Chapter 29
PINWHEEL BISCUITS (Sufficient to Serve Six)
2 c. flour 1 tsp. salt 4 tsp. baking powder 2 Tb. fat f 3/4 c. milk 2 Tb. b.u.t.ter 1/3 c. sugar 1 Tb. cinnamon 3/4 c. chopped raisins
To make the dough, combine the ingredients in the same way as for baking-powder biscuits. Roll it on a well-floured board until it is about 1/4 inch thick and twice as long as it is wide. Spread the surface with the 2 tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter. Mix the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle them evenly over the b.u.t.tered surface, and on top of this sprinkle the chopped raisins. Start with one of the long edges and roll the dough carefully toward the opposite long edge, as shown in Fig. 15.
Then cut the roll into slices 1 inch thick. Place these slices in a shallow pan with the cut edges down and the sides touching. Bake in a hot oven for about 20 minutes.
[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 15.]
62. BEATEN BISCUITS.--In Fig. 16 is ill.u.s.trated a form of hot bread known as beaten biscuits. Such biscuits are used very extensively in the South; in fact, they are usually considered typical of the South.
Formerly, all the lightness of beaten biscuits was produced by beating, but as the mixture is made today it may be run through a food chopper a few times before it is beaten. If this is done, the labor of beating is lessened considerably, beating for 15 to 20 minutes being sufficient.
When the beating is finished, the texture of the dough should be fine and close and the surface should be smooth and flat.
BEATEN BISCUITS (Sufficient to Serve Twelve)
1 qt. pastry flour 1 tsp. salt 1/3 c. fat 1 c. milk or water
Sift the flour and salt and chop in the fat. Moisten with the milk or water and form into a ma.s.s. Toss this on a floured board, and beat it with a rolling pin for 30 minutes, folding the dough over every few seconds. Roll the dough 1/3 inch in thickness, form the biscuits by cutting them out with a small round cutter, and p.r.i.c.k each one several times with a fork. Place the biscuits on baking sheets or in shallow pans, and bake them in a moderate oven for 20 to 30 minutes.
[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 16.]
MISCELLANEOUS HOT-BREAD RECIPES
[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 17.]
63. SOFT GINGERBREAD.--As a hot bread for breakfast, soft gingerbread like that ill.u.s.trated in Fig. 17 is very satisfactory, and with or without icing it may be served as cake with fruit for luncheon. Sweet milk and baking powder are generally used in gingerbread, but sour milk may be subst.i.tuted for sweet milk and soda in the proper proportion may be used in place of baking powder. If not too much spice is used in a bread of this kind, it is better for children than rich cake, and, as a rule, they are very fond of it.
SOFT GINGERBREAD (Sufficient for One Medium-Sized Loaf)
2 c. flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. soda 1/4 c. sugar 1/2 tsp. salt 2 tsp. ginger 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 egg 1/2 c. milk 1/2 c. mola.s.ses 1/4 c. b.u.t.ter or other fat
Mix the flour, baking powder, soda, sugar, salt, and spices. Beat the egg, add the milk and mola.s.ses to it, and stir these
64. BOSTON BROWN BREAD.--A hot bread that finds favor with most persons is Boston brown bread, which is ill.u.s.trated in Fig. 18.
HOT BREADS
[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 17.]
Such bread, instead of being baked in the oven, is steamed for 3-1/2 hours. It may be made plain, according to the accompanying recipe, or, to give it variety, raisins or currants may be added to it. Boston brown bread may be steamed in an ordinary coffee can, such as is shown in Fig.
18, in a large baking-powder can, or in a can that is made especially for this purpose. A regular steaming can for Boston brown bread is, of course, very convenient, but the other cans mentioned are very satisfactory. A point to remember in the making of brown bread is that the time for steaming should never be decreased. Oversteaming will do no harm, but understeaming is liable to leave an unbaked place through the centre of the loaf.
BOSTON BROWN BREAD (Sufficient for One Medium-Sized Loaf)
1 c. white flour 1 c. graham flour 1 c. corn meal 3/4 tsp. soda 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt 3/4 c. mola.s.ses 1-3/4 c. sweet milk
Mix and sift the flour, corn meal, soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the mola.s.ses and milk and mix all thoroughly. Grease a can and a cover that fits the can tightly. Fill the can two-thirds full of the mixture and cover it. Place it in a steamer and steam for 3-1/2 hours. Dry in a moderate oven for a few minutes before serving.
65. NUT LOAF.--The use of nuts in a hot bread increases the food value and imparts a very delicious flavour. It is therefore very attractive to most persons, but it is not a cheap food on account of the usual high price of nuts. Thin slices of nut bread spread with b.u.t.ter make very fine sandwiches, which are especially delicious when served with tea.
NUT LOAF (Sufficient for One Medium-Sized Loaf)
2 c. flour 1/2 c. sugar 4 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt 4 Tb. fat 1 egg 1 c. milk 1/2 c. English walnuts
Mix and sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt, and then work in the fat. Add the egg, well beaten, and the milk, and then stir in the nut meats, which should be chopped. Turn into a well-greased loaf pan, and bake in a moderate oven for about 45 minutes.
UTILISING LEFT-OVER HOT BREADS
66. As a general rule, not much consideration need be given to the utilising of left-over hot breads, for these are not often baked in large quant.i.ties and consequently are usually eaten at the meal for which they are intended. Still, if any should be left over, they should never be wasted, for there are various ways in which they may be used.
The small varieties, such as m.u.f.fins, biscuits, etc, may be freshened so that they will be almost as good as when first baked by putting them into a hot oven for a few minutes. If they are quite stale, they should be dipped quickly into hot water before being placed in the oven. The moisture on the surface is driven into the interior of the bread by the intense heat, with the result that the biscuits become moist and appear as fresh as they did formerly. If it is not desired to freshen them in this way, biscuits, m.u.f.fins, and even pieces of corn bread that have become slightly stale may be made delicious by splitting them and then toasting them.
LUNCHEON MENU
67. As in the preceding Sections, there is here submitted a menu that should be worked out and reported on at the same time that the answers to the Examination Questions are sent in. This menu is planned to serve six persons, but, as in the case of the other menus, it may be increased or decreased to meet requirements. The recipe for macaroni with cheese and tomatoes may be found in _Cereals,_ and that for baking-powder biscuit, as well as that for popovers with apple sauce, in this Section.
Recipes for the remainder of the items follow the menu.
MENU
Macaroni With Cheese and Tomatoes Baking-Powder Biscuit Jam Watercress-and-Celery Salad Popovers Filled With Apple Sauce Tea
RECIPES
WATERCRESS-AND-CELERY SALAD
Arrange on each salad plate a bed of watercress, or, if it is impossible to obtain this, shred lettuce by cutting it in narrow strips across the leaf and use it instead of the watercress. Dice one or two stems of celery, depending on the size, and place the diced pieces on top of the watercress or the lettuce. Pour over each serving about 2 teaspoonfuls of French dressing made as follows:
1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper 1/4 tsp. paprika 6 Tb. oil 2 Tb. vinegar
Mix the salt, pepper, and paprika, and beat the oil into them until it forms an emulsion. Add the vinegar gradually, a few drops at a time, and continue the beating. Pour the dressing over the salad.
TEA
Measure 1 teaspoonful of tea for each cupful that is to be served. Scald the teapot, put the tea into it, and add the required number of cups of freshly boiling water. Allow it to steep until the desired strength is obtained. Serve at once, or pour from the leaves, serving cream and sugar with it if desired.
HOT BREADS
EXAMINATION QUESTIONS
(1) (_a_) In what way do hot breads differ from yeast breads? (_b_) What are the princ.i.p.al ingredients of hot-bread batters and doughs?
(2) (_a_) What is a leavening agent? (_b_) What is the effect of leavening agents on batters and doughs?