Book of Household Management — 081 - Recipes. Chapter 35. Part 1.

1716. INGREDIENTS.

--1-1/2 oz.

of hops, 3 quarts of water, 1 lb.

of bruised malt, 1/2 pint of yeast.

_Mode_.

--Boil the hops in the water for 20 minutes; let it stand for about 5 minutes, then add it to 1 lb.

of bruised malt prepared as for brewing.

Let the mixture stand covered till about lukewarm; then put in not quite 1/2 pint of yeast; keep it warm, and let it work 3 or 4 hours;

then put it into small 1/2-pint bottles (ginger-beer bottles are the best for the purpose), cork them well, and tie them down.

The yeast is now ready for use; it will keep good for a few weeks, and 1 bottle will be found sufficient for 18 lbs.

of flour.

When required for use, boil 3 lbs.

of potatoes without salt, mash them in the same water in which they were boiled, and rub them through a colander.

Stir in about 1/2 lb.

of flour; then put in the yeast, pour it in the middle of the flour, and let it stand warm on the hearth all night, and in the morning let it be quite warm when it is kneaded.

The bottles of yeast require very careful opening, as it is generally exceedingly ripe.

_Time_.

--20 minutes to boil the hops and water, the yeast to work 3 or 4 hours.

_Sufficient.

_--1/2 pint sufficient for 18 lbs.

of flour.

KIRKLEATHAM YEAST.

1717. INGREDIENTS.

--2 oz.

of hops, 4 quarts of water, 1/2 lb.

of flour, 1/2 pint of yeast.

_Mode_.

--Boil the hops and water for 20 minutes; strain, and mix with the liquid 1/2 lb.

of flour and not quite 1/2 pint of yeast.

Bottle it up, and tie the corks down.

When wanted for use, boil potatoes according to the quantity of bread to be made (about 3 lbs.

are sufficient for about a peck of flour); mash them, add to them 1/2 lb.

of flour, and mix about 1/2 pint of the yeast with them; let this mixture stand all day, and lay the bread to rise the night before it is wanted.

_Time_.

--20 minutes to boil the hops and water.

_Sufficient_.

--1/2 pint of this yeast sufficient for a peck of flour, or rather more.

TO MAKE GOOD HOME-MADE BREAD.

(_Miss Acton's Recipe_.

) 1718. INGREDIENTS.

--1 quartern of flour, 1 large tablespoonful of solid brewer's yeast, or nearly 1 oz.

of fresh German yeast, 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 pint of warm milk-and-water.

[Illustration: COTTAGE LOAF.

] [Illustration: TIN BREAD.

] _Mode_.

--Put the flour into a large earthenware bowl or deep pan; then, with a strong metal or wooden spoon, hollow out the middle; but do not clear it entirely away from the bottom of the pan, as, in that case, the sponge (or leaven, as it was formerly termed) would stick to it, which it ought not to do.

Next take either a large tablespoonful of brewer's yeast which has been rendered solid by mixing it with plenty of cold water, and letting it afterwards stand to settle for a day and night; or nearly an ounce of German yeast; put it into a large basin, and proceed to mix it, so that it shall be as smooth as cream, with 3/4 pint of warm milk-and-water, or with water only; though even a very little milk will much improve the bread.

Pour the yeast into the hole made in the flour, and stir into it as much of that which lies round it as will make a thick batter, in which there must be no lumps.

Strew plenty of flour on the top; throw a thick clean cloth over, and set it where the air is warm; but do not place it upon the kitchen fender, for it will become too much heated there.

Look at it from time to time: when it has been laid for nearly an hour, and when the yeast has risen and broken through the flour, so that bubbles appear in it, you will know that it is ready to be made up into dough.

Then place the pan on a strong chair, or dresser, or table, of convenient height; pour into the sponge the remainder of the warm milk-and-water; stir into it as much of the flour as you can with the spoon; then wipe it out clean with your fingers, and lay it aside.

Next take plenty of the remaining flour, throw it on the top of the leaven, and begin, with the knuckles of both hands, to knead it well.

When the flour is nearly all kneaded in, begin to draw the edges of the dough towards the middle, in order to mix the whole thoroughly; and when it is free from flour and lumps and crumbs, and does not stick to the hands when touched, it will be done, and may again be covered with the cloth, and left to rise a second time.

In 3/4 hour look at it, and should it have swollen very much, and begin to crack, it will be light enough to bake.

Turn it then on to a paste-board or very clean dresser, and with a large sharp knife divide it in two; make it up quickly into loaves, and dispatch it to the oven: make one or two incisions across the tops of the loaves, as they will rise more easily if this be done.

If baked in tins or pans, rub them with a tiny piece of butter laid on a piece of clean paper, to prevent the dough from sticking to them.

All bread should be turned upside down, or on its side, as soon as it is drawn from the oven: if this be neglected, the under part of the loaves will become wet and blistered from the steam, which cannot then escape from them.

_To make the dough without setting a sponge_, merely mix the yeast with the greater part of the warm milk-and-water, and wet up the whole of the flour at once after a little salt has been stirred in, proceeding exactly, in every other respect, as in the directions just given.

As the dough will _soften_ in the rising, it should be made quite firm at first, or it will be too lithe by the time it is ready for the oven.

[Illustration: ITALIAN MILLET.

] _Time_.

--To be left to rise an hour the first time, 3/4 hour the second time; to be baked from 1 to 1-1/4 hour, or baked in one loaf from 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

ITALIAN MILLET, or Great Indian Millet, is cultivated in Egypt and Nubia, where it is called _dhourra_, and is used as human food, as well as for the fermentation of beer.

It will grow on poor soils, and is extremely productive.

It has been introduced into Italy, where they make a coarse bread from it; and it is also employed in pastry and puddings: they also use it for feeding horses and domestic fowls.

It is the largest variety, growing to the height of six feet; but it requires a warm climate, and will not ripen in this country.

A yellow variety, called Golden Millet, is sold in the grocers' shops, for making puddings, and is very delicate and wholesome.

TO MAKE A PECK OF GOOD BREAD.

1719. INGREDIENTS.

--3 lbs.

of potatoes, 6 pints of cold water, 1/2 pint of good yeast, a peck of flour, 2 oz.

of salt.

_Mode_.

--Peel and boil the potatoes; beat them to a cream while warm;

then add 1 pint of cold water, strain through a colander, and add to it 1/2 pint of good yeast, which should have been put in water over-night, to take off its bitterness.

Stir all well together with a wooden spoon, and pour the mixture into the centre of the flour; mix it to the substance of cream, cover it over closely, and let it remain near the fire for an hour; then add the 5 pints of water, milk-warm, with 2 oz.

of salt; pour this in, and mix the whole to a nice light dough.

Let it remain for about 2 hours; then make it into 7 loaves, and bake for about 1-1/2 hour in a good oven.

When baked, the bread should weigh nearly 20 lbs.

_Time_.

--About 1-1/2 hour.

THE RED VARIETIES OF WHEAT are generally hardier and more easily grown than the white sorts, and, although of less value to the miller, they are fully more profitable to the grower, in consequence of the better crops which they produce.

Another advantage the red wheats possess is their comparative immunity from the attacks of mildew and fly.

The best English wheat comes from the counties of Kent and Essex; the qualities under these heads always bearing a higher price than others, as will be seen by the periodical lists in the journals.

RICE BREAD.

1720. INGREDIENTS.

--To every lb.

of rice allow 4 lbs.

of wheat flour, nearly 3 tablespoonfuls of yeast, 1/4 oz.

of salt.

_Mode_.

--Boil the rice in water until it is quite tender; pour off the water, and put the rice, before it is cold, to the flour.

Mix these well together with the yeast, salt, and sufficient warm water to make the whole into a smooth dough; let it rise by the side of the fire, then form it into loaves, and bake them from 1-1/2 to 2 hours, according to their size.

If the rice is boiled in milk instead of water, it makes very delicious bread or cakes.

When boiled in this manner, it may be mixed with the flour without straining the liquid from it.

_Time_.

--1-1/2 to 2 hours.

INDIAN-CORN-FLOUR BREAD.

1721. INGREDIENTS.

--To 4 lbs.

of flour allow 2 lbs.

of Indian-corn flour, 2 tablespoonfuls of yeast, 3 pints of warm water, 1/4 oz.

of salt.

_Mode_.

--Mix the two flours well together, with the salt; make a hole in the centre, and stir the yeast up well with 1/2 pint of the warm water; put this into the middle of the flour, and mix enough of it with the yeast to make a thin batter; throw a little flour over the surface of this batter, cover the whole with a thick cloth, and set it to rise in a warm place.

When the batter has nicely risen, work the whole to a nice smooth dough, adding the water as required; knead it well, and mould the dough into loaves; let them rise for nearly 1/2 hour, then put them into a well-heated oven.

If made into 2 loaves, they will require from 1-1/2 to 2 hours baking.

_Time_.

--1-1/2 to 2 hours.

[Illustration: MAIZE PLANT.

] [Illustration: EAR OF MAIZE.

] MAIZE.

--Next to wheat and rice, maize is the grain most used in the nourishment of man.

In Asia, Africa, and America, it is the principal daily food of a large portion of the population, especially of the colonists.

In some of the provinces of France, too, it is consumed in large quantities.

There are eight varieties of the maize; the most productive is the maize of Cusco.

The flour of maize is yellow, and it contains an oily matter, which, when fresh, gives it an agreeable flavour and odour; but the action of the air on it soon develops rancidity.

If carried any distance, it should be stored away in air-tight vessels.

An excellent soup is prepared with meat and maize-flour.

The inhabitants of some countries, where wheat is scarce, make, with maize and water, or milk and salt, a kind of biscuit, which is pleasant in taste, but indigestible.

Some of the preparations of maize-flour are very good, and, when partaken in moderation, suitable food for almost everybody.

SODA BREAD.

1722. INGREDIENTS.

--To every 2 lbs.

of flour allow 1 teaspoonful of tartaric acid, 1 teaspoonful of salt, 1 teaspoonful of carbonate of soda, 2 breakfast-cupfuls of cold milk.

_Mode_.

--Let the tartaric acid and salt be reduced to the finest possible powder; then mix them well with the flour.

Dissolve the soda in the milk, and pour it several times from one basin to another, before adding it to the flour.

Work the whole quickly into a light dough, divide it into 2 loaves, and put them into a well-heated oven immediately, and bake for an hour.

Sour milk or buttermilk may be used, but then a little less acid will be needed.

_Time_.

--1 hour.

POLISH AND POMERANIAN WHEAT are accounted by authorities most excellent.

Large raft-like barges convey this grain down the rivers, from the interior of the country to the seaports.

This corn is described as being white, hard, and thin-skinned; and it yields a large quantity of flour, having a small proportion of bran.

EXCELLENT ROLLS.

1723. INGREDIENTS.

--To every lb.

of flour allow 1 oz.

of butter, 1/4 pint of milk, 1 large teaspoonful of yeast, a little salt.

[Illustration: ROLLS.

] _Mode_.

--Warm the butter in the milk, add to it the yeast and salt, and mix these ingredients well together.

Put the flour into a pan, stir in the above ingredients, and let the dough rise, covered in a warm place.

Knead it well, make it into rolls, let them rise again for a few minutes, and bake in a quick oven.

Richer rolls may be made by adding 1 or 2 eggs and a larger proportion of butter, and their appearance improved by brushing the tops over with yolk of egg or a little milk.

_Time_--1 lb.

of flour, divided into 6 rolls, from 15 to 20 minutes.

HOT ROLLS.

1724. This dish, although very unwholesome and indigestible, is nevertheless a great favourite, and eaten by many persons.

As soon as the rolls come from the baker's, they should be put into the oven, which, in the early part of the morning, is sure not to be very hot; and the rolls must not be buttered until wanted.

When they are quite hot, divide them lengthwise into three; put some thin flakes of good butter between the slices, press the rolls together, and put them in the oven for a minute or two, but not longer, or the butter would oil; take them out of the oven, spread the butter equally over, divide the rolls in half, and put them on to a very hot clean dish, and send them instantly to table.

TO MAKE DRY TOAST.

1725. To make dry toast properly, a great deal of attention is required;

much more, indeed, than people generally suppose.

Never use new bread for making any kind of toast, as it eats heavy, and, besides, is very extravagant.

Procure a loaf of household bread about two days old; cut off as many slices as may be required, not quite 1/4 inch in thickness;

trim off the crusts and ragged edges, put the bread on a toasting-fork, and hold it before a very clear fire.

Move it backwards and forwards until the bread is nicely coloured; then turn it and toast the other side, and do not place it so near the fire that it blackens.

Dry toast should be more gradually made than buttered toast, as its great beauty consists in its crispness, and this cannot be attained unless the process is slow and the bread is allowed gradually to colour.

It should never be made long before it is wanted, as it soon becomes tough, unless placed on the fender in front of the fire.

As soon as each piece is ready, it should be put into a rack, or stood upon its edges, and sent quickly to table.

TO MAKE HOT BUTTERED TOAST.

1726. A loaf of household bread about two days old answers for making toast better than cottage bread, the latter not being a good shape, and too crusty for the purpose.

Cut as many nice even slices as may be required, rather more than 1/4 inch in thickness, and toast them before a very bright fire, without allowing the bread to blacken, which spoils the appearance and flavour of all toast.

When of a nice colour on both sides, put it on a hot plate; divide some good butter into small pieces, place them on the toast, set this before the fire, and when the butter is just beginning to melt, spread it lightly over the toast.

Trim off the crust and ragged edges, divide each round into 4 pieces, and send the toast quickly to table.

Some persons cut the slices of toast across from corner to corner, so making the pieces of a three-cornered shape.

Soyer recommends that each slice should be cut into pieces as soon as it is buttered, and when all are ready, that they should be piled lightly on the dish they are intended to be served on.

He says that by cutting through 4 or 5 slices at a time, all the butter is squeezed out of the upper ones, while the bottom one is swimming in fat liquid.

It is highly essential to use good butter for making this dish.

MUFFINS.

1727. INGREDIENTS.

--To every quart of milk allow 1-1/2 oz.

of German yeast, a little salt; flour.

[Illustration: MUFFINS.

] _Mode_.

--Warm the milk, add to it the yeast, and mix these well together; put them into a pan, and stir in sufficient flour to make the whole into a dough of rather a soft consistence; cover it over with a cloth, and place it in a warm place to rise, and, when light and nicely risen, divide the dough into pieces, and round them to the proper shape with the hands; place them, in a layer of flour about two inches thick, on wooden trays, and let them rise again; when this is effected, they each will exhibit a semi-globular shape.

Then place them carefully on a hot-plate or stove, and bake them until they are slightly browned, turning them when they are done on one side.

Muffins are not easily made, and are more generally purchased than manufactured at home.

_To toast them_, divide the edge of the muffin all round, by pulling it open, to the depth of about an inch, with the fingers.

Put it on a toasting-fork, and hold it before a very clear fire until one side is nicely browned, but not burnt; turn, and toast it on the other.

Do not toast them too quickly, as, if this is done, the middle of the muffin will not be warmed through.

When done, divide them by pulling them open;

butter them slightly on both sides, put them together again, and cut them into halves: when sufficient are toasted and buttered, pile them on a very hot dish, and send them very quickly to table.

_Time_.

--From 20 minutes to 1/2 hour to bake them.

_Sufficient_.

--Allow 1 muffin to each person.

CRUMPETS.

[Illustration: CRUMPETS.

] 1728. These are made in the same manner as muffins; only, in making the mixture, let it be more like batter than dough.

Let it rise for about 1/2 hour; pour it into iron rings, which should be ready on a hot-plate;

bake them, and when one side appears done, turn them quickly on the other.

_To toast them_, have ready a very _bright clear_ fire; put the crumpet on a toasting-fork, and hold it before the fire, _not too close_, until it is nicely brown on one side, but do not allow it to blacken.

Turn it, and brown the other side; then spread it with good butter, cut it in half, and, when all are done, pile them on a hot dish, and send them quickly to table.

Muffins and crumpets should always be served on separate dishes, and both toasted and served as expeditiously as possible.

_Time_.

--From 10 to 15 minutes to bake them.

_Sufficient_.

--Allow 2 crumpets to each person.

PLAIN BUNS.

1729. INGREDIENTS.

--To every 2 lbs.

of flour allow 6 oz.

of moist sugar, 1/2 gill of yeast, 1/2 pint of milk, 1/2 lb.

of butter, warm milk.

_Mode_.

--Put the flour into a basin, mix the sugar well with it, make a hole in the centre, and stir in the yeast and milk (which should be lukewarm), with enough of the flour to make it the thickness of cream.

Cover the basin over with a cloth, and let the sponge rise in a warm place, which will be accomplished in about 1-1/2 hour.

Melt the butter, but do not allow it to oil; stir it into the other ingredients, with enough warm milk to make the whole into a soft dough; then mould it into buns about the size of an egg; lay them in rows quite 3 inches apart;

set them again in a warm place, until they have risen to double their size; then put them into a good brisk oven, and just before they are done, wash them over with a little milk.

From 15 to 20 minutes will be required to bake them nicely.

These buns may be varied by adding a few currants, candied peel, or caraway seeds to the other ingredients; and the above mixture answers for hot cross buns, by putting in a little ground allspice; and by pressing a tin mould in the form of a cross in the centre of the bun.

_Time_.

--15 to 20 minutes.

_Average cost_, 1d.

each.

_Sufficient_ to make 18 buns.

TO MAKE GOOD PLAIN BUNS.

1730. INGREDIENTS.

--1 lb.

of flour, 6 oz.

of good butter, 1/4 lb.

of sugar, 1 egg, nearly 1/4 pint of milk, 2 small teaspoonfuls of baking-powder, a few drops of essence of lemon.

_Mode_.

--Warm the butter, without oiling it; beat it with a wooden spoon; stir the flour in gradually with the sugar, and mix these ingredients well together.

Make the milk lukewarm, beat up with it the yolk of the egg and the essence of lemon, and stir these to the flour, &c. Add the baking-powder, beat the dough well for about 10 minutes, divide it into 24 pieces, put them into buttered tins or cups, and bake in a brisk oven from 20 to 30 minutes.

_Time_.

--20 to 30 minutes.

_Average cost_, 1s.

_Sufficient_ to make 12 buns.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

LIGHT BUNS.

[Illustration: BUNS.

] 1731. INGREDIENTS.

--1/2 teaspoonful of tartaric acid, 1/2 teaspoonful of bicarbonate of soda, 1 lb.

of flour, 2 oz.

of butter, 2 oz.

of loaf sugar, 1/4 lb.

of currants or raisins,--when liked, a few caraway seeds, 1/2 pint of cold new milk, 1 egg.

_Mode_.

--Rub the tartaric acid, soda, and flour all together through a hair sieve; work the butter into the flour; add the sugar, currants, and caraway seeds, when the flavour of them latter is liked.

Mix all these ingredients well together; make a hole in the middle of the flour, and pour in the milk, mixed with the egg, which should be well beaten; mix quickly, and set the dough, with a fork, on baking-tins, and bake the buns for about 20 minutes.

This mixture makes a very good cake, and if put into a tin, should be baked 1-1/2 hour.

The same quantity of flour, soda, and tartaric acid, with 1/2 pint of milk and a little salt, will make either bread or teacakes, if wanted quickly.

_Time_.

--20 minutes for the buns; if made into a cake, 1-1/2 hour.

_Sufficient_ to make about 12 buns.

VICTORIA BUNS.

1732. INGREDIENTS.

--2 oz.

of pounded loaf sugar, 1 egg, 1-1/2 oz.

of ground rice, 2 oz.

of butter, 1-1/2 oz.

of currants, a few thin slices of candied peel; flour.

_Mode_.

--Whisk the egg, stir in the sugar, and beat these ingredients well together; beat the butter to a cream, stir in the ground rice, currants, and candied peel, and as much flour as will make it of such a consistency that it may be rolled into 7 or 8 balls.

Put these on to a buttered tin, and bake them from 1/2 to 3/4 hour.

They should be put into the oven immediately, or they will become heavy; and the oven should be tolerably brisk.

_Time_.

--1/2 to 3/4 hour.

_Average cost_, 6d.

_Sufficient_ to make 7 or 8 buns.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

ITALIAN RUSKS.

1733. A stale Savoy or lemon cake may be converted into very good rusks in the following manner.

Cut the cake into slices, divide each slice in two; put them on a baking-sheet, in a slow oven, and when they are of a nice brown and quite hard, they are done.

They should be kept in a closed tin canister in a dry place, to preserve their crispness.

[Illustration: PANNICLED MILLET.

] PANNICLED MILLET.

--This is the smallest-seeded of the corn-plants, being a true grass; but the number of the seeds in each ear makes up for their size.

It grows in sandy soils that will not do for the cultivation of many other kinds of grain, and forms the chief sustenance in the arid districts of Arabia, Syria, Nubia, and parts of India.

It is not cultivated in England, being principally confined to the East.

The nations who make use of it grind it, in the primitive manner, between two stones, and make it into a diet which, cannot be properly called bread, but rather a kind of soft thin cake half-baked.

When we take into account that the Arabians are fond of lizards and locusts as articles of food, their _cuisine_, altogether, is scarcely a tempting one.

TO MAKE RUSKS.

(_Suffolk Recipe_.

) 1734. INGREDIENTS.

--To every lb.

of flour allow 2 oz.

of butter, 1/4 pint of milk, 2 oz.

of loaf sugar, 3 eggs, 1 tablespoonful of yeast.

[Illustration: RUSKS.

] _Mode_.

--Put the milk and butter into a saucepan, and keep shaking it round until the latter is melted.

Put the flour into a basin with the sugar, mix these well together, and beat the eggs.

Stir them with the yeast to the milk and butter, and with this liquid work the flour into a smooth dough.

Cover a cloth over the basin, and leave the dough to rise by the side of the fire; then knead it, and divide it into 12 pieces;

place them in a brisk oven, and bake for about 20 minutes.

Take the rusks out, break them in half, and then set them in the oven to get crisp on the other side.

When cold, they should be put into tin canisters to keep them dry; and, if intended for the cheese course, the sifted sugar should be omitted.

_Time_.

--20 minutes to bake the rusks; 5 minutes to render them crisp after being divided.

_Average cost_, 8d.

_Sufficient_ to make 2 dozen rusks.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

ALMOND ICING FOR CAKES.