“The use of soda and baking powder in bread making is harmful and
unnecessary. Soda causes inflammation of the stomach and often poisons
the entire system.”
The chemical substances left in foods by the union of soda and cream of
tartar in baking powders cannot be used by the system, so the excretory
organs are overworked in their efforts to throw them off.
Experiments have also proven that the chemicals of baking powder retard
digestion.
The use of yeast is preferable to baking powder or soda, but breads
made without baking powder, soda or yeast are best of all.
Unfermented breads are generally baked in small loaves, so that they
are dry and require thorough mastication.
Because of their dryness, dough breads are more desirable than batter
breads.
With the other advantages, unleavened breads have all the sweet taste
of the flour.
The substitute for carbonic acid gas is as pure and “as free as the
air we breathe,” for it is the air we breathe, the very same thing;
consequently it is inexpensive and the use of it requires less time and
labor than the making of fermented breads.
The _Essentials of Success_ in making unleavened breads are, after good
materials (the flour must be of the best); (_a_) that the ingredients
be as nearly ice cold as possible; (_b_) that the breads stand or rest
before baking, in a cold place for from 20 m. to 3 or 4 hrs., or over
night; (_c_) that the oven is not too hot when they are first put
in--not that they must be beaten very vigorously.
Iron is the best material for batter bread pans as it gives a firm,
steady heat. The irons with thin, flat, oval (not square cornered) cups
are best, but the small round cups are not objectionable and the stick
shaped pans are excellent. Next to irons are earthen custard cups.
When meal is to be scalded, heat it in the oven before pouring liquid
over it.
=Gems=
Batter breads baked in irons.
Have materials and utensils cold, put liquid with salt, oil and yolks
of eggs when used, in stone milk crock or deep pan, agitate for a
moment by moving wire batter whip briskly back and forth, when the
liquid will be full of bubbles. Sprinkle flour in, not too slowly,
with the left hand, keeping up the agitating motion. When the batter
is quite stiff, beat it (never stir it as that drives out the air)
just enough to incorporate all the flour. Give a few turns of the egg
beater to the whites of eggs (which are in a bowl with a little salt),
so that they are full of large bubbles, rinse off the beater with cold
water, give it a shake and hang it in its place. Turn the eggs on to
the batter and mix them in lightly, beating a little if necessary to
mix well; cover the dish and set it in the ice box (or in a pan of cold
water with a wet cloth over it) in summer, or in a cold room where
it will not freeze in winter, for not less than 20 m. and longer if
possible. (I always stir my gems up over night when making them for
breakfast.)
Slightly warm the pans and oil them.
When ready to bake the gems, warm the irons a little and without
stirring the batter dip it into the cups, filling them to the brim, set
into a slow oven that bakes well from the bottom.
Bake until well risen, increase the heat sufficiently to brown the gems
nicely, then lower the temperature and finish baking. Be sure that the
gems are well baked to the center. Turn out of pans at once and let
stand for 10 or 15 m. before serving. There is no objection to serving
unleavened breads warm.
If the oven does not bake well at the bottom, leave the pans on top of
the stove where it is not too hot, for 10-15 m., then place carefully
in the oven.
When baking with gas, put the gems on the top grate of the oven before
it is lighted; use one burner only at first and have that turned rather
low.
=Whole Wheat and Graham Gems=
1⅓-1½ cup of milk,
1 egg and flour for drop batter.
Graham gems should not be quite as stiff as whole wheat. Use the
quantity of milk that will just fill the pan; skimmed milk with 1½-2
tablespns. of oil to the quart equals whole milk. Brazil or other nut
butter or meal, with water, is sometimes used.
All whole wheat or graham flour may be used, but combining either with
⅓-⅔ white flour makes gems more digestible.
The batter may be made thinner than a drop batter, but I have better
gems when it is quite stiff. I take only 3 eggs to a quart of milk, but
more may be used. When we are so happy as to get a spring wheat graham
flour, 2 eggs to the quart of liquid is sufficient.
Gems may be made without eggs with all whole wheat, or graham flour of
spring wheat. They require a little more beating, the longer rest is
imperative, and the oven should be a little warmer at first.
Cold boiled rice may be added to thin gem batter sometimes, also grated
cocoanut.
=White, and Sally Lunn Gems=
Make the same as whole wheat gems, using white bread flour, and 1 egg
to each cup of milk, add 2 tablespns. of sugar for Sally Lunns.
=Fruit and Nut Gems=
Add a few English currants, seeded raisins in quarters, with or without
fine cut dates, or dried or fresh blueberries to any gem batter. Use
chopped nuts alone or with fruit. Ground citron goes nicely with nuts.
=Rye Gems=
1 pt. skimmed milk
1 tablespn. oil
½ teaspn. salt
1 egg
3 cups rye meal or 3½-4 cups rye flour
with or without a few caraway seeds
No oil is required with whole milk.
Plain rye or corn gems may be served with maple syrup.
=Rye and Wheat Gems=
1 cup skimmed milk
1 tablespn. oil
1 egg
salt
½-⅞ cup rye meal
⅞ cup white bread flour
=★ Crumb Gems=
1 qt. skimmed milk
2 tablespns. oil
salt
3 small eggs or 2 large ones
graham flour for thin batter
1 cup fine zwieback crumbs
Or, 1½ cup crumbs, ½ cup white flour, 2 eggs, 1 teaspn. sugar, with the
milk, salt and oil.
=★ Corn Meal and White Flour Gems=
½ cup granular corn meal
¾ cup boiling water
½ cup cold water
½ teaspn. salt
2 teaspns. oil
1 egg
1¼ cup white bread flour
Scald meal with boiling water, add oil, salt, cold water and yolk of
egg; beat, add white flour, beating, and lastly stiffly-beaten white of
egg; rest. Bake in moderate oven.
=Corn and Graham Gems--no eggs=
3 cups milk
2 teaspns. oil
3⅓ cups white corn meal
1⅔ cup graham flour
salt
=★ Cream Corn Gems or Griddle Cakes=
Stir enough corn meal into not too thick cream to make a stiff batter;
about 1½ cup meal to 1 of cream; add salt, beat a little, rest, bake in
gem irons or on griddle.
=Pop Overs=
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
salt
Beat egg with salt; add half the milk, beat in the flour and add the
remainder of the milk, and without beating strain into a pitcher; rest.
Pour into rather hot irons and bake in moderate oven.
Sometimes the mixed egg and milk are poured gradually into the flour,
stirring, and sometimes the beaten white of egg only is used, being
added after straining batter. And again, a teaspoonful of oil or melted
butter is put in after the flour is beaten into half the milk.
German puffs call for 4 eggs and Vanity puffs for 6 eggs, with the
other ingredients the same.
=Other Variations of Pop Overs=
(_a_) 2 eggs, 1 cup milk, 1 cup flour, 2 teaspns. oil or melted butter.
(_b_) 2 eggs, 1 cup milk, 2 cups flour.
(_c_) 2 eggs, 2 cups milk, 1½ cup flour.
(_d_) 2 eggs, 1½ cup milk, 1½ cup flour.
=Whole Wheat Pop Overs=
⅔ cup whole wheat flour
⅓ cup white flour
⅞ cup milk
salt
1 egg
Mix flours and salt, stir into milk, add beaten egg, rest. Put into
rather hot oiled gem pans, bake.
=★ Corn Pop Overs=
⅔ cup corn meal
⅓ cup white flour
⅞ cup milk
salt
1 egg white and yolk beaten separate
=★ Sweet Potato Bread=
3 large (or 1¼-1½ lb.) sweet potatoes
1 teaspn. salt
1½ level tablespn. butter or oil
1½ cup granular corn meal
⅞ cup milk
1 egg
Bake potatoes, peel and rub through colander, add salt, oil, meal, milk
and beaten egg; beat well. Bake in moderate oven 30-40 m. Serve hot.
=★ Rice Breakfast or Supper Cake=
2 cups boiled rice
1 tablespn. oil
1 tablespn. melted butter
1 cup milk
salt
3-6 eggs
1 cup flour
Add stiffly-beaten whites of eggs last, rest, bake in shallow pans or
patty pans. Serve hot. The flour is sometimes omitted.
Take 1 cup each of rice and hominy for Rice and Hominy cake.
=★ Corn Bread=
2 cups yellow granular meal
2¼ cups boiling water
1 teaspn. salt
1¼ tablespn. oil
1 egg
Pour boiling water over meal, add salt, oil and yolk of egg; cool, add
beaten white and bake in oiled pan. Use a little less water for Rhode
Island meal.
=Crumbs and Corn Bread=
1 pt. hot milk
½ cup stale bread crumbs
2 cups white corn meal
2 eggs
1½ tablespn. oil or melted butter
1 teaspn. salt
Pour boiling milk over corn meal, stir well, add oil, salt and crumbs;
cool, add beaten yolks of eggs, then stiffly-beaten whites. Bake in
oiled pie pans. Or, soak meal and crumbs in cold milk for several hours
and add salt, oil and eggs as before.
=★ The Laurel Brown Bread. Sr. Olive Jones Tracy=
1 qt. each of corn meal, rye meal and cold water
1½ cup molasses
2 teaspns. salt
2 tablespns. oil
6 eggs
Mix water, salt, molasses, oil and yolks of eggs and add mixed meals;
then stiffly-beaten whites of eggs. Steam 3 hrs., bake in slow oven ½
hr. 1 qt. of thin cream may be used in place of oil and water.
Halved, seeded raisins may be added occasionally or fine cut steamed
prunes or broken pieces of nuts.
=Crumb Brown Bread--no eggs or yeast=
1 cup granular corn meal or 1½ of Rhode Island meal
½ cup rye meal
¾ cup molasses
1 teaspn. salt
2 cups water
2½ cups (not too fine) dry bread crumbs
Mix and steam 3 hrs.