Mary at the Farm and Book of Recipes Compiled during Her Visit Part 27

"EXTRA FINE" BAKING POWDER BISCUITS

One quart of flour was measured; after being sifted, was placed in a flour sifter, with 4 heaping teaspoonfuls of Royal baking powder and 1 teaspoonful of salt. Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl, cut through this mixture 1 tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter and lard each, and mix into a soft dough, with about 1 cup of sweet milk. 1 egg should have been added to the milk before mixing it with the flour. Reserve a small quant.i.ty of the yolk of egg, and thin with a little milk. Brush this over the top of biscuits before baking.

Turn the biscuit dough onto a floured bake-board. Pat out about one inch thick. Cut into rounds with small tin cake cutter. Place a small bit of b.u.t.ter on each biscuit and fold together. Place a short distance apart on baking tins and bake in a quick oven.

"FLANNEL" CAKES, MADE FROM SOUR MILK

One pint of sour milk, 2 eggs (beaten separately), a little salt, 1 large teaspoon of melted b.u.t.ter, 1 teaspoonful of mola.s.ses, 1 good teaspoon of soda, sifted with enough flour to make a smooth batter.

Beat hard and then add the 2 yolks and the stiffly-beaten whites of eggs. Bake small cakes on a hot, well-greased griddle. Serve with honey or maple syrup.

"FLANNEL" CAKES WITH BAKING POWDER

Sift together in a bowl 1 pint of flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, 2 teaspoons of Royal baking powder, mixed to a smooth batter, with about 1 pint of sweet milk. Add two yolks of eggs, 1 tablespoon of melted b.u.t.ter. Lastly, add the 2 stiffly-beaten whites of eggs. 1 teaspoon of baking mola.s.ses added makes them brown quickly. Bake on a hot griddle, well greased.

FRAU SCHMIDT'S RECIPE FOR WAFFLES

One pint of sour milk, 1 quart of sweet milk, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon b.u.t.ter, whites of three eggs and yolks of two and 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and flour to make a rather thin batter. Beat the two yolks of the eggs until light and creamy, then add 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, little flour, then the sour milk with soda dissolved in it, stirring all the time. Then add 1 tablespoon of melted or softened b.u.t.ter, then the sweet milk; beat well; and lastly, add the stiffly-beaten whites of the three eggs. Bake in hot waffle iron.

"CRUMB" CORN CAKES

One pint of stale bread crumbs (not fine, dried crumbs), covered with 1 pint of sour milk. Let stand over night. In the morning add 1 tablespoon of b.u.t.ter, yolks of 2 eggs and a little salt, 1/2 teaspoon of salaratus (good measure), 3/4 cup of granulated corn meal, to which add a couple of tablespoons of bread flour, enough to fill up the cup.

Stir all well together, add the 2 stiffly-beaten whites of eggs and drop with a tablespoon on a hot, greased griddle. Make the cakes small, as they do not turn quite as easily as do buckwheat cakes. This makes about two dozen cakes. These are good.

"GRANDMOTHER'S" RECIPE FOR b.u.t.tERMILK WAFFLES

Mix to a smooth batter, 4 cups of sour b.u.t.termilk, 5 cups of flour, and add 1 tablespoon of melted b.u.t.ter, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon of mola.s.ses. Add the well-beaten yolks of 3 eggs, 1-1/2 teaspoonfuls of baking soda, dissolved in a little hot water. Lastly, add the stiffly-beaten whites of 3 eggs. Place about 3 tablespoonfuls of the batter on hot, well-greased waffle irons. If b.u.t.termilk cannot be procured, sour milk may be used with good results, providing the milk is quite sour. From this quant.i.ty of batter may be made twelve waffles. Serve with maple syrup or honey.

BREAD GRIDDLE CAKES

To 1 pint of sour milk add about 3 slices of stale bread and allow the bread to soak in this mixture over night. In the morning beat up smoothly with 1 egg yolk, 1 teaspoonful of soda, a pinch of salt and enough cornmeal and white flour, in equal quant.i.ties, to make a moderately thin batter. Lastly, add the stiffly-beaten white of egg, bake on a hot griddle. Cakes should be small in size, as when baked cakes are less readily turned than other batter cakes. These cakes are economical and good.

NEVER FAIL "FLANNEL" CAKES

2 cups thick sour milk (quite sour).

2 tablespoonfuls sweet milk.

1 egg.

1/2 teaspoonful salt.

2 cups flour.

1 teaspoonful baking soda (good measure).

Pour the milk in a bowl, add yolk of egg. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt, four times. Beat all well together. Then add the stiffly-beaten white of egg, and bake at once on a hot griddle, using about two tablespoonfuls of the batter for a cake. Serve with b.u.t.ter and maple syrup or a subst.i.tute.

This recipe, given Mary by an old, reliable cook, was unfailing as to results, if recipe be closely followed. The cakes should be three-fourths of an inch thick, light as a feather, and inside, fine, like bread, not "doughy," as cakes baked from richer batters frequently are.

From this recipe was made eighteen cakes.

WAFFLES MADE FROM SWEET MILK AND BAKING POWDER

Sift together 1 quart of flour, 2 teaspoonfuls of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoonful of salt. Mix into a batter, a little thicker than for griddle cakes, with sweet milk; add yolks of 3 eggs, 3 tablespoonfuls of melted b.u.t.ter; lastly, stir in lightly the 3 stiffly-beaten whites of eggs. Bake on a hot, well-greased waffle iron and serve with maple syrup.

"BUCKS COUNTY" BUCKWHEAT CAKES

About 12 o'clock noon dissolve 1 cake of yeast (the small, round or square cornmeal cakes) in 1 pint of lukewarm water. Add to this 1 tablespoonful wheat flour, 1 tablespoonful yellow cornmeal, and enough good buckwheat flour to make a thin batter. Set in a warm place near the range to rise. About 6 or 7 o'clock in the evening add this sponge to 1 quart and 1 pint of lukewarm potato water (water drained from boiled potatoes), 1 tablespoonful of mashed potatoes added improves the cakes; add salt. They need considerable. Stir in enough buckwheat flour to make quite a stiff batter, beat hard and set to rise, covered, in a warm place over night. The next morning add 1 teaspoonful salaratus, dissolved in a little hot water; 1 tablespoonful of baking mola.s.ses and a little warm milk, to thin the batter; or water will answer. The batter should be thin enough to pour. Let stand a short time, then bake on a hot griddle. Half this quant.i.ty will be enough for a small family. Then use only 1/2 teaspoonful salaratus. Bake golden brown on hot griddle. Serve with honey or maple syrup. If this recipe for buckwheat cakes is followed, you should have good cakes, but much of their excellence depends on the flour. Buy a small quant.i.ty of flour and try it before investing in a large quant.i.ty, as you cannot make good cakes from a poor brand of flour.

DELICIOUS CORN CAKES

One cup of sweet milk heated to boiling point; stir in 2 heaping tablespoonfuls yellow, granulated cornmeal; add a tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter or lard and salt to taste. As soon as the mixture has cooled, stir in 1 tablespoonful of wheat flour. If the batter should be too thick, stir in enough cold, sweet milk to make it run easily from the spoon. Add 1 heaping teaspoonful of Royal baking powder. Drop spoonfuls on hot, greased griddle, and bake. This quant.i.ty makes cakes enough to serve three people, about sixteen small cakes. This is an economical recipe, as no eggs are used.

RICE WAFFLES

(AS AUNT SARAH MADE THEM.)

Add 1 tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter and 1 tablespoonful lard to 1 cup of cold, boiled rice; 2 yolks of eggs, the whites beaten separately and added last; 2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoonful salt and 2 teaspoonfuls baking powder, sifted together; 1 teaspoonful of sugar and 1 teaspoonful of mola.s.ses, and enough sweet milk to make a thin batter.

Bake in hot waffle irons. With these serve either maple syrup or a mixture of sugar and cinnamon.

"GERMAN" EGG-PANCAKES (NOT CHEAP)

These truly delicious pancakes were always baked by "Aunt Sarah" when eggs were most plentiful. For them she used, 1 cup flour, 5 fresh eggs, 1/2 cup milk.

The yolks of 5 eggs were broken into a bowl and lightly beaten. Then milk and flour were added gradually to form a smooth batter. Lastly, the stiffly-beaten whites of eggs were added. Large spoonfuls were dropped on a hot, well-greased griddle, forming small cakes, which were served as soon as baked. These cakes require no baking powder.

Their lightness depends entirely on the stiffly-beaten whites of eggs.

"FRAU SCHMIDT'S" GRIDDLE CAKE RECIPE

The Professor's wife gave Mary this cheap and good recipe for griddle cakes: 1 pint of quite sour, thick milk; beat into this thoroughly 1 even teaspoon of baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and sugar and 2 cups of flour, to which had been added 1 tablespoon of granulated cornmeal and 1 rounded teaspoon of baking powder before sifting. No eggs were used by the Professor's wife in these cakes, but Mary always added yolk of 1 egg to the cakes when she baked them.

MARY'S RECIPE FOR "CORN CAKE"

1 cup of white flour.

1/2 cup cornmeal (yellow granulated cornmeal).

1 cup of sweet milk.

2 teaspoonfuls baking powder.

1 tablespoonful sugar.