One quart of sifted flour.
One cup of warm milk.
One of warm water.
Four large tablespoonfuls of yeast.
Two tablespoonfuls of melted butter.
Four eggs.
One tablespoonful of salt sifted with the flour.
Soda the size of a pea, dissolved in a teaspoonful of
boiling water.
Beat the eggs steadily four minutes. Have ready in a bowl the warmed
milk, water, melted butter and soda. Into this stir the salted flour,
cupful by cupful, until all is in. Beat smooth from lumps and add the
yeast. The eggs should now be whipped three minutes with the “Dover,”
in a cool bowl. They will not froth in a hot or warm one. When light,
beat well into the batter, and then beat _up_ hard for a full minute.
A wooden spoon is best for this purpose. Butter a tin cake-mould well
in every part, and put in the batter. If there is more than enough
to half-fill the mould have two prepared, that the contents may not
overflow in rising.
Set in a moderately warm place for six hours at least, and then bake in
the mould for three quarters of an hour if there is but one loaf, half
an hour if there are two.
The oven must be steady and not very hot at first. Turn the mould twice
in this time keeping the oven door open as short a time as possible.
When you think the loaf is done, thrust a clean straw down into the
thickest part.
If it comes up as clean as when it went in, take out the bread. Slip a
knife around the edge to loosen it, and turn out upside down on a warm
plate.
Cut in triangular slices at table, holding the knife upright to avoid
crushing and making it heavy.
Quick Biscuits.
One quart of sifted flour.
Two heaping tablespoonfuls of sweet, firm lard.
Two cups of new milk (warm from the cow if you can get
it.)
Two tablespoonfuls of baking powder.
One teaspoonful of salt.
Sift salt, flour, and baking-powder twice into a bowl or tray. With
a clean sharp chopping-knife work the lard into this, turning and
chopping until no lumps are left. Into a hollow in the middle pour
the milk, working the flour downward until you have a soft, wet mass,
using the chopper for this purpose. Flour your pastry-board and your
hands, make the dough into a ball, handling it as little as possible,
and lay on the board. Roll out with a floured rolling-pin into a sheet
half an inch in thickness, and with _very few strokes_. Cut into round
cakes, sift flour lightly over the bottom of a baking-pan, and set your
biscuits—just _not_ touching one another—in even rows within it.
Bake about twelve minutes in a quick oven. The dough should have a
rough appearance before it is baked, like what is known as “pebbled
morocco.” Too much handling will make it sleek without and tough within.
You can make excellent quick biscuits by the above receipt, by
substituting Hecker’s Prepared Flour for the barreled family flour,
and omitting the baking-powder. You will, however, probably be obliged
to add a little more milk, as prepared flour “thickens up” rather more
than other brands.
4