New England Breakfast Breads, Luncheon and Tea Biscuits

Front matter

by

Illustration by L. M. P.

Copyright, 1890, by Lee and Shepard.

Prefatory Directions

Nearly all these recipes have been in one New England family several years, many of them half a century. There are only a few exceptions, and these I have carefully tried. If the directions seem too explicit, it is because I have tried to word the recipes so that they could be understood by a young housekeeper or made by any one not experienced in cooking.

Home-made yeast I prefer to yeast cakes, but there are a few kinds of bread, as the Lunch Rolls, Sweet Rusks, and Bunns, which are better made with yeast cakes, but, although they are convenient, especially on account of rising so quickly. I think home-made yeast is preferable and use it, in both summer and winter, made by the first recipe in the book. If there is any trouble in keeping the yeast sweet in warm weather, it can be made with less potatoes—three instead of four.

The new, that is the early potatoes, are not dry or mealy enough to make good yeast. I have tried the recipes and given them with both home-made yeast and yeast cakes. By yeast cakes I always mean the little two-cent cakes of compressed yeast, such as are generally used. Be careful not to dissolve them in too hot water or milk, or it will take the life out of the yeast and the bread will not rise well. Care should be taken also to get them perfectly fresh, and, if kept at all, to cover them carefully and keep them in the ice-chest or cellar. Dissolve the yeast cake in the same quantity of warm milk or water that would be taken of home-made yeast. If the bread is made with milk it is generally better to dissolve it in milk. Always warm the milk to be used in making bread with yeast. The best way is to put it in a tin quart measure, and set it in a pan of hot water on the stove. Of course the milk should be only just lukewarm when added to the dough, but it is better, especially in summer, to let it get quite hot, and then leave it in a pan of cold water until just lukewarm before using, as this prevents the dough from souring. Always be very careful that the milk is perfectly sweet, and if bread is mixed in the evening, never use milk brought the day before. Milk that has been skimmed is rather better for raised loaves, and makes the bread whiter, and with the shortening used is quite rich enough. Bread made with yeast cakes requires more salt than that made with home-made yeast—nearly half as much again.

If the bread is mixed with water instead of milk, have the water just lukewarm. If the quantity of milk given in the recipes seems a great deal in proportion to the quantity of flour used, it is because the breads were made with very fine dry flour, and if moister flour should be used of course it would not stiffen as much and would require less milk or water, although bread is much nicer when the dough is kneaded quite soft, and a great deal of bread is spoiled by being made too stiff. Dough that seems too soft, and troubles one by sticking to the hand at first, after kneading eight or ten minutes, will be quite stiff enough, and can be easily kneaded for the remainder of the time. Never flour the hand while kneading and do not sprinkle any over the dough, and use as little flour as possible in making out either loaves or biscuit. Steady the bowl with the left hand, and knead well with the right, never kneading but always tossing the dough up against the side of the bowl. I like a large crockery bowl, one holding nearly eight quarts, for mixing raised breads, unless it is a small quantity—if so the dough rises better in a smaller bowl. Always, either in cold or warm weather, as soon as the bread is kneaded, cover the bowl closely. A good way is to lay a thick linen bread-cloth over the bowl, wrapping it well around it, and in cold weather, outside this, wrap a large piece of flannel. A yard and a half of thick wide flannel will do. Care must be taken that it is kept nice, and washed nearly as often as the common linen bread-cloths.

It is better to put it away in the spring, not being required through the summer, but in winter it makes the dough rise much more quickly, and is safer, if the bowl is left near the fire, than a cotton or linen bread-cloth.

The large tin kneading-pans are very good, but more care than the crockery bowls. They must be kept scoured very nicely, and although closely covered while the bread is rising, it is not well to put one away with the cover on, as, no matter how carefully tins are washed, they are apt to have a close musty smell if left covered.

I think it is a mistake ever to put sugar in the dough for raised flour loaves, as many persons cannot eat bread made with sugar, and it is the more important for plain flour loaves to be made without that almost all kinds of rolls, biscuits, and rusks made with yeast have some sugar in them, as in this way more yeast can be used, which of course makes them lighter.

No matter how well made or however thoroughly kneaded, bread will not be good unless plenty of time is allowed for it to rise in the pans before baking. Important as it is for the dough to rise well in the kneading-bowl, it is equally important that after being made out into loaves, rolls, or biscuit, sufficient time should be allowed for it to rise well in the pans before baking.

Fold a bread-cloth small and lay over the top of the pan, taking it off some time before baking the bread so that the dough can rise well above the tin before putting it in the oven.

Cooking-stoves and ranges are so different and ovens vary so much, some baking in about half the time of others, that it is almost impossible to give exact directions about baking bread. But there are a few rules which apply to nearly all cooking-stoves. Never put coal on the fire while bread is baking. Before putting it in the oven, be sure that you have a fire that will not need replenishing. An oven does not bake as well when the stove is full of coal. It should not be filled up to the covers. If the covers of the stove are lifted while the bread is baking, it will be liable to fall and be heavy. This is true of most all kinds of bread, but especially of bread made with eggs. Open the oven door as seldom as possible, shutting it carefully not slamming it, although with a very large raised loaf, which requires about an hour and fifteen minutes for baking, it is a good plan to leave the oven door an inch or two open four or five minutes before taking it from the oven.

Unless otherwise specified in a recipe, take the fine white granulated sugar. Whenever brown sugar is used always sift it. The Muscavado molasses is the best for bread. It is very dark, and does not look as nice as the lighter kinds, which are more like syrup, but makes the bread lighter and is much better, especially for graham and brown-bread.

When the butter and sugar are to be creamed together, cream them in precisely the same way as for cake, but do not wash the butter; this is better usually for cake, but not for bread, as salt only makes bread lighter.

Iron gem pans, roll or cup-shaped, are particularly good for baking. If preferred the tin pans can be used, or the muffin rings set in a dripping-pan, but many kinds of cakes are better baked in the iron pans, and there is little danger of their burning. The earthen cups I like only for Flour Drop Cakes, for which there are three recipes given in the book. If the tin pans are used, of course they need be only slightly warmed, just enough to butter them easily, but the iron pans should be very hot before filling, for all kinds of bread not made with yeast. Have them very hot and well buttered, pouring the batter into the gem pan while it is still on the stove. For bread made with yeast only warm the pan enough to butter it, always using the roll-shaped, and let the cakes stand long enough to rise well before baking.

The larger-sized pans for baking loaves of bread measure nine and a half by six and a half inches; depth, three and three-quarters inches. Smaller size, nine and a half by five and a half inches; depth, three and a half inches. The cake-pans measure ten by five and three-quarters inches; depth, two inches. Gingerbread pans measure seven and a half by eleven and a half inches; depth, one and a quarter inches. Gingerbread sheets measure thirteen by nine and a half inches, and are generally used for baking thin gingerbread, cookies, etc. Care must be taken not to confuse them with the gingerbread pans.

If baking powder is used, be very careful that it is the best and sift it with the flour. Never use saleratus for cooking, always get the bi-carbonate of soda. In making bread with sweet milk, where soda and cream of tartar are used, take exactly twice as much cream of tartar as soda. The cream of tartar is not apt to be lumpy, but the soda should always be smoothed carefully with a knife before measuring. Sift the soda and cream of tartar with the flour twice, unless the soda is to be dissolved in the milk, in which case sift the cream of tartar with the flour, and, taking half a cup of the milk, drop the soda into it and beat thoroughly for a minute or two. This is also a good way to dissolve soda in sour milk, It is specified in the recipe whenever warm or sour milk is to be used, so, unless otherwise directed, make the bread with sweet cold milk, which is always to be taken with baking powder, and when both soda and cream of tartar are used the milk must always be cold, whether sweet or sour.

Always sift all kinds of meal and flour, taking a wire sieve as a hair sieve is too fine; measuring before sifting unless otherwise directed. It makes a great difference for corn bread what kind of meal is used. Always use the yellow bolted meal for brown-bread and for any recipe for corn bread unless white meal is specified.

The yellow corn-meal flour is a little too fine, and the granulated meal, although I have tried it several times, seems to me too coarse and does not make as good bread. The white corn-meal flour is very good when a recipe is to be made with white meal, although I do not think it is quite as good as the Rhode Island white meal, especially for Rhode Island Johnny Cake. For Brown-Bread use rye meal, never rye flour. Rye breads are generally better made with part rye meal and part rye flour. Mixing a little rye meal with the rye flour makes it more like the rye which New England farmers raise and have ground in the country,—bolted rye, which seems sweeter and a very little coarser than the ordinary rye flour.

If one wishes to double a recipe, or to have half the quantity made, it is a good plan to write it down and pin over the one in the book, as it is confusing for a cook to have to double or divide a recipe quickly.

The cup that I have used for measuring is a tin cone-shaped cup marked off into quarters, three inches high, two and a quarter inches across the bottom, and three inches across the top.

When anything for a recipe is to be measured in a tablespoon, be careful that the kitchen spoon used for measuring is really the size of an ordinary silver tablespoon, as the large kitchen spoons used for stirring are often twice the size.

Yeast

Four medium-sized potatoes.

Half a cup of flour.

One tablespoonful of salt.

One tablespoonful of hops (not heaping).

Half a cup of white sugar.

One quart of boiling water.

One cup of home-made yeast, or half a yeast cake in one cup of water.

Never use compressed hops for yeast. If possible, get hops raised the same year, as the fresh ones are better. Peel the potatoes, taking four just medium-sized, not four large ones, and let them stand in cold water for about an hour. Then cook them in boiling water, in a kettle or deep saucepan, closely covered. When they have been boiling hard ten or twelve minutes, take one tablespoonful of hops, and put them into another saucepan with a quart of cold water. Set it on the stove where the water will boil, so that as soon as the potatoes are cooked the hop water will be boiling. When the potatoes are done, drain them through a colander, and put them in the yeast-bowl; if there are any dark specks in them, cutting them out carefully. Mash them fine with a wooden pestle and sift in the salt, sugar, and flour. Mix all together, then strain the water from the hops into the tin quart measure, and as it will probably lack a spoonful or two of a full quart fill it up with boiling water from the tea-kettle. Pour this on to the potatoes gradually, mixing all well together. Leave it to cool and when nearly lukewarm (it does not do to have it hot, and if it is too cold the yeast will not rise well) add one cup of home-made yeast, or half a yeast cake in one cup water; stirring all well together, but after this is once stirred in do not stir the yeast again or it may prevent its rising. Cover very closely and let it rise until the next day.

In winter begin to make the yeast by ten or eleven in the forenoon, and put it in the yeast-jug after breakfast the next morning. In summer make it an hour or two later, or the first of the afternoon will do, and if it is well risen put it in the jug early in the morning.

Have a good stone jug, with a tight cork, in which to keep the yeast. It is better to have a good-sized one—one that will hold as much as a quart more than the quantity of yeast made. As soon as the yeast is put in the jug stop it up closely and put it in the cellar. Keep in the cellar and always shake well before using. Whenever fresh yeast is made, the jug should be carefully washed, first once or twice with hot water, then two or three times with clear cold water, and the jug be left uncorked to air until the next day. In summer make the yeast fresh once a week; in winter, every ten days or a fortnight. A bowl holding three or four quarts is a good thing in which to make the yeast. Cover it closely with a large plate or the round wooden bread platter, and also in cold weather wrap a cloth closely about it.

Yeast, No. 2

Two medium-sized or three small potatoes.

One tablespoonful of salt.

One heaping tablespoonful of flour.

Half a cup of white sugar.

One tablespoonful of hops.

Three pints of boiling water.

One cup of home-made yeast or half a yeast cake in one cup of water.

Peel the potatoes and let them stand in cold water one hour and a half, then grate them very fine; put them in a porcelain-lined kettle; sift in the flour, sugar, and salt, add one pint and a half of boiling water gradually, stirring until smooth; let it cook six or seven minutes, stirring continually. Have one tablespoonful of hops steeping in a pint and a half of boiling water. It is better, just before grating the potatoes, to put the hops with a pint and a half of boiling water in a saucepan and set it on the back of the stove. Strain the water from the hops on to the batter in the porcelain-lined kettle and cook eight or ten minutes, then turn into the yeast-bowl, let it cool, and when nearly lukewarm add one cup of yeast or half a yeast cake in one cup of water, stir all together thoroughly, cover it closely, and leave it to rise. This yeast rises very quickly and if made in the morning will have risen enough to put in the jug in the evening, or it can be made any time in the afternoon and put in the jug the next morning. On this account it is very convenient, but I prefer the first recipe for yeast.

Raised Flour Loves

Two quarts of flour.

Two-thirds of a tablespoonful of butter.

Half a tablespoonful of lard.

Two cups and three-quarters of lukewarm milk.

One teaspoonful of salt (heaping).

Two-thirds of a cup of home-made yeast, or half a yeast cake in two-thirds of a cup of milk.

Always warm the milk for all kinds of bread made with yeast, and the best way to do it is to put the milk into the tin quart measure and set it in a pan of hot water on the stove. Be sure that it is only just lukewarm before using, or there is danger of the bread being sour. I think it is well to have it a little warmer in winter than in summer. If it gets very hot on the stove, set it in a pan of cold water so as to have it just lukewarm before adding to the bread. This is a convenient way of warming the milk, as then you do not have to stop while mixing the bread, but have the milk already warm. Sift the salt with the flour, taking half a teaspoonful more salt if yeast cake is used. Rub in the butter and lard, then add the yeast, and last of all the milk gradually, and knead well for twenty-five minutes, that is, from the time the milk is kneaded in. Never knead down, as this will make the dough heavy and soggy, but always tossing the dough up against the side of the bowl. Do not flour the hands or in any way add any more flour while kneading.

Bread is much nicer not made too stiff, and dough that is so soft that it is difficult to knead, and will stick to the hand at first, after five or ten minutes can be easily kneaded. Never dredge flour over the top of the dough, but as soon as it is done cover it closely and let it rise over night. In summer mix it in the evening, but in cold weather it is better to make it in the afternoon. In the morning make out quickly, using as little flour as possible, and put the loaves in buttered bread-pan. This quantity makes two small loaves, or one large loaf and cake-pan of rolls, that is, about seven or eight. Be sure that the bread has plenty of time to rise in the pans before baking, or it will not be good no matter how carefully made. If two small loaves, let it rise till about even with top of pans, and a large loaf some way above the pan, before baking. Bake large loaf about an hour and a quarter. As this dough rises rather slowly, it is better not to try to have the rolls for breakfast, but leave the dough until later, and let it have nearly two hours to rise after making into rolls, before baking, and bake for lunch or early dinner. Or a good way to bake a little for breakfast is to put some of the dough on a buttered Washington pie tin, smoothing it out with the rolling-pin, very slightly or it will be heavy, and let it have plenty of time to rise before baking for breakfast. Raised bread can be made in the same way with lukewarm water instead of milk. But I do not think it is quite as nice, and it dries quickly. If the flour seems damp it is a good plan to put it in the oven for a few minutes, leaving the door open so that there may be no danger of its browning, and let it cool before mixing the dough. If preferred, take only butter for shortening the same quantity of butter as would be used of butter and lard.

Graham Bread with Milk

One quart of wheat flour, scant.

One quart, heaping full of graham flour.

One teaspoonful and a half of salt.

One heaping tablespoonful and a half of brown sugar.

One tablespoonful of molasses.

Quarter of a teaspoonful of soda dissolved in it.

One pint and a half of lukewarm milk.

One-half of a tablespoonful of lard.

Three-quarters of a tablespoonful of butter.

Three-quarters of a cup of home-made yeast, or half a yeast cake in three-quarters of a cup of milk.

Sift the graham flour very thoroughly, then sift the wheat flour with the brown sugar and salt. Rub in the butter and lard. Then add the molasses, first dissolving the soda very carefully in it. Next the yeast, and last of all knead in the milk gradually, having it just lukewarm. Now knead well for twenty minutes, not kneading down but tossing the dough up against the side of the bowl.

Graham dough is particularly apt to seem soft and sticky at first, but after kneading it awhile it will be found to be quite stiff enough. If half a yeast cake is used instead of home-made yeast, dissolve it in three-quarters of a cup of lukewarm milk. In summer take a little less yeast. In winter it is better to knead the dough and set it to rise by five o'clock in the afternoon. In warmer weather mix it in the evening. Cover it closely and let it rise over night. In the morning make out into one large loaf and eight or nine biscuit, or, if preferred, into two small loaves, using as little flour, and making them out as quickly, as possible. Leave it in a warm place to rise, but if it is left where it is too hot, the graham dough will be sticky, and not bake well. Graham bread, whether loaves or biscuit, requires a long time to rise in the pans before baking—longer than flour bread—so that half the secret of having it good is to give it plenty of time, even if it takes three or four hours. For this reason it is better not to try to have graham biscuit for an early breakfast in winter. Of course in summer the dough rises more quickly, whether for loaves or biscuit, and need not be left so long in the pans before baking, but in winter it is better to leave the biscuit and bake them for lunch or an early dinner. The oven needs to be quite hot, but if graham loaves are baked too quickly they are apt to be doughy in the middle, owing to the molasses in the bread. If preferred, take only butter for shortening: the same quantity of butter as would be used of butter and lard.

Graham Bread with Water

Three pints of graham flour, heaping full.

Three scant pints of wheat flour.

Two even teaspoons of salt.

Three-quarters of a cup of molasses.

Three-quarters of a teaspoonful of soda.

One heaping tablespoonful of lard.

One cup of yeast, or three-quarters of a yeast cake in one cup of lukewarm water.

One quart of lukewarm water.

Sift the graham flour thoroughly. Sift the wheat flour with the salt. Rub in the lard (one very heaping tablespoonful), then add the molasses, first dissolving the soda very carefully in it. Mix in the yeast or the yeast cake dissolved in a cup of water. Add last of all the quart of lukewarm water. Knead well for twenty minutes. Cover closely and let it rise over night.

In summer mix it in the evening, but in cold weather mix in the afternoon by four or five o'clock. In the morning make out into three small loaves or two medium-sized ones, or, if preferred, into one large loaf and a pan of biscuit. Let it have plenty of time to rise in the pans before baking, even if it takes three or four hours.

Rye Bread

One pint of rye flour.

One cup and a half of rye meal.

One even quart of wheat flour.

Two cups of lukewarm milk.

Half a cup of molasses, with a scant half-teaspoonful of soda dissolved in it.

One very heaping teaspoonful of salt.

Three-quarters of a cup of yeast, or half a yeast cake in three-quarters of a cup of milk.

Two-thirds of a tablespoonful of butter.

Half a tablespoonful of lard.

Sift the rye meal very thoroughly. Sift the salt with the rye and wheat flour. Then rub in the butter and lard, add the molasses, first dissolving the soda very carefully in it. Mix in the yeast, and last of all the milk gradually, having it just lukewarm. Knead well for twenty minutes. Cover it closely and let it rise over night. In the morning make into one very large or two small loaves. I think the small loaves are better for rye bread, as it is more apt to be sticky and a little harder to bake than flour bread, but at any rate be sure that it has time to rise in the pans in a warm place before baking.

Potato Bread

Four boiled potatoes.

Three heaping pints of flour.

A teaspoonful of salt.

One tablespoonful and a third of butter.

Two cups of lukewarm water.

A scant half-cup of yeast, or one-third of a yeast cake in a scant half-cup of lukewarm water.

Wash the potatoes, peel, and boil them in water enough to cover them. When done, drain them through the colander, to be sure they are quite dry. Mash them fine, add the salt, then rub in the butter, not melted. Let them cool a little. Sift in the flour, having three heaping pints measured before sifted. Add the yeast, then mix in the water gradually. Have the water a little less than lukewarm,—not quite as warm as for other raised bread, on account of the warm potatoes. Knead well for fifteen or twenty minutes. Mix it in the evening a little earlier in winter, by half-past five o'clock. Cover it closely and let it rise over night. This quantity makes one very large loaf, or one medium-sized one and a Washington pie tin, the latter made out in time to rise and bake for breakfast. Never use any but freshly boiled potatoes.

Breakfast Rolls

Two pints and a half of flour.

One freshly boiled potato, medium-sized.

Three-quarters of a tablespoonful of butter.

One teaspoonful of lard.

One teaspoonful of salt.

One tablespoonful of white sugar.

One cup and a half of lukewarm milk.

Half a cup of home-made yeast, or one-third of a yeast cake in half a cup of lukewarm milk or water.

Peel and boil the potato, and as soon as it is done mash it fine, and let it cool a minute, but while it is still warm stir in the butter not melted. Sift the salt and sugar in with the flour. Rub in the teaspoonful of lard just even full. Add the yeast, then the milk gradually, and knead all well together fifteen or twenty minutes. (Twenty minutes is better.) Cover it closely and let it rise over night. In the morning, as early as possible, make out into rolls, using as little flour, and making them up with the hands as quickly as possible, not into the round ball-shaped biscuit. I do not think bread is ever as light in this shape as in long narrow rolls. Make them three or four inches long, and place them in two rows in a buttered pan, or even longer, the width of a cake-pan (four or five inches). Place them very close together, and let them rise as long as possible in the pans before baking. If they are not to be baked until time for lunch, let them rise two hours, as it can easily be done when they do not have to be baked for breakfast. These can be made without the potato if preferred, but with potato they seem richer and lighter, and rise much more quickly. In cold weather it is better to make them up in the afternoon instead of in the evening. Or they are very nice made in precisely the same way as Lunch Rolls.

Lunch Rolls

Butter the size of a very large egg.

One heaping tablespoonful of white sugar.

Two eggs; one will do.

Three pints of flour, measured before sifted.

One pint of warm milk.

Half a yeast cake in two-thirds cup of milk.

If home-made yeast is used, take two-thirds of a cup in summer; a little more in cold weather.

Cream the butter and sugar together. Beat the eggs very thoroughly. Then mix with the butter and sugar. Stir in the milk and flour gradually, sifting in the flour; add the yeast last thing, and beat all together for about ten minutes. Mix it in the evening, cover it closely and let it rise over night. In the morning (as early as possible, if they are to be baked for breakfast) roll the dough on the pastry board with a rolling-pin, taking part at a time. Cut out with tin biscuit cutter about an inch thick, and place them in buttered gingerbread pans, taking care not to flatten the cakes, but rounding them up a little with the hands. Take three or four pans, as it does not do to put more than four or five in each, or they will run together and spoil their shape. When about ten biscuit have been cut out, and laid carefully in the pans, cut out as many more the same thickness and place one on top of each of those already in the pans. Let them rise in a warm place an hour or more, or until just time to bake for breakfast. These are delicious rolls for lunch or tea. If for lunch set them to rise the evening before,—not too early,—not as early as if they were to be baked for breakfast. In the forenoon make them out in time to rise nearly two hours in the pans before baking for lunch. If for tea, set them to rise very early in the morning, cover them closely, and leave them in a warm place until afternoon. Make them. out in time to rise well before baking. Bake in hot oven. If you have two round tin biscuit cutters, one a very little smaller than the other, it makes them a rather prettier shape to use the smaller one for the second layer.