NYPL RESEARCH LIBRAR ES 3 3433 07736324 4 . GANSEVOORT- LANSING COLLECTION t ft> //if . W'\v )<>rA 1 u I)/ tc i.i I / / 7V / /' ' /^f/l(>.\* ftTI(1 111(1 ('II /Off // UY VICTOR Hrco PALTSITS * /cr tin- f IT/US < '/ the last will ana testament <>/ ('ATHKIilXi: ( iANSKV* >ORT I.AXSIXt; (fraziddauffliter <>/ / / /' / ' (tf/n j /-(>/'/. /tr/iK>/~ ff/lf/\VK/(>\v (>/ tfie , /// xtit\. \ \ V GAN6EVOORT - LANSING COLLECTION a ex. > *- 2 c t. 4) o, Uj Lu PRACTICAL HOUSEKEEPING A CAREFUL COMPILATION OF TRIED AND APPROVED RECIPES. "Prove all things and hold fast that which is good." THREE HUNDREDTH THOUSAND DAYTON, OHIO: BUCKEYE PUBLISHING COMPANY, (Xorthwestern Office, Minneapolis, Minn.) 1887. ,_>(-, URRARV 4. s^TO^- I FNOX Al^D ,fn,-; FOUNDATIONS PUBLISHER'S NOTICE. This book is a revised and enlarged edition of "Buckeye Cookery and Practical Housekeeping," which has reached a sale of over ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND copies since its publication, three years ago. The first edition was published for a benevolent object, and necessarily had many purely local features. Since then the book has been four times revised and en- larged, and all its local features dropped, and with them now disappears that part of the title which identified the book with the state where it originated. . Press of Job Printing Dep't, B--*.ETHl.E.J PUBLISHING HoUSB, . Di ST i>y, ..OHIO. Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1881, by BUCKEYE PUBLISHING COMPANY ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. TO THOSS; PLUCKY HOUSEWIVES WHO MASTER THEIR WORK INSTEAD OF ALLOWING IT TO MASTER THEM, THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED. TABLE OF CONTENTS. r$READ-MAKING . CAKE-MAKING . CREAMS AND CUSTARDS CONFECTIONERY . CANNING FRUITS. CATSUPS AND SAUCES. DRINKS. EGGS . FISH FRUITS . GAME . ICES AND ICE-CREAM . JELLIES AND JAMS MEATS . PASTRY . PUDDINGS AND SAUCES PRESERVES . PICKLES POULTRY SALADS . SHELL-FISH . SOUPS . VEGETABLES . ORNAMENTAL ICING, ILLUSTRATED BILLS OF FARE FOB EVERY DAY IN FRAGMENTS . BLANKS FOR ADDITIONAL RECIPES COOK'S TIME-TABLE TABLE OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES WHEN FOOD is IN SEASON COMPARATIVE VALUE OF FUEL HOUSEKEEPING .... DINING-ROOM .... KITCHEN KITCHEN LUXURIES, ILLUSTRATED HOUSEHOLD CONVENIENCES, ILLUSTRATED MANAGEMENT OF HELP MARKETING . CARVING, ILLUSTRATED How TO CUT AND CURE MEATS, ILLUSTRATED HINTS ON BUTTER-MAKING LAUNDRY .... CELLAR AND ICE-HOUSE . SOMETHING ABOUT BABIES HINTS FOR THE WELL HINT'S FOR THE SlCK-ROOM THE ARTS OF THE TOILET. ACCIDENTS AND SUDDEN SICKNESS FLORAL CHEMISTRY OF FOOD . DRESS-MAKING AT HOME . COLORING AND BLEACHING MEDICAL .... MISCELLANEOUS . ALPHABETICAL INDEX. THE "RAT] LUST YE D RATE I &B D 7-58 59-101 . 102-112 . 113-118 . 119-127 . 128-136 . 137-144 . 145-150 . 151-158 . 159-166 . 167-173 . 174-180 . 181-189 . 190-209 . 210-224 . 225-242 . 243-253 . 254-270 . 271-286 . 287-294 . 295-303 . 304-319 . 320-345 . 346-378 . 379-405 . 406-416 . 416-417 417 418 . 419-420 421 . 422-444 . 445-458 . 459-476 . 477-491 . 492-498 . 499-501 . 502-510 . 511-512 . 513-518 . 519-520 . 521-535 . 536-540 . 541-555 . 556-561 . 5(52-573 . 574-581 . 582-583 . 589-591 . 592-597 . 598-619 . 620-628 . 629-660 . G61-C72 . 673-G87 PREFACE. FORTUNATELY it is becoming fashionable to economize, and housekeepers are really finding it a pleasant pastime to search out and stop wastes in household expenses, and to exercise the thou- sand little economies which thoughtful and careful women under- stand so readily and practice with such grace. Somebody has said that a well-to-do French family would live on what an Amer- ican household in the same condition of life wastes, and this may not be a great exaggeration. Here, the greatest source of waste is in the blunders and experiments of the inexperienced. Women are slow to learn by the experience of others. Every young house- keeper must begin at the beginning (unless her mother was wise enough to give her a careful training), and blunder into a know- ledge of the practical, duties of the household, wasting time, tem- per and money in mistakes, when such simple instructions as any skillful housewife might readily give would be an almost perfect guide. Lately there have been attempts to gather such instruc- tions as are needed into a book, but they have been partial fail- ures, because the authors have been good book-makers, but poor bread-makers, or because, while practically familiar with the sub- jects treated, they have failed to express clearly and concisely the full processes in detail. In compiling this new candidate for favor, the one aim has been to pack between its covers the greatest possible amount of practical information of real value to all, and especially to the inexperienced. It is not a hap-hazard collection of recipes, gathered at random from doubtful sources, but has (v) vi PREFACE. been made up, without sparing time, labor, or expense, from the choicest bits of the best experience of hundreds who have long traveled the daily round of household duties, not reluctantly like drudges, but lovingly, with heart and hand fully enlisted in the work. Those housewives, especially, whose purses are not over-pie- thoric will, it is believed, find its pages full of timely and helpful suggestions in their efforts to make the balance of the household ledger appear on the right side, without lessening the excellence of the table or robbing home of any comfort or attraction. The arrangement of subjects treated, whenever practicable, has been made in the simple order of the alphabet, and for the sake of still more ready reference a very full alphabetical index has been added. The instructions which precede the recipes of each department have been carefully made up, and are entirely trust- worthy, and the recipes themselves are new to print and well in- dorsed. Several suggestive articles have also been introduced, which, though not belonging strictly to cookery, bear such close relations to it that the fitness of their appearance in the connection is evident. There has been no attempt at display or effect, the only purpose being to express ideas as clearly and concisely as possible, and to make a thoroughly simple and practical work. In the effort to avoid the mistakes of others, greater errors may have been com- mitted; but the book is submitted just as it is to the generous judg- ment of those who consult it, with the hope that it may lessen their perplexities, and stimulate that just pride without which work is drudgery and great excellence impossible. BREAD-MAKING. THE old saying, "bread is the staff of life," has sound reason in it. Flour made from wheat, and meal from oats and Indian corn, are rich in the waste-repairing elements, starch and albumen, and head the list of articles of food for man. Good bread makes the homeliest meal acceptable, and the coarsest fare appetizing, while the most luxurious table is not even tolerable without it. Light, crisp rolls for breakfast, spongy, sweet bread for dinner, and flaky biscuit for supper, cover a multitude of culinary sins and there is no one thing on which the health and comfort of a family so much depends as the quality of its home-made loaves. Opinions as to what constitutes good bread differ, perhaps, as much as tastes and opinions concerning any thing else, but all will agree that bread, to be good, ought to be light, sweet that is, free from any perceptible acid or yeasty taste flaky, granular or not liable to become a doughy mass, and as white as the grade of flour used will allow. If members of the family have delicate digestive powers, they will not use new bread, and therefore must have such as will keep with little change of texture and none of quality or taste, for several days. To obtain these qualities in bread, use the best flour, as in families where no bread is wasted, the best is cheap- est. The good old Genesee Valley white winter wheat, of Western New York, makes a flour unsurpassed in quality. The Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Missouri white winter wheat grades are much the same, but the Minnesota hard spring wheat "new process" flour is the equal of the best, and is so much superior in strength that one-eighth less is used in all recipes for bread and cake. The common or "straight" brands are used by the great majority of families, and from all of them good, uniform and palatable bread may be made. (7) 8 BREAD-MAKING. Housekeepers seldom select flour by examination. They usually take some tried brand, or select on the recommendation of their fur- ni-her. No rule can be given by which an inexperienced person can determine the grade of flour with accuracy, but a few hints will enable any one to know what not to buy. Good flour adheres to the hand, and, when pressed, shows the imprint of the lines of the skin. Its tint is cream white. Never buy that which has a blue- white tinge. Poor flour is not adhesive, may be blown about easily, and sometimes has a dingy look, as though mixed with ashes. Flour should be bought in quantities corresponding to the num- ber in the family, that it may not become damaged by long keeping. In a family of five, a barrel, or even a half-barrel sack of flour, excellent when first bought, will become much deteriorated before being used up. A small family should always buy in twenty -five pound, or at largest, fifty pound sacks. Flour should be kept dry, cool and entirely beyond the reach of marauders, big or little, especially the latter, for the infinitesimal meal moth is far more to be dreaded than rats or mice. Therefore every receptacle of flour should be thoroughly and frequently cleansed, to guard against ani- mal as w r ell as vegetable parasites. A single speck of mold, coming from old or damp flour in an obscure corner of the flour-box, will leaven the whole as rapidly and strongly as ten times its weight in yeast. In no event should flour be used without being sifted. Bread-making seems u simple process enough, but it requires a delicate care and watchfulness, and a thorough knowledge of all the contingencies of the process, dependent on the different qualities of flour, and the varying kinds and conditions of yeast, and the change of seasons ; the process which raises bread successfully in winter making it sour in summer. There are many little things in bread-making which require accurate observation, and, w 7 hile valu- able recipes and well-defined methods in detail are invaluable aids, nothing but experience will secure the name merited by so few, though earnestly coveted by every practical, sensible housekeeper " an excellent bread-maker." Three things are indispensable to success: good flour, good yeast, and watchful care. Never use flour without sifting ; and a large tin or wooden pail with a tight- fitting cover, kept full of sifted flour, will be found a great conven- BREAD-MAKING. 9 ience. All kinds of flour and meal, except buckwheat and Graham and Graham, too, when coarse need sifting, and all, like wheat flour, should be bought in small quantities, as they become damp and musty by long standing. THE YEAST. After the flour, the yeast or leaven is the next essential element in bread. For regular fare most, especially women, prefer "yeast bread," but men who can not forget " how their mother used to cook," have a liking for "salt-rising" bread, and the latter deserves the acquaintance of the housekeeper and a frequent welcome on the family table. The dry hop yeast, such as Twin Bros. , Stratton's, National, Eagle, Gillett's, and many others, are all good, if fresh, and always available, for they are found in every grocery. Many housekeepers use baker's yeast, and buy for a penny or two what will serve each baking, of bread. Potato yeast has two advantages over other kinds ; bread made from it keeps moist longer, and there is no danger that an excess of yeast will injure the flavor of the bread. THE SPONGE. This is made from warm water or milk, yeast and flour (some add mashed potatoes) mixed together in the proportion of one pint wet- ting (water or milk) to two pints of sifted flour. If milk is used it should be new, and must be first scalded, and then cooled to blood heat. '.The scaiaing tenas to prevent souring, in using water oring- it to blood heat. If the ' ' wetting " is too hot, the bread will be coarse. When water is used a tablespoon* of lard or butter makes the bread more tender. Bread made from milk is, of course, more tender and nutritious, but it has not the sweet taste of the wheat,, and will not keep as long as that made from water. When mixed with milk it requires less flour and less kneading. In summer, care must be taken not to set sponge too early, at least not before eight or nine o'clock in the evening. (Sponge mixed with bran water, warm in winter and cold in summer, makes sweeter bread. Boil bran in the proportion of one pint to a quart of water and strain.) In very hot weather, sponge may be made with cold water. In winter, mix the batter with water or milk, at blood warmth, testing * Whenever, in this book, the words cupful, coffee-cupful, tea-cupful, table-spoonful, occur, the termination " ful " is dropped, for the sake of brevity. 10 BREAD-MAKING. it with the finger, and making it as warm as can be borne; stir in the flour, which will cool it sufficiently for the yeast ; cover closely and place in a warm and even temperature. A good plan is to fold a clean blanket several times, and cover with it, providing the sponge is set in a very large crock or jar, so that there is no danger of its running over. As a general rule, one small tea-cup of yeast and three pints of " wetting" will make sponge enough for four ordinary loaves. In all sponges add the yeast last, making sure that the sponge is not hot enough to scald it; when placed to rise, always cover closely. In cold weather the temperature runs down very quickly, in many kitchens, after the fire is out, and the bread should be set earlier in the evening, and in a warmer place ; a temperature of eighty or ninety degrees is right. When it rises well for the first two hours, it will go on rising unless the temperature falls below the freezing point. It is an improvement to beat the sponge thoroughly, like batter for a cake, for fifteen minutes. Never set sponge in tin, but always in stoneware, because a more steady and uniform heat can be maintained in a stone jar than in tin. TO MAKE GOOD BREAD, Always be " Up in the morning early, just at the peep of day," in summer time, to prevent the sponge becoming sour by too long standing, and in winter to be getting materials warmed and in readi- ness for use. A large, seamless tin dish-pan with handles and a tight-fitting cover, kept for this purpose alone, is better than a wooden bowl for bread. It should be thorou;hlv washed and o / scalded every time it is used. Measure and sift the flour. It is convenient to keep two quart cups, one for dry and the other for liquid measuring. In winter always warm the flour (by placing it in a pan in a warm oven for a few minutes or by setting it over night where it will be kept at the same temperature as the sponge) and also the sponge. Put the flour ki a bread pan, make a large well in the cen- ter, into which pour the sponge, adding t\ro level tea-spoons of salt (this is the quantity for four loaves of bread) ; mix well, being careful not to get the dough too stiff; turn out on the bread-board, rub the pan clean, and add the "rubbings" to the bread. Knead for from forty-five minutes to one hour, or until the dough ceases to stick to BREAD-MAKING. 11 either the board or hands. Do not stop kneading until done. Any pause in the process injures the bread. The process of kneading is very important. Use just as little flour in kneading as will prevent sticking, and practice will enable ong to make a little flour go a great way. Some good bread-makers knead with the palm of the hands until the dough is a flat cake, then fold once, repeating this operation until the dough is perfectly smooth and elastic; others- close the hands and press hard and quickly into the dough with the fists, dipping them into the flour when the dough sticks; or, after kneading, chop with the chopping knife and then knead again; others still knead with a potato-masher, thinking it a great saving of strength. Another method, used by good bread-makers, is to raise the whole mass and drop or dash it with considerable force upon the mixing-board or table for several minutes. No exact directions can be given, but experience and practice will prove the best guides. After the bread is thoroughly kneaded, form into a round mass or large loaf, sprinkle the bread-pan well with flour, and, having placed the loaf in it, sprinkle flour lightly on the top (some grease the top with salted lard or butter instead of sprinkling with flour) ; coyer closely, and set to rise in a warm temperature ; let it rise to twice its original size this time, say from one to two hours, differing in time with the season of the year. Then knead down in the pan, cut into equal parts, place one at a time on the board, mold each into a smooth, oblong loaf, not too large, and put one alter anotner into a well-greased baking-pan ; grease the tops of the loaves with salted lard or butter, and set to rise. Or the loaves may be made by buttering the hands, and taking enough from the mass to form a loaf, molding it into shape in tJw luinds, without using flour. This insures a nice, brown, tender crust. Loaves made in the French style, long and narrow, are about half crust, and more easily di- gested, the action of heat anticipating part of the digestive process. In molding, do not leave any lumps or loose flour adhering to the outside, but mold until the loaves are perfectly smooth. No par- ticular directions can be given in regard to the time bread should stand after it is molded and placed in the pans, because here is the |>oint where observation and discretion are so indispensable. In hot weather, when the yeast is very good and the bread very light, it 12 BREAD-MAKING. must not stand over fifteen minutes before placing to bake. If it is cold weather, and the yeast is less active, or the bread not perfectly raised, it may sometimes stand an hour in the pans without injury. When it is risen so as to seam or orack, it is ready for the oven ; if it stands after this it becomes sour, and even if it does not sour it loses its freshness and sweetness, and the bread becomes dry sooner after baking. Bread should undergo but two fermentations ; the saccharine or sweet fermentation, and the vinous, when it smells something like foaming beer. The housewife who would have good, sweet bread, must never let it pass this change, because the third or acetous fermentation then takes place. This last can be remedied by adding soda m the proportion of one tea-spoon to each quart of wetting ; or, which is the same thing, a tea-spoon to four quarts of flour; but the bread will be much less nutritious and healthful, and some of the best elements of the flour will be lost, Always add salt to all bread, biscuit, griddle-cakes, etc., but never salt sponge. A small quantity of white sugar is an improvement to all bread dough. Bread should always be mixed as soft as it can be handled, but in using the ' ' new process " flour, made from spring wheat, the dough requires to be much harder than is necessary when using that made from winter wheat. To BAKE BREAD. Here is the important point, for the bread may be perfect thus far and then be spoiled in baking. No definite rules can be given that apply equally well to every stove and range ; but one general rule must be observed, which is, to have a steady, moderate heat, such as is more minutely described in the directions for baking large cakes. The oven must be just hot enough ; if too hot, a firm crust is formed before the bread has expanded enough, and it will be heavy. To test the heat, place a teaspoon of flour on an old piece of crockery (to secure an even heat), and set in middle of the oven ; if it browns in one minute the heat is right. An oven in which the bare hand and arm can not be held longer than to count twenty moderately, is hot enough. The attention of stove-makers seems aever to have been directed to the fact that there is no accurate means of testing the heat of ovens, but it is to be hoped that in the BREAD-MAKING. 13 near future some simple device may be found which will render unnecessary such inaccurate and untrustworthy tests as must now be used, and thus reduce baking to a science. To test whether the bread is done, break the loaves apart and press gently with the finger ; if elastic it is done, but if clammy, not done, and must be returned to the oven ; or, if the loaves are single, test with a straw plucked from a broom. Break off the branches and thrust the larger end into the loaf; if it is sticky when withdrawn, the bread is not done, but if free from dough it is ready to be removed from the oven. The little projections on the straw, where the branches have been broken off, catch and bring out the dough, when not thoroughly baked. The time required for baking is not less than three-quarters of an hour, and bread baked a full hour is more wholesome and is gen- erally considered more palatable. " The little fairy that hovers over successful bread-making is heat, not too little nor too much, but uniform." When removed from the oven, take the loaves out of the pan, grease the entire outer crust with melted butter, and tilt them on edge, so as to secure a free circulation of air. It is better not to cover bread while warm, unless with a light cloth to keep off flies. Thoroughly exposed to the air the surface cools first, insuring a crisp crust and the retention of the moisture in the loaf. There are those, however, who follow successfully the plan of wrapping the bread, as soon as it is removed from the oven, in a coarse towel or bread-cloth. Never put warm bread next to wood, as the part in contact will have a bad taste. Spread a cloth over the table before placing the bread on it. Good bread-makers differ widely as to the number of times bread should rise, some insisting that the rule of our good grandmothers, who only allowed it to rise once, insures the sweetest and most nutri- tious bread, and that in all subsequent fermentations, a decomposi- tion takes places that is damaging to the wholesome qualities of the ''staff of life." If by accident or neglect the bread is baked too hard, rub the loaf over with butter, wet a towel and wrap it in it, and cover with another dry towel. In winter, bread dough may be kept sweet 14 BREAD-MAKING. several days by placing it where it will be cold without freezing, or by putting it so deep into the flour barrel as to exclude it entirely from the air. When wanted for use, make into bread, or, by add- ing the proper ingredients, into cake, rusk, biscuit, apple dump- lings, chicken pie, etc. When the bread is cold, place in a stone jar or tin box, which must be thoroughly washed, scalded and dried each baking day. A gtill better receptacle for bread is a tin wash-boiler with a close cover, kept for this purpose alone. When small, single loaf pans are used, the bread may be removed to cool, the pans washed and dried, and the loaves afterwards replaced each in its pan, and then set away in a box or boiler. The pan helps to keep the bread moist and palatable for several days. The best pan for bread is made of Russia iron (which is but little more costly than tin and will last many times as long), about four by ten inches on the bottom, flaring to the top, and about four and one-half inches deep. The pan should be greased very lightly for bread. Attention to neatness, important in all cookery, is doubly im- portant in bread-making. Be sure that the hair is neatly combed and put up (which ought to be done before the dress is put on every morning), and that the hands, arms and finger-nails are scrupulously clean. A neat calico apron with bib, and sleeves of dress well-tucked up and fastened so that they will not come down, add much to the comfort of this the most important task of the kitchen queen. There are three critical points in the process of bread-making : the condition of the yeast, which must never be used if sour ; the temperature where the bread is set to rise, which must not be so hot as to scald ; and the temperature of the oven, which must be uni- form, neither too hot nor too cold. In cutting warm bread for the table, heat the knife, and, whether hot or cold, cut only as much as will be eaten. It is better to replenish the bread-plate once or even twice during a meal than to Lave slices left over to dry up and waste. When using coal, put into the fire-box enough to finish the baking; adding more during the process is apt to render the oven-heat BREAD-MAKING. 15 irregular. When wood is used, make a good hot fire, see that the stove has a good, free draft, and let it cool to an even, steady heat before putting the bread in the oven. The finest bread may be com- pletely spoiled in baking, and a freshly-made fire can not be easily Regulated. The patent iron shelves, made to be attached to the pipes of stoves and ranges, are very convenient places for placing bread to, rise. They give the necessary warmth, and the height is conven- ient for watching. The proportion of gluten in wheat, and consequently in flour, varies greatly in different varieties. Flour in which gluten is abundant will absorb much more liquid than that which contains a greater proportion of starch, and consequently is stronger; that is, will make more bread to a given quantity. Gluten is a flesh-former, and starch a heat-giver, in the nutritive processes of the body. Flour containing a good proportion of gluten remains a compact mass when compressed in the hand, while starchy flour crumbles and lacks adhesive properties. Neither gluten or starch dissolve in cold water. The gluten is a grayish, tough, elastic substance. In yeast-bread, the yeast, in fermenting, combines with the sugar in the flour and the sugar which has been added to the flour, and car- bonic acid gas and alcohol are produced. The gas tries to escape, but is confined by the elastic, strong gluten which forms the walls of the cells in which it is held, its expansion changing the solid dough into a light, spongy mass. The kneading process distributes the yeast thoroughly through the bread, making the grain even. The water used in mixing the bread softens the gluten, and cements all the particles of flour together, ready for the action of the car- bonic acid gas. In baking, the loaf grows larger as the heat ex- pands the carbonic acid gas, and converts the water into steam and the alcohol into vapor, but it, meantime, loses one-sixth of its weight by the escape of these through the pores of the bread. Some of the starch changes into gum, the cells of the rest are broken by the heat, the gluten is softened and made tender, and the bread is in the condition most easily acted upon by the digestive fluids. There is a great difference of opinion as to the comparative mer- its of bread made from fine flour, and Graham, or whole wheat 16 BREAD-MAKING. flour. The latter is undoubtedly best for persons who lead seden- tary lives, as the coarse particles stimulate the digestive organs, causing the fluids to flow more freely; while for those who follow active, out-of-door pursuits, the fine flour bread is probably best, as being more nutritious and economical, because wholly digested. There is an old and true saying, that ' ' she who has baked a good batch of bread has done a good days work." Bread-making should stand at the head of domestic accomplishments, since the health and happiness of the family depends immeasurably upon good bread ; and there is certain to come a time in the experience of every true, thoughtful woman when she is glad and proud of her ability to make nice, sweet loaves, free from soda, alum, and other injurious ingredients, or bitter regret that she neglected to learn, or was so unfortunate as not to have been taught, at least the first requisites of good bread-making. GRAHAM AND CORN BREAD. It is very desirable that every family should have a constant supply of bread made of unbolted flour, or rye and Indian corn. Most persons find it palatable, and it promotes health. For these coarse breads, always add a little brown sugar or molasses, and the amount given in the recipes may be increased according to taste. They rise quicker and in a less warm atmosphere than without sweetening. A little lard or butter improves Dread or cakes made of Graham or Indian meal, rendering them light and tender. Graham rises rather more quickly than fine flour (as the whole wheat flour contains a larger proportion of gluten, and fermentation is more rapid), and should not be allowed to rise quite as light. The pans should be greased more thoroughly for Graham and corn bread than for that made from fine flour. The fire should be steady and sufficient to complete the baking, and the oven hot when the bread is put in. A fresh blaze will burn the crust, while a steady fire will sweeten it. Graham bread bakes more slowly than fine- flour bread, and corn bread requires more time and a hotter oven than either. Use either yellow or white corn, ground coarse, for mush, and white, ground fine, for bread, etc. In cutting the latter while warm, heat the knife, and hold it perpendicularly. Eye is BREAD-MAKING. 17 said to absorb more moisture from the air than any other grain; hence, all bread from this meal needs a longer application of heat, and keeps moister after being baked than that made from other grain. SPONGE FOR WINTER USE. % Peel and boil four or five medium -sized potatoes in two quarts of water (which will boil down to one quart by thet ime the potatoes are cooked) : when done, take out and press through a colander, or mash very fine in the crock in which the sponge is to be made ; make a well in the center, into which put one cup of flour, and pour over it the boiling water from the potatoes ; stir thoroughly, and when cool add a pint of tepid water, flour enough to make a thin batter, and a cup of yeast. This sponge makes very moist bread. BREAD SPONGE. Six potatoes boiled and mashed while hot, two table-spoons of white sugar, two of butter, one quart tepid water; into this stir three cups flour ; beat to a smooth batter, add six table-spoons yeast ; set over night, and, in the morning, knead in sufficient flour to make a stiff, spongy dough ; knead vigorously for fifteen min- utes, set away to rise, and, when light, knead for ten minutes; mold out into moderate-sized loaves, and let rise until they are like deli- cate or light sponge-cake. Mrs. George H. Rust BREAD SPONGE AND BREAD. Five pints warm water, five quarts sifted flour, one coffee-cup yeast ; mix in a' two-gallon stone jar, cover closely, and set in a large tin pan, so that if the sponge rises over the top of the jar, the drippings may fall into the pan. Set to rise the evening before baking. In winter be careful to set in a warm place. In the morn- ing sift six quarts flour into a pail, pour the sponge into a bread- pan or bowl, add two table-spoons of salt, then the flour gradually ; mix and knead well, using up nearly all the flour. This first kneading is the most important, and should occupy at least twenty minutes. Make the bread in one large loaf, set away in a warm place, and cover with a cloth. It ought to rise in half an hour, when it should be kneaded thoroughly again for ten minutes. Then 2 18 BREAD-MAKIXG. take enough dough for three good-sun I loaves (a quart howl of dough to each), give five minutes kneading to each loaf, and place to rise in a dripping-pan well greased with lard. The loaves will be light in five or ten minutes, and will bake in a properly heated oven in half an hour. Make a well in the center of the remaining dough, and into it put a half tea-cup of white sugar, one tea-cup of lard, and two eggs, which mix thoroughly with the dough, knead into one large loaf, set in a warm place about fifteen minutes to rise, and, when light, knead five minutes and let rise again for about ten minutes, when it should be light. Take out of pan, and knead on bread-board, roll about an inch in thickness, cut out with a biscuit- cutter, and place in dripping-pan ; let rise five minutes and bake twenty minutes. In winter more time must be allowed for rising. This makes three loaves and ninety biscuit. BKEAD WITH BUTTERMILK. The evening before baking, bring to the boiling point two quarts of buttermilk (or boil sour milk and take the same quantity of the whey), and pour into a crock in which a scant tea-cup of sifted flour has been placed. Let stand till sufficiently cool, then add half a cup of yeast, and flour to make a thick batter ; the better and longer the sponge is stirred the whiter will be the bread. In the morning sift the flour into the bread-pan, pour the sponge in the center, stir in some of the flour, and let stand until after break- fast ; then mix, kneading for about half an hour, the longer the better ; when light, mold into loaves, this time kneading as little as possible. The secret of good bread is having good yeast, and not baking too hard. This makes four loaves and forty biscuit. Mrs. M. G. Moore, GOOD BREAD. For four small loaves boil four large potatoes ; when done, pour off the water, and when it cools add to it a yeast cake ; mash the potato very fine, put through a sieve, pour boiling milk on as much flour as is needed, let stand until cool, add the potato and yeast, a large tea-spoon of salt and one table-spoon of sugar ; stir very stiff, adding flour as is needed. Let stand in a warm place until light, BREAD-MAKING. 19 dissolve one tea-spoon of soda in a little hot water, mix well through with the hands, mold into loaves, and let rise again. When suffi- ciently raised place in a moderately hot oven, keeping up a steady fire. Mrs. Governor Hardin, Missouri. HOP-YEAST BREAD. One tea-cup yeast, three pints warm water ; make a thin sponge at tea time, cover and let it remain two hours or until very light. By adding the water to the flour first and having the sponge quite warm, it is never necessary to put the sponge over hot water or in an oven to make it rise. Knead into a loaf before going to bed ; in the morning mold into three loaves, spreading a little lard between as they are put in the pan. When light, bake one hour, having oven quite hot when the bread is put in, and very moderate when it is done. (Bread made in this way is never sour or heavy.) To have fine, light biscuit, add shortening at night, and in the morning make into biscuit and bake for breakfast. By this recipe bread is baked before the stove is cold from breakfast, and out of the way for other baking. To cool bread there should be a board for the purpose. An oaken board, covered with heavy white flannel, is the best ; over this spread a fresh linen bread-cloth, and lay the bread on it right side up, with nothing over it except a very thin cover to keep off the flies. It should be placed immediately in the fresh air or wind to cool ; when cool, place immediately in a tin box or stone jar, and cover closely. Bread cooled in this way will have a soft crust, and be filled with pure air. Mrs J. T. Liggett, Detroit, BREAD WITH POTATO SPONGE. Pare and boil four or five potatoes, mash fine, and add one pint of flour ; pour on the mixture first boiling water enough to moisten well, then about one quart of cold water, after which add flour enough to make a stiff batter. When cooled to "scarcely milk warm," put in one-half pint (or more will do no harm) of yeast, and let it stand in a warm place over night ; in the morning add to this sponge one cup of lard, stir in flour, and knead well. The more kneading the finer and whiter the bread will be ; pounding also with a potato-masher improves the bread greatly, and is rather 20 BRKAD-MAKIXG. easier than so much kneading. When quite stiff and well worked and pounded, let it rise again, and when light, make into loaves or biseuit, adding no more flour except to flour the hands and board- merely enough to prevent the bread from sticking. Let it rise arrain, then bake; and immediately after taking from the oven, o o wrap in a wet towel until partly cold, in order to soften the crust. If yeast and flour are good (essentials in all cases), the above process will make good bread. J//x Clara Morey POOR-MAN'S BREAD. One pint of buttermilk or sour milk, one level tea-spoon soda, a pinch of salt, and flour enough to make as stiff as soda-biscuit dough ; cut into three pieces, handle as little as possible, roll an inch thick, place in dripping-pan, bake twenty or thirty minutes in a hot oven, and, when done, wrap in a bread cloth. Eat while warm, breaking open like a biscuit. Each cake will be about the size of a pie. Mrs. D. B. BREAD WITH POTATOES. To one quart of blood-warm water or milk (if milk is used, it must first be scalded and then cooled to blood heat) , take two quarts sifted flour and one teacup fresh potato yeast. Put the milk or water into a one-gallon stone crock and stir the flour gradually into it, then add the yeast, beating it vigorously for fifteen minutes; set to rise in a warm place, putting the crock in a pan (to catch the drippings if it should run over). If in winter, mix it as early as six or seven o'clock m tne evening. Cover very closely with a clean white cloth, with a blanket over it, kept purposely for this (the cloths used for bread should not be taken for any thing else). In the morning, sift three quarts of flour into the bread-pan, setting it in the oven for a few minutes to bring it to the same temperature as the sponge. Pare six medium-sized potatoes, and boil them in three pints of water ; when thoroughly cooked, remove the potatoes and pour the boiling hot water (which will now be about one quart) over the flour, stirring it with a spoon. Mash the potatoes very fine, and beat them as if for the table ; mix them in the flour, and when cooled to blood heat, pour in the sponge, and mix well. Add more wetting or flour if needed, rub off all that adheres to the sides BREAD-MAKING. 21 of the pan, and mix with the dough, kneading it from forty-five minutes to one hour ; then place the pan to rise, cover closely with the cloth and blanket, setting it where there is no draft (this is im- perative). When it has risen to twice its size, knead down in the pan, take one quart of dough for each loaf, knead each five min- utes with quick, elastic movements, grease the sides of the loaves with sweet, melted butter if two or more are placed in the same pan ; or the loaves may be greased all over lightly before placing in the pan, a process Avhich adds much to the sweetness of the crust. The pan should be thoroughly but lightly greased. Let rise until as large again as when molded, then bake. Have your oven mod- erately heated at first, with a fire in the stove that will keep it of a uniform temperature. (For manner of testing oven, see geneual instructions for bread-making.) Bake from three-quarters of an hour to one hour and a quarter, according to the size of the loaves, during which time the bread should be carefully watched to see that the proper degree of heat is steadily kept up. Before brow r ning they will have risen to double their size when placed in the oven. The heat of the oven is all important, for if too hot the loaves will not rise sufficiently; if too cold they will rise too much, and the bread will be coarse and porous. When done, place on side, and cool without covering. Never use flour without sifting, as sifting enlivens and aerates the flour, and makes both mixing and rising easier and quicker. Quick rising makes whiter bread, and it is very necessary that -in all its different risings, bread should be mixed as eoon as ready. HulcLali, iSlieboygan, Me. BREAD RAISED ONCE. No other yeast is made with so little trouble as potato yeast. Bread made from it keeps moist longer, and there is no danger of injuring the flavor of the bread by using too much. When plen- tifully used, a beautiful, light, sweet, fine-grained bread is produced by only one rising, thus saving not only time and trouble, but also, what is more important, the sweet flavor and nutritious qualities which greatly suffer by the second fermentation, almost universally practiced. When this fact is thoroughly understood, every one will Appreciate the importance of checking excessive fermentation^ dur- 22 BREAD-MAKING. ing which decomposition actually takes place, and the delicate, foamy loaves, " yeasted to death," which so many families now use and call the " staff of life," will give place to the sweet, substantial home-made loaves, such as our good mothers and grandmothers kneaded with their own skilled hands. Take care that the yeast is good and " lively," for, without this, failure is certain. To make three loaves of bread, warm and lightly grease the baking-pans, sift three quarts or more of flour into the bread-pan, press down the middle, and into it put two small table- spoons of fine salt ; pour in slowly one quart of milk- warm water, constantly stirring with one hand in the flour, until a thin batter is formed; add a pint or more of potato yeast or one tea-cup of hop yeast. (If compressed yeast is used, a yeast cake, dissolved in warm water, or a piece of compressed yeast as large as a walnut, dissolved in the same manner, is sufficient.) Mix thoroughly, add- ing more and more flour, until a stiff dough is formed; place on the bread-board, knead vigorously for twenty minutes or more, flouring the board frequently to prevent the dough from sticking to it, divide into loaves of a size to suit pans, mold into a comely shape, place in pans, rub over the top a light coating of sweet, drawn butter, set in a warm, not too hot place to rise, cover lightly to keep off dust and air, watch and occasionally turn the pans around when necessary to make the loaves rise evenly ; when risen to about double the original size, draw across the top of each length- wise with a sharp knife, making a slit half an inch deep, place them in a moderately heated oven, and bake one hour, watching carefully from time to time to make certain that a proper degree of laeat is kept up. Before browning they will rise to double the size of loaf which was placed in the oven, and pans must be provided deep enough to retain them in shape. Bake until well done and nicely browned. Nothing adds more to the sweetness and digesti- bility of wheaten bread than thorough baking. When done, re- move from pans immediately, to prevent the sweating and softening of the crust. Mrs. L. B. Lyman, Antiock, Ccd. BREAD-MAKING. 23 BREAD RAISED TWICE. Measure out four quarts of sifted flour, take out a pint in a cup, and place remainder in a bread-pan. Make a well in the middle, into which turn one table-spoon sugar, one of salt, and one cup of yeast; then mix in one pint of milk which has been made blood- warm by adding one pint of boiling water ; beat well with a strong spoon, add one table-spoon lard, knead for twenty to thirty minutes, and let rise over night; in the morning knead again, make into loaves, let them rise one^hour, and bake fifty minutes. Water may be used instead of the pint of milk, in which case use twice as much lard. BREAD RAISED THREE TIMES. Begin about 5 P. M., plan for six loaves, somewhat larger than bakers' loaves; take two little cakes of yeast, put them into a pint of tepid water, and, when soft, beat in thoroughly enough flour to make a thick batter, and put in a warm place. If the excellent "Farmer's Yeast," the recipe for which is given hereafter, is used, take half a tea-cup and stir into the batter. A good dish for this purpose is a large bowl, a broad open pitcher, or a bright three- quart tin pail, and it should be clean in the strictest sense. This should rise in about two hours ; and when nearly light, take six or eight medium-sized potatoes, pare neatly, rinse clean, and boil in three pints of water till well done, mash very fine in the water while hot. Have ready a bread-pan of sifted flour, into which put a tea-spoon of salt, half a cup of white sugar, and a bit of lard as large as an egg ; then riddle the potato mash, hot as it is, through a sieve or fine colander into the flour, and stir with a kitchen spoon into a stiff dough. This scalds about half the flour used in the batch f bread. This mass must cool till it will not scald the yeast, which may now be mixed in and put in a warm, not hot, place for second rising, which will be accomplished by morning, when the kneading may be done. Kneading is the finest point of bread-mak- ing, and contains more of the art than any other; it requires skill, time, patience, and hard work. Work in flour no faster than is re- quired to allow thorough kneading, which can not be done in less than forty-five minutes, but should not be worked much over an 24 BREAD-MAKING. hour; one hour is a good uniform rule. The mechanical bakers use sets of rollers driven by steam power, between which the dough is passed, coming out a sheet an inch thick; it is folded together several times and rolled again and again. This process should be imitated somewhat by the hands in the family kitchen. The work- ing of the dough gives grain and flakiness to the bread. The dough when kneaded should be soft, but not sticky stiff enough to retain its roundness on the board. Put back into the pan for the third rising, which will require but little time, and when light, cut off enough for each loaf by itself. Knead but little, and put into the baking-pans. If the first kneading has been well done, no more flour will be needed in molding into loaves. These must remain in the baking-pans till nearly as large as the loaves ought to be, when they may be put into a well-heated oven. If the oven is a trifle too hot, or if it tends to bake hard on the top, a piece of brown paper may be put over the loaves (save some clean grocer's paper for this purpose), and fvom forty to sixty minutes will cook it thor- oughly. After the loaves are put into the baking-pans, avoid jar- ring them, as it will make portions of them heavy. If the yeast is "set" at 5 P. M., the bread will be ready for dinner next day; if in the morning, the baking will be done early in the evening, or twelve hours after, with fair temperature and good yeast. Bread raade in this way will be good for a week, and, with fair weather t^d careful keeping, even two weeks. When dry, a slice toasted will be as crisp, sweet, and granular as Yan- kee ginger-bread. Mrs. H. Young, , IN SUMMER OR WINTEP. In summer take three pints of cold or tepid water, four table- spoons of yeast, one tea-spoon of salt; stir in flour enough to make a thick sponge (rather thicker than griddle-cakes). Let stand until morning, then add more flour, mix stiff, and knead ten minutes; place in a pan, let rise until light, knead for another ten minutes; mold into four loaves, and set to rise, but do not let it get too light; bake in a moderate oven one hour. If bread is mixed at six o'clock in the morning, the baking ought to be done by ten o'clock. In winter take one pint of buttermilk or clabbered milk ; let it BREAD-MAKING. 25 scald (not boil) ; make a well in the center of the flour, into it turn the hot milk, add one tea-spoon of salt, enough flour and water to make sufficient sponge, and one tea-cup of yeast; let stand until morning, and then prepare the bread as in summer. This is more convenient to make in winter, since a hot fire is needed to heat the milk. Mrs. D. Buxton, SALT -RISING BREAD. The leaven for this bread is prepared thus : Take a pint of warm water about 90 (if a little too hot defeat is certain) in a per- fectly clean bowl and stir up a thick batter, adding only a tea-spoon of salt ; a thorough beating of the batter is important. Set in a pan of warm water to secure uniformity of temperature, and in two to four hours it will begin to rise. The rising is much more sure if coarse flour or "shorts" is used instead of fine flour. When your * ' rising " is nearly light enough, take a pint of milk and a pint of boiling water, (a table-spoon of lime water added is good, and often prevents souring), mix the sponge in the bread-pan, and when cooled to about milk-warm, stir in the rising. The sponge thus made will be light in two to four hours, with good warmth. The dough requires less kneading than yeast-raised dough. The bread is simpler, but not so certain of rising, and you leave out all the ingredients save the flour, water (milk is not essential), and a pinch of salt. It should be made more frequently as it dries faster than bread containing potatoes. Some object to it because of the odor in rising, which is the result of acetous fermentation, but the more of that the more sure you are of having sweet bread when baked. Mrs. H. Young, ANOTHER SALT-RISING BREAD. In summer take at night one (scant) pint of new milk, half as much hot water, a tea-spoon salt, one of sugar, and a very little soda. Mix all in a nice, sweet pitcher (it must be perfectly clean and sweet), stir in one table-spoon of corn meal, and add flour enough to make a medium batter ; stir well, place the pitcher in an iron kettle with quite warm water, using so much water that the pitcher will barely rest on the bottom of the kettle ; cover closely and leave all night (on the stove if the fire is nearly out) where it will be 26 BREAD-MAKING. kept warm, not hot, for an hour or two. If the pitcher is not too large, it will probably be full in the morning; if not, add a spoon of flour, stir well, warm the water in the kettle, replace the pitcher, cover, and keep it warm until light. Have ready two quarts of sifted flour in a pan, make a hole in the center, put in an even tea-spoon of salt, a tea-cup of nearly boiling water ; add one pint of new milk, and stir a batter there in the center of the flour, add the "emptyings "from the pitcher, and stir well (there will be a good deal of flour all round the batter ; this is right) ; cover with another pan, keep warm until light it will rise in an hour or even less when it is ready to be well kneaded, and made directly into loaves, which place in the baking-pans, keep well covered and warm until light, when it is ready to bake. The secret of success is to keep it warm.but not at all hot. This bread is good if no milk is used ; indeed, some prefer it made with water alone instead of milk and water. In cold weather, if kitchen is cold at night, do not set " emptyings" over night, but make early in the morning. Havillah, Farina, BOSTON BROWN BREAD. One heaping coffee-cup each of corn, rye and Graham meal. The rye meal should be as fine as the Graham, or rye flour may be used. Sift the three kinds together as closely as possible, and beat together thoroughly with two cups New Orleans or Porto Rico mo- lasses, two cups sweet milk, one cup sour milk, one dessert-spoon soda, one tea-spoon salt; pour into a tin form, place in a kettle of cold water, put on and boil four hours. Put on to cook as soon as mixed. It may appear to be too thin, but it is not, as this recipe has never been known to fail. Serve warm, with baked beans or Thanksgiving turkey. The bread should not quite fill the form (or a tin pail with cover will answer), as it must have room to swell. See that .the water does not boil up to the top of the form; also take care it does not boil entirely away or stop boiling. To serve it, remove the lid and set it a few moments into the open oven to dry the top, and it will then turn out in perfect shape. This bread can be used as a pudding, and served with a sauce made of thick sour cream, well sweetened and seasoned with nutmeg ; or it is good toasted the next day. Mrs. H. S. Stevens, Minneapolis, Minn. BREAD-MAKING. 27 EASTERN BROWN BREAD. One pint each of rye or Graham and Indian meal, one cup mo- lasses, three-fourths cup sour milk, one and one-half tea-spoons soda, one and one-half pints cold water. Put on stove over cold watei (all brown breads are better when put on to steam over cold water, which is afterwards brought to the boiling point and kept con- stantly boiling until bread is done); steam four hours, and brown over in the oven. BROWN BREAD. Two and one-half cups sour milk, and one-half cup molasses; into these put one heaping tea-spoon soda, two cups corn meal, one cup Graham flour and one tea-spoon salt. Use coffee cups. Steam three hours, and afterwards brown in oven. Mrs. D. Bassett, Min* "leapolis, Minn. BROWN BREAD WITH HORSFORD'S BREAD PREPARATION. One and a fourth cups sweet milk, one cup each corn meal and Graham, one-half cup molasses, and one measure (measures are furnished with the Horsford) each of Horsford's Bread Preparation. Use coffee cups. BREAD WITH MUSH. Pour two quarts hot corn-meal mush, made as for eating, over two quarts flour (wheat or Graham); when cool, add one quart sponge, one coffee cup molasses, one tea-spoon salt, half tea-spoon soda; mix well together; add more flour if needed, and knead thoroughly ; mold into small loaves ; let rise and bake in small dripping pans (a loaf in a pan), or pie-tins, in a moderate oven; when done, rub over with butter, place on the side, wrap in a cloth, and when cold put in a jar or box. This recipe makes three good- sized loaves and keeps moist longer than all Graham bread. Mrs. W. W. Woods, Marysville, Ohio. BOSTON CORN BREAD. One cup sweet milk, two cups sour milk, two- thirds cup molas* ses, one cup flour, four cups corn meal, two tea-spoons soda; steam three hours, and brown a few minutes in the oven. Mrs. Canby f Bellefontaine, Ohio. 28 BREAD-MAKING. MRS. B.'s CORN BREAD. One quart sour milk, three eggs, two table-spoons lard or butter (or half and half), one table-spoon sugar, a pinch of salt, handful of wheat flour, and enough corn meal (sifted) to make a good bat- ter ; add one heaping tea-spoon soda, stir thoroughly, and bake in long dripping pan. BOILED CORN BREAD. One and one-fourth pints each of sweet milk and buttermilk or sour cream, half a pint molasses, one tea-spoon soda, three tea- spoons cream tartar, one even table-spoon salt, one and a fourth pints each of corn meal and flour ; sift the soda and cream tartar in the flour ; mix all the ingredients thoroughly together and put in a buttered tin pail ; cover closely, place in a kettle two-thirds full of boiling water ; cover, and boil steadily for three hours, replenish- ing when needful with boiling water. To be eaten hot with butter. Mrs. 1. N. Burritt in "In the Kitchen." CORN BREAD. One pint corn meal sifted, one pint flour, one pint sour milk, two eggs beaten light, one-half cup sugar, piece of butter size of an egg ; add, the last thing, one tea-spoon soda in a little milk ; add to the beaten egg the milk and meal alternately, then the butter and sugar. If sweet milk is used, add one tea-spoon cream tartar ; bake twenty minutes in a hot oven. Mrs. H. B. Sherman, Mihvaukee, Wisconsin. CORN BREAD. Take one quart buttermilk, and one heaping pint corn meal, one tea-spoon soda, one of salt, one table-spoon sugar and three eggs ; have the stove very hot, and do not bake in too deep a pan. The batter seems too thin, but bakes very nicely. Mrs. J. H. Shearer., Marysville, Ohio. THE BREAD OF OUR FOREFATHERS. Put in a pan two quarts of meal, a half-pint of flour, stir up well ; pour in the center a pint of boiling water, stir up enough of the meal to make a thin batter; when cool, put in a cup of yeast, a tea-spoon of salt and enough warm water to make a thick batter ; let rise, then place in a deep, well-greased pan, cover with another BREAD-MAKING. 29 pan, and place in a moderate oven. When nearly done, remove the cover, and bake slowly until done. Excellent when cold. All baking-pans for bread should be made with covers, made of the same material, and high enough to permit the bread to rise to its full size. If pan is deep enough to permit the bread to rise without touching it, a flat piece of tin or sheet-iron will answer for the cover, or a cover may be made of paper, or another pan may; be inverted over the bread. The office of the cover is to prevent the crust from browning hard before the expansion of the gases has made the bread light and porous. Mrs. C. V. Collier, Litchfield, Minnesota. PLAIN CORN BREAD. One well-heaped pint corn meal, one pint sour or buttermilk, one egg, one tea-spoon soda, one of salt ; bake in dripping or gem pans. If preferred, one heaping table-spoon of sugar may be added. STEAMED CORN BREAD. Two cups each corn meal, Graham flour and sour milk, two- thirds cup molasses, one tea-spoon soda; steam two hours and a half. Mrs. Jennie Gutkrie Cherry, Newark. GRAHAM BREAD. Take a little over a quart of warm water, one-half cup brown sugar or molasses, one-fourth cup hop yeast, and one and one-half tea-spoons salt; thicken the water with unbolted flour to a thin bat- ter ; add sugar, salt and yeast, and stir in more flour until quite stiff. In the morning add a small tea-spoon soda, and flour enough to make the batter stiff as can be stirred with a spoon ; put it into pans and let rise again; then bake in even oven,, not too hot at first ; keep warm while rising ; smooth over the loaves with a spoon or knife dipped in water. Mrs. H. B. Sherman, Plankinton House, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. GRAHAM BREAD. Mix three quarts Graham flour, one quart warm water, half pint yeast, a quarter-pint molasses, and one table-spoon salt, thoroughly; put in well-buttered pans, and leave in a warm place to rise, or let it rise over night at 60. If left to rise slowly, let it remain in the bowl in which it was mixed, and unless very light when put in 30 BREAD-MAKING. % pans, let it stand fifteen jor twenty minutes before putting in the oven. GRAHAM BREAD. To one and a half pints of tepid water add one heaping tea-spooa of salt and one-half cup of sugar ; stir in one-half pint or more of the sponge made of white flour, as in recipe for " Bread with Potato Yeast;" add Graham flour until almost too stiff to stir-, put in the baking-pan and let rise well, which will take about two hours, bake in a moderate oven, and when done, wrap in a wet towel until cool. Mrs. Clara Woods Morey. QUICK GRAHAM BREAD. One and a half pints sour milk, half cup New Orleans molasses, a little salt, two tea-spoons soda dissolved in a little hot water, and as much Graham flour as can be stirred in with a spoon ; pour in well-greased pan, put in oven as soon as mixed, and bake two hours. Mrs. E. J. W. t RYE AND INDIAN BREAD. One quart of rye meal or rye flour, two quarts of Indian meal, scalded (by placing in a pan and pouring just enough boiling water over it, stirring constantly with a spoon, to merely wet it, but not enough to make it into a batter), one-half tea-cup molasses, two tea- spoons salt, one of soda, one tea-cup yeast ; make as stiff as can be stirred with a spoon, mixing with warm water, and let rise all night; then put in a large pan, smooth the top with the hand dipped in cold water, let it stand a short time, and bake five or six hours. If put in the oven late in the day, let it remain all night. Graham may be used instead of rye, and baked as above. In olden time it was placed in kettle, allowed to rise, then placed the hearth before the fire, with coals on top of lid, and baked. Mrs. Charles FuUington, Marysville, Ohio. RYE BREAD. Make a sponge of one quart warm water, one tea cup yeast, thickened with rye flour ; put in warm place to rise over night ; scald one pint corn meal ; when cool add it to sponge, and add rye flour till thick enough to knead, knead but little, let rise, meld into BREAKFAST AND TEA CAKES. 31 ]oaves, place in deep pie-tins or small pudding-pans, let rise and bake ; or, thicken the sponge with rye flour, and proceed as above. Wheat sponge may be used instead of rye. Mrs. Eliza T. Carson, Delaware, Ohio. EYE BREAD. Make sponge as for wheat bread, let rise over night, then mix it up with the rye flour (not so stiff as wheat bread), and bake. BREAKFAST AND TEA CAKES. To make biscuit, take a part of the dough left from bread-making when it is ready to mold into loaves, work in the lard and any other ingredients desired, such as butter, eggs, sugar, spice, etc., also using a little more flour ; let rise once, then mix down and let rise again, turn out on A ,he bread-board, knead a few minutes, roll, and cut out with a biscuit-cutter or mold with the hand. Place in a well-greased dripping-pan, and when light bake in a quick oven from fifteen to twenty minutes. To make them a nice color, wet the top with warm water just before placing in the oven. To glaze, brush lightly with milk and sugar, or the well-beaten yolk of an egg sweetened, and a little milk added. Biscuit may be baked in eight minutes by making the oven as hot as can be without burning, and allowing it to cool off gradually as they bake ; this makes them very light, but one has to watch closely to keep them from being scorched. Any kind of bread or pastry mixed with water requires a hotter fire than that mixed with milk. Biscuit and rolls should be allowed to rise one-half longer than bread loaves, because the loaves of the former, being smaller, are penetrated sooner by the heat, and, of course, the fermentation is stopped sooner, and the rolls do not rise so much in the oven. Biscuit for tea at six must be molded two hours before, which will give ample time for rising and baking. Parker House rolls for breakfast at eight must be made ready at five. Many think it 32 BREAKFAST AND TEA CAKES. unnecessary to knead down either bread or biscuit as often as here directed ; but if attention is given to the dough at the right time, and it is not suffered to become too light, it will be much nicer, whiter, and of a finer texture if these directions are followed. The almost universal custom is to set the sponge at night, but many excellent bread-makers differ widely from this in practice, and their objections deserve candid consideration in this nineteenth cen- tury, when so much is written of dyspepsia and its causes. Some medical authorities assert that cancer in the stomach has its origin in dyspepsia, which, in the beginning, is caused by the use of indi- gestible yeast bread, in which the process of fermentation has been allowed to go so far that a certain amount of actual decomposition has taken place. This is not the fault of such recipes as are given in this volume, but from failure to mix the bread at each suc- cessive rising at the proper time. The objection to setting sponge at night is, that it stands too long. Bread, to be white, sweet, and digestible, must be mixed immediately after the sponge has risen to the proper point, which may be known by its puffy appearance, usually rising higher in the middle titan at the sides of the crock ; if it sinks in the center, it has stood too long. The process of bread-making discovered by Prof. Horsford, of Harvard College, deserves the attention of all housekeepers. It is claimed, and with good reason, that the Horsford process prevents all decomposition, saves all the nutritious properties of the bread, and, by the addition of acid phosphate, renders it more easy of digestion. Besides this, the use of Horsford's Bread Preparation saves times, simplifies the whole process of bread-making, saves labor, and reduces the chances of failure to the minimum. These are considerations of great moment, especially to inexperienced housekeepers, leaving entirely out of consideration the fact that this bread may be eaten with impunity by persons whose delicate di- gestive organs are impaired by the use of ordinary yeast bread. It is certain that for rolls, biscuits, griddle-cakes, and the whole list of "Breakfast and Tea Cakes," the "Bread Preparation" is supe- rior to yeast or soda, or any of the baking-powders in common use. Soda biscuit must be handled as little and made as rapidly as possible ; mix soda and cream tartar or baking-powder in the flour BREAKFAST AND TEA CAKES. (with sweet milk use baking-powder or soda and cream tartar, with sour milk soda alone), so that the effervescence takes place in the mixture. One tea-spoon soda and two of cream tartar, or three tea-spoons baking-powder, to every two pints of flour, is about the right proportion. Bake in a quick oven as soon as made, and they rise more quickly if put into hot pans. Gems of all kinds require a hot oven, but the fire should be built some time before they are put into the oven, and allowed to go down by the time they are light, as the heat necessary to raise them will burn them in baking 4f kept up. All biscuit and bread, except brown and Graham bread, should foe pricked with a fork before putting them in the oven. Soda and raised biscuit and bread or cake, when stale, can be inade almost as nice as fresh by plunging for an instant into cold water, and then placing in a pan in the oven ten or fifteen minutes ; thus treated they should be used immediately. Waffle-irons should be heated, then buttered or greased with lard, and one side filled with batter, closed and laid on the fire or .placed on the stove, and after a few minutes turned on the other side. They take about twice as long to bake as griddle-cakes, and are delicious with a dressing of ground cinnamon. Muffins are baked in muffin-rings. In eating them, do not cut but break them open. The success of these recipes, and all others in this book in which *oda and cream tartar are used, will depend on the purity of these ingredients. Always buy the pure English bicarbonate of soda, and the pure cream tartar. They are higher-priced, but cheaper in the end, and are free from injurious substances. When not found at the grocer's, they may generally be had at the druggist's. BAKING POWDEE. Sixteen ounces corn starch, eight of bicarbonate of soda, five of tartaric acid ; mix thoroughly. Mrs. Dr. Allen, Oberlin, Ohio. Eight ounces flour, eight of English bicarbonate of soda, seven of tartaric acid ; mix thoroughly by passing several times through a sieve. Mrs. Trimble, Mt. GHead, Ohio. 3 34 BREAKFAST AND TEA CAKES. BREAKFAST CAKE. Two table-spoons sugar, two of butter, two eggs, one cup milk, one (scanty) quart flour, one tea-spoon soda, two of cream tartar; bake twenty minutes in a quick oven. Mrs. Emily L. Burnham, South Norwalk, Conn. CINNAMON CAKE. When yeast bread is ready to knead from the sponge, knead and roll out three-fourths of an inch thick, put thin slices of butter on the top, sprinkle with cinnamon, and then with sugar; let rise well and bake. Mix M. E. Wilcox, Seima, Alabama. BUNS. Break one egg into a cup and fill with sweet milk ; mix with it half cup yeast, half cup butter, one cup sugar, enough flour to make a soft dough ; flavor with nutmeg. Let rise till very light, then mold into biscuit with a few currants. Let rise a second time in pan; bake, and, when nearly done, glaze with a little molassea and milk. Use the same cup, no matter about the size, for each measure. Mrs. W. A. James. BUTTERED TOAST. Although toast is commonly used, few know how to prepare it nicely. Take bread not too fresh, cut thin and evenly, trim off the crust-edges for the crumb-jar; first warm each side of the bread, then present the first side again to the fire until it takes on a rich, even, brown color ; treat the other side in the same way ; butter and serve immediately. The coals should be bright and hot. Toast properly made is very digestible, because all the moisture is ex- tracted, and the bread has become pure farina of wheat; but when it is exposed to a hot fire and the outside charred, the inside remains as moist as ever, and butter applied to it while warm does not pene- trate, but floats on the surface in the form of rancid oil. Or, beat one cup of butter and three table-spoons flour to a cream, pour over this one and a half pints boiling water ; place over a kettle of boil- ing water for ten minutes, dip into it the toast, and serve hot, Or, dip each slice of toast in boiling hot water (slightly salted), spread with butter, cover and keep hot. BREAKFAST AND TEA CAKES. 35 EXCELLENT TOAST. Cut slices of a uniform thickness, of half an inch ; move around over a brisk fire, to have all parts toasted alike ; keep only so near the coals that the pieces will be heated through when both sides are well browned. If the slightest point is blackened or charred, scrape it off, or it will spoil the flavor of the whole. If covered with an earthen bowl, it will keep both warm and moist. A clean towel or napkin will answer if it is to go at once to the table. Stale bread may be used for milk-toast ; sour bread may be improved by toast- ing it through, but sweet, light bread, only a day old or less, makes the best toast. BREAKFAST TOAST. Add to one-half pint of sweet milk two table-spoons sugar, a little salt and a well-beaten egg ; dip in this slices of bread (if dry, let it soak a minute), and fry on a buttered griddle until it is a light brown on each side. This is a good way to use dry bread. Mrs. Dr. Morey, MENNONITE TOAST. Beat up three eggs well, add a pint of sweet milk and a pinch of salt; cut slices an inch thick from a loaf of baker's bread, remove crust, dip slices into the eggs and rnfik, fry like doughnuts in very hot lard or drippings, till a delicate brown, butter and sprinkle with powdered sugar, and serve hot. Mrs. J. P. Rea, BREAD PUFFS. If the wheat bread is light enough for the oven at breakfast time, have ready some hot lard in a deep kettle ; with the thumb and two fingers pull up some of the dough quite thin, and cut it some two or three inches in length ; as these pieces are cut, drop them in the lard and fry like doughnuts. At table they are eaten like biscuit ; they may also be served in a vegetable dish with a dressing of hot cream, seasoned with pepper and salt. In the Kitchen. LUCY'S POP-OVERS. Two tea-cups sweet milk, two tea-cups sifted flour, heaped a little, butter size of a walnut, two eggs, and one table-spoon sugar, a little salt ; bake in hot gem-pans, filled half full, for twenty minutes, and eerve immediately. Mrs. W. A. James, Marshall, 36 BREAKFAST AND TEA CAKES. POCKET-BOOKS. Warm one quart new milk, add one cup butter or lard, four table- spoons sugar, and two well-beaten eggs ; stir in flour enough to make a moderately stiff sponge, add a small cup of yeast, and set in a warm place to rise, which will take three or four hours; then mix in flour enough to make a soft dough and let rise again. When well risen, dissolve a lump of soda size of a bean in a spoon of milk, work it into the dough and roll into sheets one-half inch in thick- ness; spread with thin layer of butter, cut into squares, and fold over, pocket-book shape; put on tins or in pans to rise for a little while, when they will be fit for the oven. In summer the sponge can be made up in the morning, and rise in time to make for tea, In cool weather it is best to set it over night. Mrs. J. H. Shearer. KUSK. Two tea-cups raised dough, one tea-cup sugar, Imlf cup butter, two well-beaten eggs, flour enough to make a stiff dough ; set to rise, and when light, mold into high biscuit, and let rise again ; sift sugar and cinnamon over the top, and place in oven. Mrs. Mary Lee Gere, Champaign, RUSK. One pint milk, three eggs, one tea-cup each af butter and sugar, and one coffee-cup potato yeast; thicken with Hour, and sponge over night ; in the morning stir down, let rise, and stir down again ; when it rises make into a loaf, and let rise again ; then roll out like soda biscuit, cut and put in pans, and, when light, bake carefully. Or when baking take four cups dough, one-half cup butter, one cup sugar, three eggs; mix thoroughly, adding enough flour to mold easily ; let rise, make into rather high and narrow biscuit, let rise again, rub the tops with a little sugar and water, then sprinkle over them dry sugar. Bake twenty minutes. LEBANON RUSK. One cup mashed potatoes, one of sugar, one of home-made yeast, three eggs ; mix together; when raised light, add half cup butter or lard, and flour to make a soft dough, and, when quite light, mold into small cakes, and let them rise again before baking. If wanted for tea, set about nine A. M. Mrs. J. S. Stahr, BREAKFAST AND TEA CAKES. 37 BISCUIT. Dissolve one rounded table-spoon of butter in a pint of hot milk ; when lukewarm stir in one quart of flour, add one beaten egg, a little salt, and a tea-cup of yeast ; work into dough until smooth. If winter, set in a warm place ; if summer, in a cool one to rise. In the morning work softly and roll out one-half inch and cut into biscuit and set to rise for thirty minutes, when they will be ready to bake. These are delicious. BISCUIT. Take one quart sifted flour (loosely put in), one measure each of the acid and soda (or two heaping teaspoons acid and one moder- ately heaping teaspoon soda) of Horsford's Bread Preparation, one teaspoon salt, three gills of water; shape with a spoon and the floured hand. HARD TEA BISCUIT. Two pounds of flour, one-fourth pound butter, one salt-spoon salt, three gills milk ; cut up the butter and rub it in the flour, add the salt and milk, knead dough for half an hour, cut cakes about as large as a small tea-cup, and half an inch thick, prick with a fork, and bake in a moderate oven until they are a delicate brown. Mrs. Denmead, Columbus, HIGH BISCUIT. On baking days, reserve one small loaf and mix a rounded table- spoon butter, a level table-spoon sugar and one egg into it by pull- ing it to pieces with the hands ; knead into a loaf, let it rise, then, by rolling between the hands, make into balls the size of a small hen's egg, place in rows in very well greased dripping-pan ; when half full raise the end that is empty almost perpendicular, and shake gently until the balls slide compactly together, then add more, and continue doing so until the pan is full; rub over the top with melted butter, let rise until very light, and bake. Mildred. MAPLE BISCUIT. To the well-beaten yolks of twelve eggs, add half pound of powdered or granulated sugar and half a cup of sweet milk ; mix one tea-spoon baking-powder in a (scant) half pound of sifted flour, then sift the 38 BREAKFAST AND TEA CAKES, flour gently into the batter and add flavoring, bake in biscuit pans, spreading the batter one and a half to two inches thick in the pan. If rightly made it will be very light. Do not bake too fast, and have the oven about as for sponge cake. When cold, cut into slices three inches long and one inch wide. Ice the sides, ends and top with white, pink and chocolate icing. Dry in oven, and then, if desired, the bottom may be iced. Build in square blocks and place on table. Serve a plate of the white, one of the pink, and one of the brown, or they may be mixed in building. Mrs. J. S. Sperry, Nashville, Tenn. SOUTH CAROLINA BISCUIT. One quart sweet cream or milk, one and a half cups butter or fresh lard, two table-spoons white sugar, one good tea-spoon salt; add flour sufficient to make a stiff dough, knead well and mold into neat, small biscuit with the hands, as our grandmothers used to do ; add one good tea-spoon cream tartar if preferred ; bake well, and you have good sweet biscuit that will keep for weeks in a dry place, and are very nice for traveling lunch. They are such as we used to send to the army, and the " boys " relished them " hugely." Mrs. Colonel Moore, SODA BISCUIT. Put one quart of flour, before sifting, into sieve, with one tea- spoon soda and two of cream tartar (or three of baking powder), 6ne of salt, and one table-spoon white sugar; mix all thoroughly with the flour, run through sieve, rub in one level table-spoon of lard or butter (or half and half), wet with half pint sweet milk, roll on board about an inch thick, cut with biscuit cutter, and bake in a quick oven fifteen minutes. If you have not milk, use a little more butter, and wet with water. Handle as little and make as rapidly as possible. M. Parloa. SPOON-BISCUIT. One quart sour milk or buttermilk, one tea-spoon soda, a little salt, two table-spoons melted lard, and flour enough for a stiff bat- ter ; drop in a hot gem-pan and bake in a quick oven. Mrs. A. B. Morey. BREAKFAST AND TEA CAKES. 39 SALLY LUNN. Sift into a pan a pound and a half of flour, put in two ounces of butter warmed in a pint of new milk, one salt-spoon salt, three eggs well beaten, and two table-spoons of good yeast. Mix well to- gether, and put the whole into a tin pan well greased, and set to rise all night. Bake a little brown in a quick oven. Warm the milk and butter over water until the butter is melted ; beat the eggs in a two-quart !in-pail, and if the milk is not hot pour it over them. Stir in half the flour, then add the yeast, stirring thoroughly with the rest of the flour. Let rise over night. Some add two table- spoons sugar and use a tea-spoon soda and two of cream tartar instead of the yeast. Rhoda, Ballsville, TEA CAKE. One quart flour, one cup sour milk, one tea-spoon soda, one-half pound lard, one-half pound chopped raisins or currants ; roll two inches thick and bake in a quick oven; split open, butter, and eat while hot. Mrs. Canby BREAKFAST ROLLS. Mix the dough in the evening, according to directions in the recipe for " Bread Raised Once;" add a table-spoon of butter, and set where it will be a little warm until morning ; cut off pieces, and carefully shape them into rolls of the desired size by rolling them between the hands, but do not knead them; dip the sides of each into drawn butter when they are shaped, and place them in the baking-pan (the butter prevents their sticking together when baked, and they will be smooth and perfect when separated). Rub them over the top with drawn butter, and dust a little fine salt over the top ; set in a warm place, and they will quickly rise ready for baking. These are delicious. LONG BREAKFAST ROLLS. Three and one-half cups sweet milk, one cup butter and lard mixed in equal proportions, one cup potato yeast, flour enough to make into dough. Let rise over night ; in the morning add one beaten egg. Knead thoroughly, and let rise again. With the hands, make into balls as large as a small hen's egg ; then roll 40 BREAKFAST AND TEA CAKES. between the hands to make long rolls (about three inches), place close together in even rows in the pans. Let rise until light, and bake delicately. COFFEE KOLLS. Work into a quart of bread dough a rounded table-spoon of but- ter, and a half tea-cup of white sugar; add some dried currants (well washed and dried in the oven), sift some flour and sugar over them, work into the other ingredients, make into small rolls, dip into melted butter, place in tins, let rise a short time, and bake. DINNER OR FRENCH ROLLS. Make dough as directed in recipe for "Long Breakfast Rolls," make into balls as large as a medium-sized hen's egg, place on a well-floured board, flour a small rolling-pin (three-quarters of an inch in diameter), press down so as nearly to divide each ball of dough in the center, place in baking-pans so as not to touch each other, grease the space made by the rolling pin with melted butter, let rise until light, and bake. These rolls are so small and bake so quickly, that they have the delicious sweet taste of the wheat. Some grease the hands with butter while making the rolls. Bread dough, by adding the other ingredients, may be used for these rolls. EGG ROLLS. Two tea-cups sweet milk, two eggs, a little salt, three and a half scant cups of sifted flour. Bake in hot gem-pans.- Mrs. L. S. W., Jamestown, N. Y. EVERY-DAY ROLLS. Take a piece of bread dough on baking day, when molded out the last time, about enough for a small loaf, spread out a little, add one egg, two table-spoons of sugar, and three-fourths cup of lard; add a little flour and a small tea-spoon soda if the least bit sour; mix well, let rise, mold into rolls or biscuits, set to rise again, and they will be ready for the oven in twenty or thirty minutes. FRENCH ROLLS. Peel six medium-sized mealy potatoes, boil in two quarts of water, press and drain both potatoes and water through a colander; when cool enough so as not to scald, add flour to make a thick BREAKFAST AND TEA CAKES. 41 batter, beat well, and when lukewarm, add one-half cup potato yeast. Make this sponge early in the morning, and when light turn into a bread pan, add a tea-spoon salt, half cup lard, and flour enough for a soft dough; mix up, and set in a warm, even tempera- ture; when risen, knead down and place again to rise, repeating this process five or six times ; cut in small pieces and mold on the bread-board in rolls about one inch thick by five long; roll in melted butter or sweet lard, and place in well-greased baking pans (nine inches long by five wide and two and a half in depth, makes a convenient-sized pan, which holds fifteen of these rolls; or, if twice the width, put in two rows); press the rolls closely together, so that they will only be about half an inch in width. Let rise a short time and bake twenty minutes in a hot oven ; if the top browns too rapidly, cover with paper. These rolls, if properly made, are very white, light and tender. Or, make rolls larger, and just before putting them in the oven, cut deeply across each one with a sharp knife. This will make the cleft roll, so famous among French cooks. ITALIAN ROLLS. A pound of bread dough, quarter-pound softened butter: work the butter well into the dough, and roll out about half an inch thick; cut into strips nearly an inch wide and seven or eight incnes long ; sin over tnem nne corn meal, place tnem aparx on a buttered pan, and when light bake in a quick oven. Li the Kitchen. MARYLAND ROLLS. Rub one-half table-spoon of lard into one quart of flour, make a well in the middle, put in one-half cup baker's yeast or one cup of home-made two tea-spoons sugar, one-half pint cold boiled milk * do not stir, but let stand over night ; in the morning knead well, after dinner knead again, cut out, put in pans, and let rise until tea time. Bake in a quick oven. Mrs. Judge PAEKER HOUSE ROLLS. Rub one-half table-spoon of butter, and one-half table-spoon of lard into two quarts of sifted flour ; into a well in the middle pour one pint of cold boiled milk, and add one-half cup of yeast, one-half 42 BREAKFAST AND TEA CAKES. cup of sugar, and a little salt. If wanted for tea, rub the flour and butter, and boil the milk, and cool it the night before ; add sugar, yeast and salt, and turn all into the flour, but do not stir. Let stand over night; in the morning stir up, knead, and let rise till near tea-time; mold and let rise again, and bake quickly. To mold, cut with cake-cutter ; put a little melted butter on one-half and lap nearly over on the other half. Place them in the pan about three-quarters of an inch apart. Mrs. V. G. Hush, Minne- apolis t Minn. WEDDING SANDWICH ROLLS. Late in the evening make a rather stiff potato sponge (see direc- tions under " Bread-Making"), and hi the morning mix in as much flour as will make a soft dough, knead well, and place to rise ; when sufficiently light, knead down again, repeating the operation two or three times, remembering not to let the dough become sour by rising too light ; mold into common-sized loaves, place in your dripping-pan to rise, and bake very carefully, so as to secure the very slightest brown crust possible. On taking out of the oven, roll in a cloth tightly wrung out of water, with a large bread-blanket folded and wrapped around all. Let cool three or four hours, cut lengthwise of the loaf (not using the outside piece), first spreading lightly with good sweet butter, then cutting in slices not more than a quarter of an inch, or just as thin as possible, using for this pur- pose a very thin, sharp knife; lay on cold boiled ham cut in very thin shavings (no matter if in small pieces), roll up very slowly and carefully, and place where it will not unroll. Treat each sandwich in the same manner, always spreading the bread with butter before cutting. If by chance the bread is baked with too hard a crust, cut off a thin shaving of the brownest part very smoothly before making into sandwiches. These sandwiches are truly delicious if properly made, but they require great care, experience, and good judgment. Served on an oblong platter, piled in pyramid style, row upon row, they will resemble nicely rolled dinner napkins. They must be made and served the same day. Mrs. James W. Robinson. WINTER ROLLS. Put three quarts of flour into a large crock or jar, scald one quart of buttermilk, add one cup of lard, and pour all over the flour, BREAKFAST AND TEA CAKES. 43 beating it up well ; then add one quart of cold water, stir and add one-half cup of potato yeast, or one cup of brewer's ; beat in well and set in a warm place to rise over night. In the morning add salt and flour enough to make a moderately stiff dough ; set in a warm place to rise, and, when risen, knead down and set to rise again. This time knead down and place in a large stone crock or bowl, covered tightly with a tin pan to prevent the surface from drying, and set away in a cool place. When needed, turn out on a bread-board, cut off a piece as large as you wish to use, roll out to the thickness of ordinary soda biscuit, cut, and put in the oven to bake immediately. Set away the rest of the dough as before, and it will keep a week in winter, and is very convenient for hot breakfast-rolls. Mrs. D. Bvxton. VIENNA ROLLS. Have ready in a bowl a table-spoon of butter or lard, made soft by warming a little, and stirring with a spoon. Add to one quart of unsifted flour two heaping tea-spoons baking powder ; mix and sift thoroughly together, and place in a bowl with butter. Take more or less sweet milk as may be necessary to form a dough of usual stiffness, according to the flour (about three-fourths of a pint), put into the milk half a tea-spoon of salt, and then stir it into the flour, etc., with a spoon, forming the dough, which turn out on a board and knead sufficiently to make smooth. Roll out half an inch thick, ana cut with a large round cutter ; loia eacn one over TO lorm a half round, wetting a little between the folds to make them stick together ; place on buttered pans, so as not to touch, wash over on top with milk to give them a gloss, and bake immediately in a hot oven about twenty minutes. It will do them no harm to stand half an hour before baking, if it is desired. CRACKNELLS. To one pint of rich milk put two ounces butter and spoon of yeast. Make it warm, and mix enough fine flour to make a light dough ; roll thin and cut in long pieces, two inches broad. Prick well, and bake in slow oven. Effie A. Adams, Quiney, IUs. ENGLISH CRUMPETS. One quart warm milk, one teaspoon salt, half cup yeast, flour enough for a not very stiff batter. When light add half a cup 44 BREAKFAST AND TEA CAKES. melted butter, let stand twenty minutes, and bake in muffin rings or cups. Mrs. G. W. M. WHEATEN GEMS. Mix one tea-spoon baking-powder and a little salt into one pint flour ; add to the beaten yolks of two eggs one tea-cup sweet milk or cream, a piece of butter (melted) half the size of an egg, the flour with baking-powder and salt mixed, and the well-beaten whites of the two eggs. Beat well, bake immediately in gem-pans in a hot oven, and take out and send to the table immediately. Mrs. Gib Hillock, WHEAT MUFFINS. Mix one pint milk, two eggs, three table-spoons yeast, and salt- spoon of salt, with flour enough to make a stiff batter ; let rise four or five hours and bake in muffin-rings in a hot oven, for about ten minutes. This recipe may be made with Graham flour, by adding two table-spoons of molasses, and is excellent. Mrs. G. W. Marchant. WAFFLES. Take one quart of flour, a tea-spoon of salt, a table-spoon of melted butter, and milk enough to make a thick batter. Mix thor- oughly. Add two well-beaten eggs, and one measure each of acid and soda (or two heaping tea-spoons acid and one moderately heap- ing tea-spoon soda) of Horsford's Bread Preparation ; stir well, and bake at once in waffle-irons. QUICK WAFFLES. Two pints sweet milk, one cup butter (melted), sifted flour to make a soft batter; add the well-beaten yolks of six eggs, then the beaten whites, and lastly (just before baking) four tea-spoons baking- powder, beating very hard and fast for a few minutes. These are very good with four or five eggs, but much better with more. Mrs. C. W. Morey. RAISED WAFFLES. One quart flour, one pint sweet, luke-warm milk, two eggs, a able-spoon melted butter, tea-spoon salt, half tea-cup good yeast Mrs. L. S. Willidon^ Heidelburg, Germany* BREAKFAST AND TEA CAKES. 45. RICE WAFFLES. Boil half a pint of rice and let it get cold, mix with it one-fourth pound butter and a little salt. Sift in it one and a half pints flour, beat five eggs separately, stir the yolks together with one quart milk, add whites beaten to a stiff froth, beat hard, and bake at once in waffle-iron. Mrs. S. C. Lee, Baltimore, Md. SWEET WAFERS. One pint flour, one tea-cup sugar, three eggs, one table-spoon butter, flavor with lemon, mix into a batter same as for cake, and bake in wafer-irons. FRENCH CRACKERS. One and a half pounds each of flour and sugar, three-fourths pound butter, whites of five eggs ; before cooking wash over with egg and dip in sugar. EGG CRACKERS. Six eggs, twelve table-spoons sweet milk, six table-spoons butter, half tea-spoon soda; mold with flour half an hour, and roll thin. Mrs. J. S. Robimon. CORN DODGERS. To one quart corn meal add a little salt and a small table-spoon lard ; scald with boiling water and beat hard for a few minutes ; drop a large spoonful in a well-greased pan. The batter should be thick enough to just flatten on the bottom, leaving them quite high in the center. Bake in a hot oven. CORN MUFFINS. One quart sifted Indian meal, a heaping tea-spoon butter, one quart milk, a salt-spoon salt, a third cup yeast, a table-spoon of molasses; let it rise four or five hours, and bake in muffin-rings. Mrs. G. W. Mardiant, Buffalo, N. Y. CORN ROLLS. One pint of corn meal, two table-spoons sugar, one tea-spoon salt, one pint boiling milk ; stir all together and let stand till cool. Add three eggs well beaten, and bake in gem-pans. Mrs. Ccupi. J. P. Rea, Minneapolis, Minn. >46 BREAKFAST XL TEA CAKES. CORN MUSH. Put four quarts fresh water in a kettle to boil, salt to suit the taste; when it begins to boil stir in one and one-half quarts meal, Jetting it sift through the fingers slowly to prevent lumps, adding it a little faster at the last, until as thick as can be conveniently stirred with one hand ; set in the oven in the kettle (or take out into a pan), bake an hour, and it will be thoroughly cooked. It takes corn meal so long to cook thoroughly that it is very difficult to boil it until done without burning. Excellent for frying when cold. Use a hard wood paddle, two feet long, with a blade two inches wide and seven inches long, to stir with. The thorough cooking and baking in oven afterwards, takes away all the raw taste that mush is apt to have, and adds much to its sweetness and delicious flavor. Mrs. W. W. Woods. FRIED MUSH. A delicious breakfast relish is made by slicing cold mush thin and frying in a little hot lard. Or dip in beaten eggs salted to taste, then in bread or cracker crumbs, and drop in hot lard, like dough- nuts. Miss A. W. S., Nashvilk, Tenn. ALABAMA JOHNNY-CAKE. Cook a pint of rice till tender, add a table-spoon butter; when cold add two beaten eggs and one pint meal, and when mixed spread on an oaken board and bake by tipping the board up before the fire- place. When done on one side turn over. The dough should be spread half an inch thick. JOHNNY-CAKE. Two-thirds tea-spoon soda, three table-spoons sugar, one tea-spoon cream of tartar, one egg, one cup sweet milk, six table-spoons Indian meal, three table-spoons flour, and a little salt. This makes a thin batter. COLD-WATER GEMS. With very cold or ice-water and Graham flour, and a little salt, J make a rather stiff batter ; heat and grease the irons, and bake twenty minutes in a hot oven. Mrs. 0. M. Scott. GOOD GRAHAM GEMS. Three cups sour milk, one tea-spoon soda, one of salt, one table- spoon brown sugar, one of melted lard, one beaten egg ; to the egg BREAKFAST AND TEA CAKES. 47 add the milk, then the sugar and salt, then the Graham flour (with the soda mixed in), together with the lard; make a stiff batter, so that it will drop, not pour, from the spoon. Have gem-pans very hot, grease, till, and bake fifteen minutes in a hot oven. Mrs. J. H. S. MRS. BUXTON'S GRAHAM GEMS. Take one egg and beat well, add pinch of salt, one quart butter- milk or sour milk, and Graham flour enough to make a stiff batter; add one heaping tea-spoon soda and stir thoroughly with a spoon ; heat and grease gem-irons, and after dipping the spoon in cold water, drop a spoonful of batter in each pan, repeating until all are filled ; bake in a quick oven half an hour. This measure will make a dozen. SWEET-MILK GEMS. Beat one egg well, add a pint new milk, a little salt, and Graham flour until it will drop^off the spoon nicely; heat and butter the gem-pans before dropping in the dough ; bake in a hot oven twenty minutes. Mrs. JR. L. Partridge. GRAHAM MUFFINS. Two cups of sour milk, two table-spoons brown sugar, a little salt, one tea-spoon soda, sufficient Graham flour to make moderately stiff. If not convenient to use sour milk, use sweet, adding cream of tartar. Mrs. H. B. Sherman. GRAHAM MUSH. Sift meal slowly into boiling salted water, stirring briskly until it is as thick as can be stirred with one hand ; serve with milk or cream and sugar, or butter and syrup. It is much improved by removing from the kettle to a pan as soon as thoroughly mixed, and steaming for three or four hours. It may also be eaten cold, or sliced and fried like corn mush. OAT-MEAL MUSH. To two quarts boiling water, well salted, add one and a half cups best oat meal (Irish, Scotch, Canadian or Akron are best) ; stir in meal by degrees, and after stirring up a few times to prevent ita settling down in a mass at the bottom, leave it to cook three hours without stirring. While stirring in meal put inner kettle directly on BREAKFAST AND TEA CAKES. stove. (Cook iu a custard-kettle with water in outer kettle). To cook for breakfast it may be put on over night, allowing it to boil an hour or two in the evening, but it is better when freshly cooked. Serve with cream and sugar. This is unsurpassed as a breakfast- dish, especially for growing children, who need bone and muscle- producing food. To be wholesome it must be well cooked, and not the pasty, half-cooked mass usually served at boarding-houses. There are a few persons with very deh'cate digestive powers,, who should eat oat-meal only when thoroughly pearled, as the outer husks of the grain irritate the coatings of the stomach. In lieu of a custard-kettle the mush may be made in a pan or small tin bucket, and then placed in a steamer and steamed two hours. STEAMED OAT-MEAL. To one tea-cup oat-meal add one quart cold water, tea-spoon salt, put in steamer over a kettle of cold water, and steam one hour and a half after meal begins to cook. CRACKED WHEAT. Two quarts salted water to two cups best white winter wheat; boil two or three hours in a custard-kettle : Or, soak over night and boil at least three-fourths of an hour : Or, put boiling water in a pan or small tin bucket, set on stove, stir in wheat, set in steamer and steam four hours: Or, make a strong sack of thick muslin or drilling, moisten wneat with cold water, add a little salt, place in sack, leav- ing half the space for wheat to swell in. Fit a round sheet of tin, perforated with holes half an inch in diameter, to the inside of ordinary kettle, so that it will rest two or three inches from the bottom; lay sack on the tin, put in water enough to reach tin, and boil from three to four hours, supplying water as -it evaporates. Serve with butter and syrup, or cream and sugar. When cold, slice and fry ; or warm with a little milk and salt in a pan greased with a little butter; or make in griddle-cakes with a batter of eggs, milk, and a little flour, and pinch of salt. FINE WHITE HOMINY OR GRITS. Take two cups to two quarts salted water, soak over night, and boil three quarters of an hour in a custard kettle; serve with milk and sugar, or when cold slice and fry. FRITTERS. 49 FRITTERS. Make fritters quickly and beat thoroughly. A good rule for them is two eggs, one half-pint milk, one tea-spoon salt, and two cups flour; have the lard in which to cook them nice and sweet and hot. Clarified fat boils at about five hundred degrees more than double the heat of boiling water and fat actually boiling will burn to a cinder any thing that is dropped into it. The proper cooking heat is three hundred and seventy-five degrees, and is indicated by a blue smoke arising from the surface of the fat. When this point is reached, the fat may be held at that degree of heat, and pre- vented from burning by dropping into it a peeled potato or a piece of hard bread, which furnishes something for the fat to act on. The heat may also be tested by dropping in a tea-spoon of the bat- ter ; if the temperature is right it will quickly rise in a light ball with a splutter, and soon brown; take up carefully the moment they are done, with a wire spoon ; drain in a hot colander, and sift pow- dered sugar over them; serve hot. Pork fritters are made by dipping thin bits of breakfast-bacon or fat pork in the batter: fruit fritters by chopping any kind of fresh or canned fruit fine and mix- ing it with batter, or by dipping quarters or halves in batter. The fruit may be improved in flavor by sprinkling sugar and grated lemon peel over it, and allowing it to remain two or three hours, after which drain and dip as above. Batters for fritters should be made an hour before using, as the grains of flour swell by standing after being moistened, and thus become lighter. Add the whites of eggs j ust before frying. It is better not to use sugar in batter, as it tends to make it heavy. Sprinkle over them in the dish when just ready to serve. ALABAMA KICE FRITTERS. Four eggs beaten very light, one pint milk, one cup boiled rice, three tea-spoons baking-powder in one quart flour ; make into a batter ; drop by spoonfuls into boiling lard. Sauce : One pound of sugar, one and a half cups water, stick of cinnamon ; boil until clear. "Ruth Royal," Atlanta, Ga. 50 FRITTERS. APPLE FRITTERS. Make a batter in proportion of one cup sweet milk to two cups flour, a heaping tea-spoon baking powder, two eggs beaten sep- arately, one table-spoon sugar, and salt-spoon salt ; heat the milk a little more than milk-warm, add slowly to the beaten yolks and sugar, then add flour and whites of eggs; stir all together, and throw in thin slices of good sour apples, dipping the batter up over them; drop in boiling lard in large spoonfuls with piece of apple in each, and fry to a light brown. Serve with maple syrup or a nice syrup made of sugar. Mrs. James Henderson. CLAM FRITTERS. Take raw clams, chopped fine, and make a batter with juice, an equal quantity of sweet milk, four eggs to each pint of liquid, and flour sufficient to stiffen ; fry like other fritters. Mrs. H. B. S. CORN OYSTERS. To one quart grated corn add three eggs and three or four grated crackers, beat well and season with pepper and salt; have ready in skillet butter and lard or beef-drippings in equal proportions, hot but not scorching ; drop in little cakes about the size of an oyster {for this purpose using a tea-spoon); when brown turn and fry on the other side, watching constantly for fear of burning. If the fat is just the right heat, the oysters will be light and delicious, but if not, heavy and "soggy." Serve hot and keep dish well cov- ered. It is better to beat whites of eggs to a stiff froth and add just before frying. Mrs. V. G. Husk, Minneapolis, Minn. CREAM FRITTERS. One and a half pints flour, one pint milk, six well-beaten eggs, one-half nutmeg, two tea-spoons salt, one pint cream ; stir the whole enough to mix the cream ; fry in small cakes. Mrs. M. K. P. LEMON FRITTERS. One-fourth pound of eggs, one-half pound flour, one-fourth pound sugar (pulverized) ; beat the yolks well, add the flour and enough fresh milk to make a stiff batter (about a gill of milk) ; beat the whites stiff with the sugar, the juice of a lemon and some of the yellow peel grated off, or a spoon of extract of lemon. GRIDDLE-CAKES. 51 When ready to cook beat the whites well into the batter and pro- ceed to cook. Have plenty of good lard, heated slowly ; just as it begins to smoke, after bubbling, drop in by spoonfuls enough fritters to fill the vessel without crowding. The cold batter will lower the temperature of the fat sufficiently to keep it at proper cooking heat. The fritters will begin to brown very quickly, and should be turned with a wire spoon. If they begin to color dark brown check the heat immediately. If these directions are followed ac- curately, they may be lifted from the fat and laid upon a napkin or folded paper comparatively free from grease. Dust the fritters well with sugar and nutmeg, if agreeable. For supper eat them so, but for dinner some nice sauce should be served. Some persons substitute honey or maple syrup for sauce. Fritters bear a bad reputation, but when properly made, and eaten occasionally for a change, are quite as wholesome as many of the messes recommended as food for dyspeptics. VANITIES. Beat two eggs, stir in a pinch of salt and a half tea-spoon rose-water, add sifted flour till just thick enough to roll out, cut with a cake-cutter, and fry quickly in hot lard. Sift powdered sugar on them while hot, and when cool put a tea-spoon of jelly in the center of each one. Nice for tea or dessert. Mrs. D. C. Har- rington, GRIDDLE-CAKES. Griddle-cakes should be well beaten when first made, and are much lighter when the eggs are separated, whipping the yolks to a thick cream, and adding the whites beaten to a stiff froth just before baking. Some never stir buckwheat cakes after they have risen, but take them out carefully with a large spoon, placing the spoon when emptied in a saucer, and not back again into the batter. In baking griddle-cakes have the griddle clean, and, if the cakes stick, sprinkle on salt and rub with a coarse cloth before greasing. Some prefer griddles made *of soap-stone, which need no 52 GRIDDLE-CAKES. greasing. They need to be very hot, but greasing spoils them. They are more costly and more easily broken than iron. Iron griddles, if properly cared for, need washing but seldom. Imme- diately after use they should be carefully wiped and put away out of the dust, never to be used for any other purpose. Never turn griddle-cakes the second time while baking, as it makes them heavy, and serve the same side up as when taken from griddles. BUCKWHEAT CAKES. Buckwheat flour, when properly ground, is perfectly free from grits. The grain should be run through the smutter with a strong blast before grinding, and the greatest care taken through the whole process. Adulteration with rye or corn cheapens the flour, but injures the quality. The pure buckwheat is best, and is un- surpassed for griddle-cakes. To make batter, warm one pint sweet milk and one pint water (one may be cold and the other boiling) ; put half this mixture in a stone crock, add five tea-cups buckwheat flour, beat well until smooth, add the rest of the milk and water, and last a tea-cup of yeast. Or, the same ingredients and propor- tions may be used except adding two table-spoons of molasses or sugar, and using one quart of water instead of one pint each of milk and water. Miss S. A. Melching. HORSFORD BUCKWHEAT CAKES. Mix " .over night," with warm water, a little salt, and a table- spoon molasses, one pint buckwheat flour, to the usual consistency of griddle-cakes. When ready to bake for breakfast, add one meas- ure each of acid and soda (or two heaping tea-spoons acid and one moderately heaping tea-spoon soda) of Horsford's Bread Prepara- tion thinning the batter if necessary and bake immediately on a hot griddle. FRENCH PANCAKES. Beat together till smooth six eggs and half a pound of flour, melt four ounces butter and add to the batter, with one ounce of sugar and half a pint of milk, and beat until smooth. Put a table-spoon at a time into a hot frying-pan slightly greased, spreading the batter evenly over the surface of the pan by tipping it about, fry to a light GRIDDLE-CAKES. 53 brown, spread with jelly, roll it up, dust it with powdered sugar, and serve hot. BATTER CAKES. Make a batter of one quart each of flour and sour milk, three eggs beaten separately, a table-spoon of butter, and two level tea- spoons soda. Pulverize the soda very fine before measuring, then thoroughly mix with the flour. Add whites of eggs just before baking on the griddle. Sweet milk may be used (with the other ingredients in same quantity) with Horsford's Bread Preparation, one measure each of soda and acid, which must be thoroughly mixed with the flour. These may also be made without es^s. J OO BREAD CAKES. Take stale bread and soak over night in sour milk ; in the morn- ing rub through a colander, and to one quart add the yolks of two eggs, one tea-spoon salt, one tea-spoon soda, two table-spoons sugar, and flour enough to make a batter a little thicker than for buck- wheat cakes; add last the well-beaten whites of the eggs, and bake. CRUMB GRIDDLE-CAKES. The night before using put some bread crumbs to soak in one quart of sour milk; in the morning rub through a sieve, and add four well-beaten eggs, two tea-spoons soda dissolved in a little water, one table-spoon melted butter, and enough corn meal to make them the consistency of ordinary griddle -cakes. It is better to beat yolks and whites separately, stirring the whites lightly in just before baking. Mrs. W. E. Scobey, Kaiikakee, 111. CORN CAKES. One pint corn meal, one of sour milk or buttermilk, one egg, one tea-spoon soda, one of salt. A table-spoon of flour or corn starch may be used in place of the egg; bake on a griddle. FLANNEL CAKES. Make hot a pint of sweet milk, and into it put two heaping table- spoons butter, let melt, then add a pint of cold milk, the well- beaten yolks of four eggs placing the whites in a cold place a tea-spoon of salt, four table-spoons potato yeast, and sufficient flour to make a stiff batter ; set in a warm place to rise, let stand three 54 YEAST. hours or over night ; before baking add the beaten whites ; fry like any other griddle-cakes. Be sure to make batter just stiff enough, for flour must not be added in the morning unless it is allowed to r and boil steadily twenty minutes. Strain it, after boiling, into a clean dish. Stir in a pint of flour and a table-spoonful of salt. Be sure and stir it free from lumps. Set again over the fire, stirring constantly, until it boils up and thickens. If too thick after it boils up, pour in boiling water till it is about the consistency of good starch. Then pour back into the bowl, cover over till rnilk- 'warm, then stir in the " risings" made of molasses, flour and water. Set where it will be kept warm until it has risen and is quite light. Then put into a jug, cork, and set in a cool place for use. Mrs* Clarkson, Bath Co., Ky. CAKE-MAKING. '* Let all things be done decently and in order," and the first to put in order when you are going to bake is yourself. Secure the iiair in a net or other covering, to prevent any from falling, and brush the shoulders and back to be sure none are lodged there that might blow off; make the hands and finger nails clean, roll the -sleeves up above the elbows, and put on a large, clean apron. Clean the kitchen table of utensils and every thing not needed, and pro- vide every thing that will be needed until the cake is baked, not forgetting even the broom-splints previously picked off the new broom and laid away carefully in a little box. (A knitting-needle may be kept for testing cake instead of splints.) If it is warm weather, place the eggs in cold water, and let stand a few minutes, -as they will then make finer froth ; and be sure they are fresh, as they will not make a stiff froth from any amount of beating if old. The cake-tins should be prepared before the cake, when baking powder is used, as it effervesces but once, and there should be no delay in baking, as the mixture should be made firm by the heat, while the effervescing process is going on. Grease the pans with fresh lard, which is much better than butter ; line the bottom with paper, using six or eight thicknesses if the cake is large, and greas- ing the top one well. (In some ovens, however, fewer thicknesses of paper would be needed on the bottom, and in some the sides also should be lined with one or two thicknesses.) Sift flour and sugar (if not pulverized), and measure or weigh. Firkin or very salt but* 159) 60 CAKE-MAKING. ter should be cut in bits and washed to freshen a little; if very hard, warm carefully, but in no case allow any of it to melt. Good butter must be used, as the heat develops any latent bad qualities. Use pulverized sugar for all delicate cakes; for rich cakes coffee- crushed, powdered and sifted ; for dark cakes, the best brown sugars are best; for jelly-cakes, light fruit-cakes, etc., granulated and coffee "A" are best and most economical. Beat the yolks of eggs thoroughly, and strain ; set the whites away in a cool place until the cake is ready for them, then beat them vigorously in a cool room, till they will remain in the dish when turned upside down. Sift a part of the measured flour with the baking-powder or soda and cream tartar through a hand-sieve (which should be among the utensils of every housekeeper), and mix thoroughly with the rest of the flour. In using new flour for either bread or cake-making, it can be "ripened" for use by placing the quantity intended for bak- ing in the hot sun for a few hours, or before the kitchen fire. In using milk, note this : that sour milk makes a spongy, light cake m r sweet milk, one that cuts like pound cake; remembering that with sour milk soda alone is used, while with sweet milk baking powder or soda and cream tartar are to be added. Having thus gathered the material, cut butter (in cold weather) into small pieces, and warm, not melt; beat the butter and sugar ta a cream, add the milk in small quantities (never use fresh and stale milk in same cake), next the yolks of eggs, then a part of the flour, then a part of the whites, and so on until the whole is used ; lastly, add the flavoring. Many good cake-makers first stir the milk and flavoring into the creamed butter and sugar, then the yolks, next the whites, and lastly the flour, first taking about two-thirds of it and thoroughly mixing the baking powder through it; the re- mainder of the flour is then left to be used at discretion. A little- more or less flour may be needed, according to the climate, or ta the kind of flour used, as the " New Process" flour requires one- eighth less than other brands. There is great " knack" in beating- cake; don't stir, but beat thoroughly, bringing the batter up from the bottom of the dish at every stroke; in this way the air is driven inta the cells of the batter, instead of out of them but the cells will be- finer if beaten more slowly at the last, remembering that the motio CAKE-MAKING. 61 should always be upward. In winter it is easier to beat with the hand, but in summer a wooden spoon is better. An iron spoon turns the mixture dark. Never beat a cake in tin, but use earthen or stone\vare. Unskillful mixing, too rapid or unequal baking, or a sudden decrease in heat before it is quite done, will cause streaks in the cake. Always bake a small cake first, fill a patty, pan, or cover to a baking-powder can, one-third full, and bake; then add more or less flour as required. If the cake is hard and solid, it needs a few tea-spoons of milk; if more flour is needed it will fall in the middle and be spongy and crumbly. Powdered sugar may be- sifted on the top of any cake while it is a little warm; if it dis- solves add more when it is cold, keep some for that purpose in a spice box with a perforated top. The white portion of orange or lemon-peel should never be used; grate only the yellow. When recipes call for soda and cream of tartar, baking powder may be used by taking the same quantity as required of both, or Horsford's- Bread Preparation will be found excellent. "Milk" always means- Bweet milk. "A cup" always means a tea cup, not a coffee cup. Sour milk may always be used instead of sweet, by using soda only. The proportions of rising-powder to one quart of flour are three tea- spoons baking-powder, or one tea-spoon soda and two tea-spoons- cream tartar, or one measure each of Horsford's Bread Preparation, or one pint sour milk and one level tea-spoon soda. FRUIT CAKE. Most ladies think fruit cake quite incomplete without wine or brandy, but it can be made equally good on strictly temperance- principles, by substituting one-third of a cup of molasses for a wine- glass of brandy. The objection to the use of liquor in sauces does not, however, hold good against that used in cake-making, as the alcohol is converted to vapor by the heat and passes off with the other gases. There are many, however, who object to the use of liquors in any way, and to keeping them in the house, and such will find the above an excellent and cheap substitute. Raisins should never be washed, as it is difficult to dry out the moisture absorbed by them, and every particle of moisture retained tends to make the cake heavy. To remove the stems and ex- traneous matter, place the raisins in a coarse tow-el and rub them i 62 CAKE-MAKING. this until as clean as rubbing will make them ; then pick over care- fully, remove any steins or other defects which may be left. The raisins should be prepared before the cake, and added the last thing before putting in the oven, as, being heavy, they sink to the bottom if allowed to stand. To seed, clip with the scissors, or cut with a sharp knife. .Do not chop too fine; if for light fruit cake, seeding is all that is necessary. Slice the citron thin, and do not have the */ pieces too large, or they will cause the cake to break apart in cut- ting. Currants should be kept prepared for use as follows : Wash in warm water, rubbing well, pour off water, and repeat until the water is clear; drain them in a sieve, spread on a cloth and rub dry ; pick out bad ones, dry carefully in a cool oven or in the "heater" (or in the sun and wind, with a thin gauze over them to keep off flies, insects and dust), and set away for use. When the fruit is all mixed, cream the butter and sugar this is very im- portant in all cakes add the spices, molasses, or liquors, then the milk (if any used), next the eggs well beaten, adding whites with the flour, as previously directed. Always beat whites and yolks separately if many eggs are used, but if only a few, it is just as well to beat both together. Next add the flour (which in making black fruit cake may be browned), prepared with baking powder or soda and cream tartar, then the flavoring (lemon and vanilla, in equal parts, make the best flavoring), and lastly the fruit dredged with a very little flour. Some prefer to mix the fruit with all the flour. When but little fruit is used it may be dropped into the dough after it is in the pan, and pushed just beneath the surface, which pre- vents it from settling to the bottom. The batter for fruit cake should be quite stiff. In making very large cakes that require three or four hours to bake, an excellent way for lining the pan is the following: Fit three papers carefully, grease thoroughly, make a paste of equal parts Graham and fine flour, wet with water just stiff enough to spread easily with a spoon, place the first paper in the pan with the greased, side down, and spread the paste evenly over the paper about as thick as pie-crust. In covering the sides of the pan, use a little paste to stick a portion of the paper to the top of the pan to keep it from slipping out of place, press the second paper carefully into tts CAKE-MAKING. 63 place, with the greased side up, and next put in the third paper as you would into any baking-pan, and pour in the cake. Earthen pans are used by some, as they do not heat so quickly and are less liable to burn the cake. When using a milk-pan or pans, without stems, a glass bottle filled with shot to give it weight, and greased, may be placed in the center of the pan, or a stem may be made of paste-board, rolled up, but the latter is more troublesome to keep in place. The cake is apt to burn around the edges before it is done unless there is a tube in the center. All except layer cakes should be covered with a paper cap, (or a sheet of brown paper, which the careful housewife will save from her grocers' packages), when first put into the oven. Take a square of brown paper large enough to cover well the cake pan, cut off the corners, and lay a plait on four sides, fastening each with a pin se- as to fit nicely over the pan. This will throw it up in the center , so that the cover will not touch the cake. Save the cap, as it can be used several times. Before commencing, clean out the stove, take off the lids and brush inside, rake it out underneath, get all the ashes out of the corners, have the best of fuel at hand. Don't build a baking fire before it is needed, have it only moderate, and add the extra fuel in time to get it nicely burning. THE OVEN. Too much care can not be given to the preparation of the oven, which is oftener too hot than too cool ; however, an oven too cold at first will ruin any cake. Cake should rise and begin to bake before browning much, large cakes requiring a good, steady, solid