter expands, then is stiffened by the heat, and all the starch grains are thoroughly and evenly cooked.
Royal Hot Biscuit.—1 quart flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons Royal Baking Powder, 1 tablespoon lard or butter, 1 pint sweet milk, cold (never use sour milk); use cold water when milk cannot be obtained. Sift together flour, salt, and powder; rub in shortening; add milk; form into smooth, consistent dough. Flour the board, turn out dough, roll out to thickness of ½ inch, cut with small round cutter; lay them close together on greased baking-tin; bake in good hot oven. Old biscuit can be made fresh by moistening and placing in oven until heated through.
Breakfast Biscuit.—Take 1 quart sweet milk, ½ cup melted butter, a little salt, 2 teaspoons Royal Baking Powder, flour enough to make a stiff batter; do not knead into dough, but drop into buttered tins from a spoon; bake in a hot oven—unless it is hot they will not be light and tender.
Emergency Biscuit.—2 cups flour, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon Royal Baking Powder; mix and sift; rub in 1 tablespoon butter. Mix to a thick batter with milk, drop by small spoonfuls on greased pans, and bake in quick oven.
Egg Biscuit.—Mix and sift well together 1 pint flour, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon Royal Baking Powder. Beat 1 egg, add ½ cup milk, stir into dry mixture, adding more milk if necessary to mix to soft dough. Turn out on board, knead for a moment, cut into circles, place 1 inch apart on greased pans. Brush with little beaten egg, and bake in very hot oven.
Sandwich Biscuit.—Sift together 1 pint flour, ⅓ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon Royal Baking Powder. Rub in 1 heaping tablespoon butter. Mix to a soft dough with milk. Roll out ⅜ inch thick. Cut into rounds. On ½ of the rounds spread a little soft butter, add a thick layer of finely chopped and seasoned cold meat; cover with remaining rounds and press together. Brush tops with milk, place 1 inch apart on greased pans, and bake in hot oven.
Nut Biscuit.—Sift together 2 cups flour, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 heaping teaspoon Royal Baking Powder. Rub in 1 heaping tablespoon butter, add 1 cup ground or very finely chopped nuts—English walnuts, hickory nuts, or almonds—and 2 tablespoons sugar; mix to a soft dough with milk. Mold with the hands into small balls, place well apart on greased pans, brush each with milk, put a pinch of chopped nuts on top, and bake in hot oven.
Diamonds.—Prepare dough as for Royal biscuit. Knead and roll out ½ inch thick. Cut in strips 2 inches wide, then cut strips into diamonds; place on greased pans 1 inch apart, brush with milk, and bake in very hot oven.
Royal Muffins.—Beat 3 eggs, add 1 pint milk, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, and sufficient flour to make a drop batter—about 3 cups—into which has been thoroughly sifted 2 teaspoons Royal Baking Powder. Beat hard for 1 minute, fill greased muffin-cups or -pans ⅔ full, bake in hot oven about 20 minutes.
Boston Muffins.—1½ pints flour, ½ pint Indian corn meal, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons Royal Baking Powder, 1 tablespoon butter, 3 eggs, and 1 pint (full measure) milk, 1 teaspoon extract cinnamon (which may be omitted without detriment). Sift together flour, corn meal, sugar, salt, and powder; rub in butter or lard; add eggs, beaten, milk, and extract cinnamon. Mix into batter a little stiffer than ordinary griddle cake batter. Have griddle heated regularly all over; grease it, lay on it muffin-rings, also greased; half fill them with batter. As soon as risen to tops of rings, turn them over gently with cake-turner; bake nice brown on either side. They should bake in 7 or 8 minutes.