Pennsylvania Dutch Cooking Part 8

1 cup flour 3 tsp. baking powder tsp. salt 2 tblsp. brown sugar 1 cup bran 1 egg, beaten ? cup milk 2 tblsp. shortening, melted

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in the sugar and bran.

Combine the beaten egg, milk and melted shortening. Add to the dry ingredients and mix quickly. Turn into greased m.u.f.fin pans and bake in hot oven (425-f) 25 minutes. Raisins or chopped dried prunes may be added.

BACON m.u.f.fINS

2 cups flour 1 tablespoon sugar 3 tablespoons melted shortening 1 cup milk 3 teaspoons baking powder teaspoon salt 1 egg cup bits crisp bacon

Sift flour, add sugar, salt and baking powder and sift again, add beaten egg and milk. Add melted shortening beating in quickly. Add bits of crisped bacon. Bake in hot (425 degree) oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with orange marmalade.

FASTNACHTS-Raised Doughnuts

For the Sponge:

1 cake yeast 2 cups lukewarm water 4 scant cups sifted flour

At night break and soak yeast in lukewarm water for 20 minutes. Mix with flour to a thick batter. Cover, let rise in warm place overnight until doubled.

For the Dough:

cup shortening ? cup sugar 1 teaspoons salt 2 eggs teaspoon ground nutmeg 5 cups or more of flour

In the morning cream together the shortening, sugar and salt. Add this to the risen sponge, with the beaten eggs and spice. Stir in as much flour as mixture will take up readily, making a rather soft dough. Mix well. Let rise until doubled in bulk. If desired, stir down and let rise again until nearly doubled. Turn onto floured board, pat or roll until ? inch thick and cut with doughnut cutter. Cover to prevent drying and let rise until doubled. Fry in deep hot fat about 375 degrees. If no thermometer is at hand, test temperature with 1 inch square of bread, which should brown in 1 minute.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Becky ... fill the pitcher, the milk is all]

CRULLERS

2 eggs cup cream, sweet or sour cup milk 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt cup sugar 3 to 4 cups flour

Beat the eggs, add cream and milk. Sift dry ingredients and combine with liquid, using just enough flour to make dough that can be rolled, but still remain soft. Mix well and let stand for 2 hours. Turn out on floured board and roll to in. thick. Cut into strips 6" 1". Fry in deep fat (360-f) until brown on both sides. Drain on absorbent paper and dust with powdered sugar, if you wish.

TANGLE BRITCHES

An old York County Recipe

lb. b.u.t.ter 1 cup sugar 6 eggs, beaten tsp. cinnamon about 5 cups flour

Cream together the b.u.t.ter and sugar. Add the eggs beating well. Sift in the cinnamon and enough flour to make a stiff dough. Roll out the dough very thin on a floured board to about ? inch thick. Cut into rectangular pieces 3 inches by 5 inches. Make 5 cuts lengthwise in the dough inch apart and 4 inches long, so that the rectangle remains in one piece. Fry in hot deep fat (360-f) for 2 minutes or until they bob up to the top of the hot grease. When dropping them into the fryer, pick up the 1st, 3rd and 5th strips and pull them upward. Let the 2nd, 4th and 6th sag downward so that in frying they get all fahuudelt (tangled) or as the dutch say, all through each other. Dust with powdered sugar or dribble mola.s.ses over them and eat hot.

SHOO-FLY PIE

For the crumb part:

cup shortening 1 cups flour 1 cup brown sugar

Work the above ingredients together.

For the liquid part:

teaspoon baking soda ? teaspoon nutmeg a little ginger, cinnamon and cloves teaspoon salt cup mola.s.ses cup hot water

Mix well together and add hot water. Into an unbaked pie sh.e.l.l, combine the crumbs and liquid in alternate layers with crumbs on bottom and top.

Bake 15 minutes at 450 degrees, then 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

GRANDMA'S CRUMB OR SUGAR PIE

2 cups flour 1 heaping cup brown sugar 1 tblsp. shortening 1 tsp. soda cup b.u.t.termilk or sour cream salt 1 9-inch, unbaked pastry sh.e.l.l

Combine sugar, flour and soda. Cut in the shortening and blend well. Add the liquid and rub into coa.r.s.e crumbs. Put crumbs loosely into the unbaked pie sh.e.l.l. Bake in moderate oven (375-f) for 40 minutes. This is a breakfast treat especially good for dunking in coffee.

FUNNEL CAKES (Drechter Kuche)

3 eggs 2 cups milk cup sugar 3 to 4 cups flour tsp. salt 2 tsps. baking powder

Beat eggs and add sugar and milk. Sift half the flour, salt and baking powder together and add to milk and egg mixture. Beat the batter smooth and add only as much more flour as needed. Batter should be thin enough to run thru a funnel. Drop from funnel into deep, hot fat (375-f).

Spirals and endless intricate shapes can be made by swirling and criss-crossing while controlling the funnel spout with a finger. Serve hot with mola.s.ses, tart jelly, jam or sprinkle with powdered sugar.

SALLY LUNN

2 cups flour, sifted 3 tsp. baking powder tsp. salt 3 tblsp. sugar 2 eggs, separated cup milk cup shortening, melted

Sift flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Combine the beaten egg yolks and milk and add to the flour mixture, stirring only until mixed. Add shortening, fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites. Turn into greased 9 inch square pan and bake in moderate oven (350-f) about 30 minutes. Cut into 3 inch squares.

QUICK COFFEE CAKE

2 cups flour, sifted 1 cup milk 3 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt ? cup shortening ? cup sugar 1 egg

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Cream shortening and sugar beating until fluffy. Add egg, beat well and then the milk. Add the flour mixture, stirring just enough to moisten. Turn into greased 8 inch square baking pan. Top with:

cup b.u.t.ter cup sugar 1 cup dry bread crumbs 1 tsp. cinnamon

Cream b.u.t.ter and sugar, well. Add bread crumbs and cinnamon. Blend well and sprinkle over cake dough. Bake in moderate oven (375-f) 40 to 50 minutes. Serve hot.

PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH