The Virginia Housewife Part 20

SODA CAKES.

Dissolve half a pound of sugar in a pint of milk, add a tea-spoonful of soda; pour it on two pounds of flour--melt half a pound of b.u.t.ter, knead all together till light, put it in shallow moulds, and bake it quickly in a brisk oven.

TO MAKE BREAD.

When you find the barrel of flour a good one, empty it into a chest or box, made for the purpose, with a lid that will shut close: it keeps much better in this manner than when packed in a barrel, and even improves by lying lightly; sift the quant.i.ty you intend to make up--put into a bowl two gills and a half of water for each quart, with a tea-spoon heaped up with salt, and a large spoonful of yeast for each quart; stir this mixture well, put into another bowl one handful of flour from every quart; pour a little of the mixture on to wet it, then more, until you get it all in, taking great care that it be smooth, and quite free from lumps; beat it some minutes, take one-third of the flour out of the kettle, pour on the batter, and sprinkle over it the dry flour; stop the kettle, and set it where it can have a moderate degree of warmth: when it has risen well, turn it into a bowl, mix in the dry flour, and knead it on a board till it looks quite light; return it to the kettle, and place it where it can have proper heat: in the morning, take the dry crust carefully from the top, put the dough on a board, knead it well, make it into rolls, set them on tin sheets, put a towel over, and let them stand near the fire till the oven is ready. In winter, make the bread up at three o'clock, and it will be ready to work before bed time. In summer, make it up at five o'clock. A quart of flour should weigh just one pound and a quarter. The bread must be rasped when baked.

TO MAKE NICE BISCUIT.

Rub a large spoonful of b.u.t.ter into a quart of risen dough, knead it well, and make it into biscuit, either thick or thin: bake them quickly.

RICE BREAD.

Boil six ounces of rice in a quart of water, till it is dry and soft--put it into two pounds of flour, mix it in well; add two tea-spoonsful of salt, two large spoonsful of yeast, and as much water as will make it the consistence of bread: when well risen, bake it in moulds.

MIXED BREAD.

Put a tea-spoonful of salt, and a large one of yeast, into a quart of flour; make it sufficiently soft, with corn meal gruel; when well risen, bake it in a mould. It is an excellent bread for breakfast. Indifferent flour will rise much better, when made with gruel, than with fair water.

PATENT YEAST.

Put half a pound of fresh hops into a gallon of water, and boil it away to two quarts; then strain it, make it a thin batter with flour; add half a pint good yeast, and when well fermented, pour it in a bowl, and work in as much corn meal as will make it the consistency of biscuit dough; set it to rise, and when quite light, make it into little cakes, which must be dried in the shade, turning them very frequently; keep them securely from damp and dust. Persons who live in town, and can procure brewer's yeast, will save trouble by using it: take one quart of it, add a quart of water, and proceed as before directed.

TO PREPARE THE CAKES.

Take one or more cakes, according to the flour you are to make; pour on a little warm water; when it is dissolved, stir it well, thicken with a little flour, and set it near the fire, to rise before it is used. The best thing to keep yeast in, is a small mug or pitcher, with a close stopper, under which must be placed a double fold of linen, to make it still closer. This is far preferable to a bottle, and more easily cleaned.

ANOTHER METHOD FOR MAKING YEAST.

Peel one large Irish potato, boil it till soft, rub it through a sieve; add an equal quant.i.ty of flour, make it sufficiently liquid with hop tea; and when a little warmer than new milk, add a gill of good yeast; stir it well, and keep it closely covered in a small pitcher.

NICE BUNS.

Put four ounces of sugar with three quarters of a pound of flour; make it up with two spoonsful of yeast, and half a pint of milk; when well risen, work into it four ounces of b.u.t.ter, make it into small buns, and bake them in a quick oven--do not burn them.

m.u.f.fINS.

Sift a quart of flour, put to it a little salt, and a large spoonful of yeast--beat the white of a fresh egg to a strong froth, add it, and make the flour up with cold water, as soft as you can to allow it to be handled; set it in a moderately warm place. Next morning, beat it well with a spoon, put it on the griddle in a round form, and bake it nicely, turning them frequently till done.

FRENCH ROLLS.

Sift a quart of flour, add a little salt, a spoonful of yeast, two eggs well beaten, and half a pint of milk--knead it, and set it to rise: next morning, work in an ounce of b.u.t.ter, make the dough into small rolls, and bake them. The top crust should not be hard.

CRUMPETS.

Take a quart of dough from your bread at a very early hour in the morning; break three fresh eggs, separating the yelks from the whites--whip them both to a froth, mix them with the dough, and add gradually milk-warm water, till you make a batter the thickness of buckwheat cakes: beat it well, and set it to rise till near breakfast time; have the griddle ready, pour on the batter to look quite round: they do not require turning.

APOQUINIMINC CAKES.

Put a little salt, one egg beaten, and four ounces of b.u.t.ter, in a quart of flour--make it into a paste with new milk, beat it for half an hour with a pestle, roll the paste thin, and cut it into round cakes; bake them on a gridiron, and be careful not to b.u.m them.

BATTER CAKES.

Boil two cups of small h.o.m.ony very soft; add an equal quant.i.ty of corn meal with a little salt, and a large spoonful of b.u.t.ter; make it in a thin batter with three eggs, and a sufficient quant.i.ty of milk--beat all together some time, and bake them on a griddle, or in woffle irons. When eggs cannot be procured, yeast makes a good subst.i.tute; put a spoonful in the batter, and let it stand an hour to rise.

BATTER BREAD.

Take six spoonsful of flour and three of corn meal, with a little salt--sift them, and make a thin batter with four eggs, and a sufficient quant.i.ty of rich milk; bake it in little tin moulds in a quick oven.

CREAM CAKES.

Melt as much b.u.t.ter in a pint of milk, as will make it rich as cream--make the flour into a paste with this, knead it well, roll it out frequently, cut it in squares, and bake on a griddle.

SOUFLE BISCUITS.