From My Cookbook Collection

THE EVERY-DAY COOK-BOOK

AND

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL RECIPES

BY

Miss E. Neil

Chicago, ILL.

Regan printing House

1892

BREAD AND BREAKFAST CAKES

YEAST

Put two quarts of water and two tablespoonfuls of hops on to boil. Pare and grate six large potatoes. When the hops and water boil strain the water on the grated potatoes, and stir well. Place on the stove and boil up once. Add half a cupful of sugar and one-fourth of a cupful of salt. Let the mixture get blood-warm; then add one cupful of yeast, or one cake of compressed yeast, and let it rise in a warm place five or six hours. When well-risen turn into a stone jug. Cork this tightly and set in a cool place.

PLAIN WHITE FAMILY BREAD

Take one pint of flour and half a pint of good hop yeast, and stir it together about five o’clock in the afternoon; at nine put one-half gallon of flour in a tray, put the sponge in the middle of the flour with a piece of lard as large as a walnut. Knead it all up with tepid water made salt with tow teaspoonfuls or more to taste; work it well, and put it in a jar to rise. Next morning knead it over with a little flour; make in tow loaves, and set it in a warm place or oven until ready; then put it to bake, and when done, wrap it in a nice course towel. If you have no sugar in the yeast you use, stir a large teaspoonful in it before putting it in the flour.

GRAHAM BREAD

Take a little over a quart of warm water, one-half cup brown sugar or molasses, one-fourth cup hot yeast, and one and one-half teaspoons salt; thicken the water with unbolted flour to a thin batter; add sugar, salt and yeast, and stir in more flour until quite stiff. In the morning add a small teaspoon 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 as first; keep warm while rising; smooth over the loaves with a spoon or knife dipped in water.

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 molasses, tow cups sweet milk, one cup sour milk, one dessertspoon soda, one teaspoon slat; 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 receipt has never been known to fail. Serve warm, with baked beans or Thanksgiving turkey. The bread should not quite fill the form (or tin pail with a 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.

CORN BREAD

Sift three quarts of corn meal, add a tablespoonful of salt, one teaspoonful baking powder, and mix sufficient water with it to make a thin batter. Cover it with a bread-cloth and set it to rise. When ready to bake stir it well, pour it into a baking-pan, and bake slowly. Use cold water in summer and hot water in winter.

STEAMED BROWN BREAD

One quart each of milk and Indian meal, one pint rye meal, one cup of molasses, two tablespoonfuls of soda. Add a little salt and steam four hours.

PARKER HOUSE ROLLS

One teacup home-made yeast, a little salt, one tablespoon sugar, a piece of lard size of an egg, one pint milk, flour sufficient to mix. Put the milk on the stove to scald, with the lard in it. Prepare the flour with salt, sugar and yeast. Then add the milk, not too hot. Knead thoroughly when mixed at night; in the morning but very slight kneading is necessary. Then roll out and cut with large biscuit cutter. Spread a little butter on each roll and lap together. Let them rise very light, then bake in a quick oven.

FRENCH ROLLS

One pint of milk, scalded, put into it while hot half a cup of sugar and one teaspoon of butter. When the milk is cool, add a little salt and half a cup of yeast, or one compressed yeast cake; stir in flour to make a stiff sponge, and when light, mix as for bread. Let it rise until light, punch it down with the hand, and let it rise again—repeat tow or three times, then turn the dough on to the moulding-board and pound with the rolling-pin until thin enough to cut. Cut out with a tumbler, brush the surface of each one with melted butter, and fold over. Let the rolls rise on the tins; bake, and while warm brush over the surface the melted butter to make the curst tender.

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 it rise till very light, then mold into biscuits with a few currants. Let rise a second time in pan; bake, and when nearly done, glaze with a little molasses and milk. Use the same cup, no matter about the size, for each measure.

BISCUITS

Dissolve one rounded tablespoon of butter in a pint of hot milk; when lukewarm stir in one quart of flour, and one beaten egg, a little salt, and a teacup of yeast; work into dough until smooth. If winter, set in a warm place; if summer, 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.