Part 9
Take peaches fully grown, but not mellow; cover them in strong salt and water for one week. Take them from the brine and wipe them carefully, rubbing each peach to see if it is firm. Put to a gallon of vinegar half an ounce each of cloves, pepper corns, sliced ginger root, white mustard seed, and a little salt. Scald the peaches with this boiling vinegar, repeat this three times; add half as much fresh vinegar, and cork them up in jars. Keep them dark and cool. Light will spoil pickles or preserves as much as heat does. Apricots may be pickled in the same way.
GREEN PEACHES PICKLED
Brush the down from green peaches (cling-stones); put them in salt and water, with grape leaves and a bit of saleratus; set them over a moderate fire to simmer slowly until they are a fine green, then take them out, wipe them dry, and smooth the skins; take enough vinegar to cover them, put to it whole pepper, allspice, and mustard seed, making it boiling hot, and turn it over the peaches. Repeat the scalding three successive days.
PEACH MANGOES
Steep some large free-stone peaches in brine for two days, then wipe each peach carefully, and cut a hole in it just sufficient to allow the seed to come out; then throw them into cold vinegar until you make the stuffing, which is to fill up the cavity occupied by the seed. Take fresh white mustard seed which has been wet with vinegar, and allowed to swell a few hours, scraped horseradish, powdered ginger, a few pods of red pepper, a few small onions, or, better still, a clove of garlic. Mix all with vinegar, and add half as much chopped peach. Stuff the peaches hard with this mixture, replace the piece cut out, and tie it up tight with pack-thread. Boil a quart of vinegar for each dozen peaches; season it with the same spices as the stuffing. Boil the spices in a small bag, and then put in the peaches and let them scald ten or fifteen minutes, just long enough to be thoroughly hot all through. Place the peaches in jars, and pour scalding vinegar well spiced over them--the vinegar must cover them; add at the top a tablespoonful of salad oil. Cover the jar tight by tying leather over it.
MELON MANGOES
Get the late, small, smooth, green melons, they should not be larger than a teacup; cut out a piece from the stem end large enough to allow you to take the seeds from the inside; scrape out all the soft part, and when done, cover with the piece cut out and lay them in rows in a stone or wooden vessel as you do them. Make a strong brine of salt and water, pour it over the melons and let them remain in it twenty-four hours. Prepare the following stuffing: sliced horseradish, very small cucumbers, nasturtiums, small white onions, mustard seed, whole pepper, cloves and allspice; scald the pickles and cull them. Rinse the melons in cold water, then wipe each one dry and fill it. Put a cucumber, one or two small onions, with sliced horseradish and mustard seed, into each melon; put on the piece belonging to it and sew it with a coarse needle and thread; lay them in a stone pot or wooden vessel, the cut side up; when all are in, strew over them cloves and pepper, make the vinegar (enough to cover them) boiling hot, and put it over them, then cover with a folded towel; let them stand one night, then drain off the vinegar, make it hot again and pour it on, covering as before. Repeat this scalding four or five times, until the mangoes are a fine green; three times is generally enough. Be sure the melons are green and freshly gathered. The proper sort are the last on the vines, green and firm. If you wish to keep them till the next summer, choose the most firm, put in a jar and cover with cold fresh vinegar; tie thick paper over them.
BREAD AND YEAST
REMARKS ON YEAST
Without good yeast to start with it is impossible to make good bread, therefore I devote a few moments to this important consideration. There are several kinds of yeast used for raising bread and rolls. Brewers’ yeast is given to start with, though too strong for a family bread. Bakers’ is better, but not always to be had. A housekeeper should get a little of any good yeast to commence with, and when she finds it is good, and is well risen and sweet, instead of pouring it into flour, and baking it, it is better to thicken it with cornmeal, cut the cakes out, dry in a cool place, and keep the cakes always on hand for any purpose to which they are suited, _i. e._, in the making of bread, rolls, pocketbooks, loaf, cake, sally lunn, or any kind of light biscuit.
TO MAKE RISING WITH YEAST CAKE
Take a heaping spoonful of good yeast cake pounded, one-half a cup of warm water, a lump of sugar, and enough sifted flour to make a thick batter. Set this to rise in a cool place in summer, and a warm place in winter. It will be light and ready to use in about three hours, unless it is kept very cool. A heaping spoonful is the proper quantity for one quart of flour; half a cup of lard will make the bread better and richer. It is well to grease the bread on top before baking.
TURNPIKE CAKES, COMMONLY CALLED HARD YEAST
Put a cup of hops into a pint of water; when boiling hot, strain it over a pint of corn-meal; add a teacup of bakers’ yeast, and when cool roll the dough in flour, and cut it out into cakes, and dry them for use.
LIQUID YEAST OF PARCHED CORN AND HOPS, WHICH DOES NOT TURN SOUR
Take two teacupfuls of corn, parch it thoroughly, being careful not to burn it; add a good handful of hops; boil in water enough to cover well, for an hour and a half. Pare six good-sized potatoes, and boil them for half an hour with the corn and hops. Sift the potatoes (when done) through a colander, and strain the liquor through a cloth onto the potatoes; add a tablespoonful of vinegar, one cup of sugar, and a half cup of salt; put in cold water enough to make up a gallon. Put the whole in a jug, having added a teacupful of good yeast to raise it. Set the jug, without corking, in a warm place till it begins to “work,” then cork it and put it in the cellar, and the longer it stands the better it becomes. When wanted for bread, you should (at noon) take five or six boiled potatoes, mash them very fine, stir in a teacupful of flour, and pour on a quart of boiling water; then put in a cup nearly full of yeast, and set the ferment in a warm place till night; then set a soft sponge, with warm water and flour, adding the ferment; it will be ready to mould up hard the first thing in the morning. Let it rise till quite light, then mould it out in loaves, rise again, and bake in the usual way. The sponge should not be set near the stove. The superior qualities of this yeast are shown by the fact that you never use saleratus in the bread, and it never sours. If the directions are followed, with good flour, you may be sure of sweet light bread every time.
MISS BEECHER’S POTATO YEAST
Mash six boiled potatoes, mix in half a coffeecup of flour, two teaspoonfuls of salt, and add hot water until it is a batter; beat all well together. When it is blood-warm add to it one-half cup of brewers’ yeast, or a whole cup of home-brewed yeast. When this is light, put it in a bottle, and cork it tight for use. Keep it as cool as possible.
ANOTHER POTATO YEAST WITHOUT HOPS
Boil and mash sufficient potatoes to fill a pint cup; add to them a pint of water, boil them together, stir in flour enough to form a thick batter, and when cool, add a yeast cake, or a cup of good yeast. Bottle and put away in a cool place.
YEAST WITH HOPS
Peel and boil eight large Irish potatoes. Boil a handful of hops in a little water, or in the water the potatoes were boiled in; mash the potatoes fine, and strain the water from the hops over them. Put in a cup of flour to the potatoes before the water is poured on, as it mixes better when dry; mix all together and beat it, then put in half a cup of good yeast, or a yeast cake. This will keep good for a week if kept cool.
HOME-MADE YEAST
Boil one pound of good flour, one-quarter of a pound of good sugar, and a tablespoonful of salt in two gallons of water. Boil for two hours, and bottle it for use. This will do if you are where you cannot get bakers’ yeast, or turnpike cakes to start your yeast, but is not always reliable.
SALT RISING YEAST
Take a pint of new milk, warm from the cow if possible. Put in a teaspoonful of salt, and thicken it with flour to the consistency of batter cakes. Set this in a warm place to rise, and make your biscuit or bread up with it, and some new milk, or milk and water warmed together.
SALT, OR MILK, RISING FOR BREAD, AND HOW TO BAKE IT
Take a pint of new milk, stir in nearly a pint of boiling water, then salt it with a teaspoonful of fine salt; thicken this with flour enough to make a thick batter. Set it in a warm place to rise, and it is ready to mix into bread. Mix the yeast in a soft dough with fine flour, a little lard, and a cup of water; mould it, and set it to rise. When well risen, bake it a nice brown. Wrap it in a damp cloth for a few minutes, and let it cool slowly before it is cut. This is a good bread for a delicate stomach, which is sometimes painfully affected by hop-yeast bread.
HARD FIG-LEAF YEAST MADE WITHOUT HOPS
During the war we could get no hops, and found that fig-leaves were a good substitute. _To Make Fig-Leaf Yeast._--Take a pint cup of the leaves, put them to a quart of cold water, and boil them until a strong tea or decoction is made--this is to be put away to cool; then pour off the tea carefully, leaving the dregs and leaves. Now boil and wash Irish potatoes enough to fill a pint-cup, put them to the tea of fig-leaves, beat them up with a tablespoonful of brown sugar and flour, to make a stiff batter, and put it in a covered vessel to rise. When this yeast is light and frothing, thicken it immediately (as keeping too long injures it) with corn-meal, until it is thick enough to be rolled out like biscuit. Roll it out, cut and dry the cake, turning them very often until dry. This will be a supply of yeast for several months. When you wish to make bread, take one of the cakes in the morning, put it in a covered mug or pitcher; put on it a cup of cold water, and when it is dissolved, put to it a spoonful of brown sugar, and make a batter of the water and yeast cake. Make this batter as stiff as pound-cake batter, and when it rises well, mix with two quarts of flour, and the bread will be most excellent, if carefully made according to these directions. Use lard as usual in making the bread up for baking.
TO MAKE A LOAF OF GOOD BREAD
One large spoonful of hop yeast, or a yeast cake; put this to a pint of water, mash to this two Irish potatoes, and stir all together. Sift in flour until you have a stiff batter, and set it to rise. When it is very light, stir in a spoonful of lard, and enough flour to enable you to mould it into a loaf. When moulded, grease the top, and set it to rise again. If really light, you can now bake it; but if _not_, work it down again, and mould it over and let it rise again. This is made plain and definite, for nothing is more discouraging for a young housekeeper than to feel that she really _tried_, and yet could _not_ make good bread. This is in such small quantities that a young person could try it, without feeling that she was wasting much, if she does not succeed the first time. Any one who tries this simple recipe will have the pleasure of presenting a nice loaf of bread to her family.
TO MAKE GOOD BREAD
Make a pint of meal into mush, then pour it onto two quarts of flour; when cool, add a little salt and warm water, or milk, and a cup of yeast; work it with a spoon, and set it by to rise until morning. Knead it well; yes, _very_ well, and make it into loaves; place in the pan, and when light, bake it. Add a little lard, if liked.
A VERY NICE POTATO BREAD
To two pounds or pints of flour, add one pound or pint of warm, mashed mealy Irish potatoes. Add to this milk and water, a cup of yeast and a little salt. Make it after kneading it very well, into loaves, and place them in a pan to rise. If you desire a rich, short bread you may add a little lard or butter, but it is nice without.
RAISED WHEAT BREAD WITH POTATOES
Take one half a cup of hop yeast, or yeast made from turnpike cake will do, also two boiled hot Irish potatoes, mash them, and add to the yeast and potatoes one pint of water. Make a sponge of this by beating in sifted flour until it is a soft dough. Set it to rise by the stove; when it is light, pour the sponge in the bread tray and mould it rather stiff with sifted flour, knead it well and set it to rise _again_. When it is light, work in a little more flour, shape it in loaves in the baking-pans; and when light the second time bake it; this allows the yeast to lighten or rise _once_, and the dough or bread to rise twice, making three fermentations the dough undergoes before it is baked into bread.
LIGHT BREAD, INVARIABLY GOOD
Take _nine_ pint cups of flour, one pint cup of good yeast made from hops, two pint cups of warm water and a pint cupful of warm milk. Make into a sponge, let this rise; when risen, knead it with all your strength, work more flour into it, and let it rise again. When it is light, you must bake it in loaves.
EXCELLENT FAMILY BREAD
Take a peck of sifted flour, half a pint of family yeast, or a gill of brewers’ yeast; wet all up soft with new milk, or milk and water warm. Add a cup of shortening, and a teaspoonful of salt. Knead it faithfully, and set it in a warm place to rise. It is better to take the dough when risen, and work it down again; but some dislike the trouble, and bake it as soon as it rises. You must keep your dough for wheat bread very soft; but for rye, you may have it stiff.
SPONGE BREAD
Take three quarts of wheat flour, and three quarts of boiling water, mix them thoroughly; let them remain until lukewarm, then add twelve spoonfuls of family yeast, or six of brewers’. Place it where it will be warm; keep the air from it, and leave it to rise. When it is light, work in flour to mould it, and a little salt. Let it stand for a second rising, then shape into loaves and bake.
RYE AND INDIAN BREAD FOR DYSPEPTICS
Take a pint of rye flour and a pint of Indian meal, scald the meal with a cup of boiling water, and when lukewarm, mix in the flour and a cup of yeast; add a little salt, and knead it as for other bread. Bake for two hours.
GRAHAM BREAD
Get good, fresh, ground unbolted flour, and sift it through a common hair sieve. Take three quarts of this wheat meal, one half a cup of good yeast, and three spoonfuls of molasses. Mix to a sponge with water, work in flour enough to mould it, and proceed as you do with common wheat bread. You must put a little soda in the batter before moulding, as it is more disposed to ferment than fine or bolted flour.
MISS SHATTUCK’S BROWN BREAD
One quart of rye meal, two quarts of Indian meal, two tablespoonfuls of molasses; mix thoroughly with sweet milk. Let it stand two hours, and bake in a slow oven.
BOSTON BROWN BREAD
One and a half pints of Indian meal, half a pint of wheat flour, one cup of sweet milk, one cup of sour milk, with a teaspoonful of soda in it; three tablespoonfuls of molasses, one tablespoonful of yeast, and a pinch of salt. Put it in a warm place to rise, then let it bake steadily for four hours; warm by steaming it when wanted to use.
CORN BATTER BREAD
Take six spoonfuls of flour, and six of corn meal; add a little salt, sift them together; make a batter with four eggs, and a cup of milk; stir in the flour and meal, make it a soft batter, and bake in small tins for breakfast. Some use yeast powder or soda with this batter, but that is a matter of taste. If yeast powder is used, sift it in the flour; if soda is used put it in the milk.
MISSISSIPPI CORN BREAD
One quart of buttermilk, two eggs, three spoonfuls of butter, and a teaspoonful of saleratus; stir in meal, to the milk, until it is as thick as buckwheat batter. Bake in squares about one inch thick. It will require half an hour in a hot oven. If it is not nice, it will be because you have put in too much meal, and made the batter too thick. But try again, and you will succeed.
SODA OR MILK BISCUIT
To a pound of sifted flour, put the yolk of an egg; dissolve a teaspoonful of carbonate of soda in a little milk; put it and a teaspoonful of salt to the flour, with as much milk as will make a stiff paste; work it well together, beat it for some minutes with a rolling-pin, then roll it very thin. Cut it in round or square biscuits, and bake in a moderate oven until they are crisp.
RICH SODA BISCUITS WITH CREAM OF TARTAR
To each quart of flour add two teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar sifted through it. Put in a tablespoonful of lard or butter; dissolve a tablespoonful of soda in a cup of water, pour it on the flour; mix with milk, or milk and water, to a soft dough, roll out on the floured biscuit board, cut with the biscuit cutter, and bake quickly. Add a little salt.
A NICE WAY TO MAKE YEAST POWDER BISCUIT
Take a quart of flour--which is about the quantity required by an ordinary family of six persons; sift one pint of the flour in a tin basin, and sift into it two heaping spoonfuls of yeast or baking powder. Add to the flour a tablespoonful of lard; put this also in the basin and make, with a little salt, a nice batter; beat the flour, lard and water very briskly until it is light. Take down your biscuit board and sift on it the other pint of flour, make a hole in the flour, and pour in your batter, gently stirring it until it is a soft dough; keep it as soft as possible, roll it out, cut it with the biscuit cutter, and bake quickly. These biscuits never have that screwed or drawn-up look that most biscuits made with yeast powder have.
SPONGE BISCUIT WITH YEAST
Stir half a teacup of melted butter, a teaspoonful of salt and a cup of good yeast, into a pint of lukewarm water; then add flour to make a stiff batter. Set this to rise; when light drop this mixture onto flat buttered tins; drop them several inches apart so as to leave room for them to rise. Let them stay in a warm place fifteen minutes, before being put in the oven to bake. Bake them quickly to a light brown color; they will take about six or eight hours to lighten, though the time depends always on the yeast, and the coldness or warmth of the weather.
SPONGE BISCUIT WITHOUT YEAST, MADE WITH CREAM
Mix half a pint of thick cream, four eggs, a little salt, soda, and flour enough to make a stiff batter; if too stiff to drop nicely, thin it with a cup of sweet milk. Drop on tins like the above recipe. Bake in a quick oven.
CREAM OF TARTAR BISCUIT FOR BREAKFAST
One quart of sifted flour, three teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar and one of soda mixed in the flour, and a little salt, two large spoonfuls of shortening; mix soft with warm water or milk, and bake.
MILK BISCUIT OR ROLLS
Warm a pint of milk and half a pound of butter; pour this into nearly two quarts of flour (you must take out a handful for finishing the biscuit); add two eggs and a cup of yeast, knead it very well and make into round balls, flatten each one on the palm of your hand and prick it with a fork; bake.
NICE ROLLS OR LIGHT BISCUIT
Beat together one egg, one spoonful of sugar, a small lump of butter and a gill of yeast, or a yeast cake; add to this a quart of flour, and enough warm milk, or milk and water, to form a dough; work it and set it to rise. When it has risen, take down your bread-board, flour it _well_, roll your dough out on the board, and spread over it a tablespoonful of lard or butter. Sprinkle a dust of flour over the butter, roll it up into rolls and bake quickly. Rolls are often made dark by allowing them to get too light.
VIRGINIA ROLLS
One tablespoonful of good yeast, one egg, one large spoonful of butter, one pound or pint of flour, a little salt and enough milk to form into a stiff batter. Set it to rise in a warmed pan until it is light; sift a cup of flour into the bread-tray, and pour the light batter in; work it well and keep the dough very soft, which is the most certain way to have light rolls or bread. Now, that it is well worked, moist and soft, set the dough to rise; when light, make into rolls, and lay them on a warmed and buttered pan; set them by the fire to rise again, baste the top over with butter, and bake in a quick oven as soon as they are light. Do not keep them too long rising or they might become sharp or sour.
LIGHT FLOUR PUFFS FOR BREAKFAST