Foods and Household Management Part 28

_Method._--Mix dry ingredients. Beat egg and mix with it the milk. Pour liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir altogether until smooth. Add the melted b.u.t.ter and cook the cakes the same as with sour milk griddlecakes.

=6. Cookies.=--Cookies may be plain, or rich in b.u.t.ter; crisp and thin, or soft and thick. They may be sweetened with sugar, or mola.s.ses, and spiced in various ways. It would be an interesting exercise to tabulate all the possible forms of cookies.

_Ingredients._

b.u.t.ter 1 cup Sugar 1-1/2 cups Eggs 2 Milk 3 tablespoonfuls Flour about 3 cups Baking powder 1 teaspoonful Salt 1-1/2 teaspoonfuls

The flavoring may be two teaspoonfuls of vanilla, or lemon essence, one or two tablespoonfuls of ground spice, or caraway seeds.

_For baking_, a floured iron sheet or flat pan. Temperature 425 F., or even more. The baking requires from 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the cooky.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 49.--Materials and utensils for fancy cookies.

_Courtesy of Miss Anna M. Barrows._]

The method of mixing is No. 3. Notice that this is a stiff dough.

The amount of flour depends somewhat upon the expertness of the cooky maker. The flour used in rolling out must be accounted for, as the expert can manage a softer dough than the novice. Mix the baking powder and salt with one cup of the flour.

_Shaping the cookies._--Figure 49 shows you the apparatus. The dough is turned out upon the floured board, gently rolled out to a quarter of an inch, cut and placed in a floured pan; or cut off a small piece, roll in the flour, until it forms a ball, set the ball in the pan, and pat it down to a round. This may seem to take longer, but it is easier, and there is no board to clean afterward.

_A plainer cooky_ is made with 1/2 cup b.u.t.ter, and 1/2 cup water or milk, with somewhat more flour.

=7. b.u.t.ter cake.=--A foundation recipe. Learn to make one cake well, and vary it by changing the forms and flavors.

_Ingredients._

b.u.t.ter 1/3 cup Sugar 1 cup Eggs 2 Milk 2/3 cup Flour 1-3/4 cup Baking powder 2-1/2 teaspoonfuls Salt 1/4 teaspoonful

The flavoring may be 1 teaspoonful of vanilla or lemon essence, or 1/2 teaspoonful of almond, or two teaspoonfuls of spices.

Raisins, 1/2 cup, citron 1/4 lb., nuts, 1/2 cup. The rind of 1/2 orange is delicious with the vanilla flavor. With the vanilla use 4 tablespoonfuls of cocoa, for a chocolate flavor.

To make a plainer cake, omit one egg, use 1/4 cup b.u.t.ter, and 3/4 cup of milk.

If you use 1/2 cup b.u.t.ter, making a richer cake, what other changes should be made?

Bake in deep or shallow pan, jelly cake tins, or small tin cups.

The mixing is Method 3.

As layer cake, it may be used with a variety of fillings and icings,--jelly, cream filling, soft icing with nuts, raisins, or dates.

_A chocolate filling._--One half cup milk, 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, 1 cup of sugar, yolk of one egg, 1 teaspoonful vanilla extract. Break up the chocolate, melt it in a bowl over hot water or in a double boiler, with the sugar and the milk. When the mixture is smooth add the beaten yolk, cook for one or two minutes, add the vanilla, and remove from the fire.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 50.--A loaf of sponge cake. _Courtesy of Dept. of Foods and Cookery, Teachers College._]

=8. Sponge cake.=--The old-time sponge cake is given on page 173.

Sponge cakes should be baked in a very moderate oven, below 380 F., the bread temperature. (See Fig. 50.)

=9. Hot water sponge cake.=

_Ingredients._

Eggs 2 Sugar 1 cup Hot water _or_ Milk 3/8 cup Flour 1 cup Baking powder 1-1/2 teaspoonfuls Salt 1/4 teaspoonful Lemon _or_ 1/4 teaspoonful Vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoonful

_Method._--Separate eggs and beat yolks and whites thoroughly.

Mix and sift the dry ingredients. Add the sugar gradually to beaten yolks alternately with water until well blended. Next add the flavoring and then fold in the stiffly beaten whites together with the dry ingredients until blended. Bake in a b.u.t.tered shallow pan in a moderate oven for twenty-five minutes or until cake shrinks from the side of the pan.

=10. Plain gingerbread.=

_Ingredients._

Mola.s.ses 1 cup Boiling water 1/2 cup Flour 2-1/2 cups Soda 1 teaspoonful Ginger 1-1/2 teaspoonfuls Salt 1/2 teaspoonful b.u.t.ter 4 tablespoonfuls

_Method._--Melt b.u.t.ter in boiling water. Mix dry ingredients. Add the mola.s.ses to the water and b.u.t.ter and stir this mixture into the dry ingredients, beating vigorously. Pour into a b.u.t.tered shallow pan and bake twenty minutes in a moderate oven. If the mola.s.ses is taken from a freshly opened can, no acid will be present and the soda should be omitted and 3 teaspoonfuls of baking powder used instead.

_Laboratory management._--Effective work in batters cannot be accomplished with less than 1/2 cup liquid, though a smaller portion is sometimes used.

It is well to have some group work, so that the pupils may learn to beat larger quant.i.ties. If there is a school lunch room, large quant.i.ties may be utilized there.

=Pastry.=--Pastry is a stiff dough with a large proportion of shortening, and is flaky when baked rather than porous. Pastry and pies should not be used as a staple food, but when well made and properly masticated, pies may be eaten occasionally by people in good health. The crust should be flaky, and thoroughly baked.

=11. Foundation recipes for pastry.=

1. Proportions.

(1) _Plain crust._

This crust is more digestible and more economical than the "short"

or rich crust and may be used for English deep apple pie, or meat or chicken pies.

Flour 2 cups Baking powder 2 teaspoonfuls Salt 1/2 teaspoonful Fat (b.u.t.ter or lard, or half of each) 1/2 cup (measured solid) Ice water 1/4 cup

(2) _Short crust._

Flour 2 cups Salt 1/2 teaspoonful Fat (equal parts b.u.t.ter and lard) 2/3 cup Ice water 1/2 cup

(3) _Rich flaky crust._

Same as (2) (more fat is to be added later)

2. Method of mixing for all.

Have all the ingredients and utensils icy cold. Mix the dry ingredients and cut in the fat with two knives. Stir in the ice water until the dough will just hold together. Toss upon a floured board and roll to 1/4 inch or less in thickness. Roll this up. If not ready to be used, this pie crust may be covered with moist cheesecloth and put on the ice until wanted. This amount of crust will make two medium-sized pies with two crusts each.

3. Method of shaping.

_For plain crust._--Cut off 1/2 of the roll of crust. Roll out to about 1/8 inch thickness. Have a deep dish ready containing either the apple or meat fillings (see recipes below) and with the edge of dish b.u.t.tered. Invert a small cup in the center of the dish to hold up the crust if apples are used. Lay the rolled-out crust over the top, having rolled it a little larger than the dish. Turn under the edges of the crust and crimp them down on the dish. Make several small cuts in the top of the crust to let the steam escape. Bake in a moderate oven until the filling (if apples) is cooked and the crust brown.

_For short crust._--Cut off 1/4 of the roll of crust and roll very thin, keeping the shape round. Line a b.u.t.tered pie plate with the crust. Fill this with the desired filling, moisten the edge of bottom crust with water, and cover with another round of crust rolled as before. Crimp down the edges of the top crust and make cuts in the top as before. Bake until the filling is cooked and the crust is brown.

_For rich crust._--Roll the crust to 1/2 inch thickness. Have ready 1/3 cup ice-cold fat. Cut off small bits of this and spread it in dabs over the rolled-out crust. Roll this again and then proceed as for the "short" crust (2).