-
-
-
THE BREAD AND BISCUIT BAKER'S
-
AND SUGAR-BOILER'S
ASSISTANT
-
- Including a large variety of Modern
Recipes
- FOR
- BREAD -- TEA CAKES -- HARD AND FANCY
BISCUITS -- BUNS -- GINGERBREADS --
- SHORTBREADS -- PASTRY -- CUSTARDS -- FRUIT
CAKES -- SMALL GOODS FOR
- SMALL MASTERS -- CONFECTIONS IN SUGAR --
LOZENGES -- ICE CREAMS -- PRESERVING FRUIT -- CHOCOLATE, ETC. ETC.
-
- WITH REMARKS ON
- THE ART OF BREAD -- MAKING
- AND
- CHEMISTRY AS APPLIED TO BREAD --
MAKING
-
- BY
- ROBERT WELLS
- PRACTICAL BAKER! CONFECTIONERY, AND
PASTRYCOOK, SCARBOROUGH
Second Edition,
with Additional Recipes.
LONDON
CROSBY LOCKWOOD AND
SON
7, STATIONERS' HALL COURT,
LUDGATE HILL
1890
[All rights
reserved.]
PREFACE.
In submitting the following
pages for public approval, the Author hopes that the work may prove acceptable
and useful to the Baking Trade as a Book of Instruction for Learners, and for
daily reference in the Shop and Bakehouse; and having exercised great care in
its compilation, he believes that in all its details it will be found a
trustworthy guide.
From his own experience in the
Baker's business, he is satisfied that a book of this kind, embodying in a handy
form the accumulated results of the work of practical men, is really wanted; and
as in the choice of Recipes he has been guided by an intimate acquaintance with
the requirements of the trade, and as every recipe here given has been tested by
actual and successful use, he trusts that the labour which he has bestowed upon
the preparation of the work may be rewarded by its wide acceptance by his
brethren in the trade.
The work being divided into
sections, as shown in the Contents, and a full Index having been added,
reference can readily be made, as occasion may arise, either to a class of
goods, or to a particular recipe.
Any suggestions for the
improvement of the work, which the experience of others may lead them to
propose, will, if communicated to the Author, be gratefully esteemed and
carefully dealt with in future editions.
SCARBOROUGH,
October, I888.
ADVERTISEMENT TO THE SECOND EDITION.
It is very gratifying to both
Author and Publishers that this little book has been so favorably received by
the Baking Trade and the public that a second edition is required within a few
months of the first issue of the work. The opportunity has been taken to insert
some additional recipes for the whole-meal and other breads which of late have
been so frequently recommended as substitutes for the white bread in established
use, together with some remarks on the subject by Professors Jago and Graham;
and a few corrections in the text (the necessity for which escaped notice when
the work was first in the press) have also been made.
August, 1889.
CONTENTS.
BREAD AND BISCUIT BAKING,
ETC.
I. -- INTRODUCTORY
CHAPTER
Slow Process in the Art of
Bread-making Need of Technical Training Chemistry as applied to
Bread-making.
Process of
Fermentation.
Liebig on the Process of
Bread-making Professors Jago and Graham on Brown Bread
II. -- GENERAL REMARKS
ON BAKING
Baking and its several Branches
Essentials of good Bread-making German Yeast and Parisian Barm Recipe for
American Patent Yeast. Judging between good and bad Flour Liebig on the Action
of Alum in Bread Professor Vaughan on Adulteration with Alum Importance of good
Butter to the Pastrycook.
III. -- BREAD, TEA
CAKES, BUNS, ETC.
- 1. To make
Home-made Bread
- 2. Bread-malting
by the Old Method
- 3. Modern Way of
making Bread
- 4. Scotch Style
of making Bread
- 5. Home-made
Whole Meal Bread
- 6. Whole Meal
Bread for Master Bakers
- 7. Unfermented
or Diet Bread
- 13. Sally Luns,
Yorkshire, or Tea Cakes
- 23. Balloon or
Prussian Cakes
- 28. Common
German Buns (for wholesale purposes)
IV. -- GINGERBREAD,
PARKINGS, SHORTBREAD, ETC.
- 38. Scarborough
Gingerbread (for wholesale purposes)
- 41. Prepared
Treacle for Thick Gingerbread
- 43. Grantham or
White Gingerbread
- 48. Italian
Jumbles, or Brandy Snaps
- 49. Halfpenny
Gingerbread Squares
- 57.
Machine-made Biscuits
V. -- HARD BISCUITS
- 61. Abernethy
Biscuits (Dr. Abernethy's original recipe)
- 62. Abernethys
as made in London
- 63. Usual Way
of making Abernethy Biscuits
- 66. Boston
Lemon Crackers
- 72. Small
Arrowroot Biscuits
VI. -- FANCY BISCUITS,
ALMONDS, Etc.
- 84. Imperial or
Lemon Biscuits
- 90. Currant
Fruit Biscuits
- 93. Genoa and
Toulouse Biscuits, Exhibition Nuts and Marseillaise Biscuits
- 99. Crimp, or
Honeycomb Biscuits
- 107. Rock
Almonds (White)
- 109. Rock
Almonds (Brown}
- 110. Almond
Fruit Biscuits
- 113. Common
Drop Biscuits
- 115. French
Savoy Biscuits
- 117. Lord
Mayor's Biscuits
- 119. Palais
Royal Biscuits
- 121.
Scarborough Water Cakes
- 123. Almond
Sponge Biscuits.
VII. -- PASTRY,
CUSTARDS, ETC.
- 125. Butter
for Puff Paste
- 130. Paste for
a Baked Custard
- 131. Paste for
small Raised Pies
- 132. To make a
handsome Tartlet
- 133. Nelson
Cake or Eccles Cake
VIII. -- FRUIT
CAKES, BRIDE CAKES, ETC.
- 136.
Directions for mixing Cakes made with Butter
- 138. London
Way of mixing Cakes
- 139. Another
Way of mixing Cakes
- 144. Two and
Three Pound Cakes
- 146. Four and
Six Pound Cakes
- 148. Icing
Sugar for Bride Cakes, &c
- 149. Almond
Icing for Bride Cakes
- 153. Plum Cake
(as made for the best shops in Edinburgh)
- 155. Rice Cake
(Scotch Mixture)
- 156. Madeira
Cake (Scotch Mixture)
- 157. Pond Cake
or Dundee Cake
- 160. Plum Cake
at 6d. per lb. (as sold by Grocers}
- 163. Mystery,
or Cheap Plum Cake at 3d per lb
- 164. Plum Cake
at 4d per lb
IX. -- HANDY WHOLESALE
RECIPES FOR SMALL MASTERS.
- 170. Soda
Cakes or Scones
- 171. Currant
or Milk Scones
- 172. Sugar or
White Spice Biscuits
- 173. Halfpenny
Scotch Cakes
- 174. Large
Square Penny Albert Cake
- 177. Common
Halfpenny Queen Cake
- 178. Halfpenny
Lunch Cake
- 179. Polkas or
Halfpenny Sponges
SUGAR-BOILING,
ETC.
X. -- CONFECTIONS IN
SUGAR-BOlLING.
- 182. To boil
Sugar to the degree called "Pearled"
- 183. To boil
Sugar to the degree called "Blown"
- 184. To boil
Sugar to the degree called "Feathered"
- 185. To boil
Sugar to the "Ball" Degree
- 186. To boil
Sugar to the degree called "Crackled"
- 187. To boil
Sugar to the degree called "Caramelled"
- 188. To boil
Sugar by the Thermometer
- 214. Lavender,
Violet, Musk, and Millefleur Drops
- 216.
Philadelphia Caramels
- 221. To spin a
Silver Web
- 223. A Spun
Sugar Pyramid
- 224. To spin a
Gold Sugar Crocanth
- 226. A Spun
Sugar Beehive
- 227. To
ornament a Beehive
XI. --
COLORING SUGAR.
- 228. To
prepare Sugar for Colouring
XII. --
LOZENGES.
- 240.
Transparent Mint Lozenges
XIII. -- ICE
CREAMS.
- 248. Bisque or
Biscuit Glace
- 249. Crushed
Strawberry Ice Cream
XIV. -- PRESERVING
FRUITS.
XV. --
CHOCOLATE.
- 260. General
Directions for Making Chocolate
- 261. Chocolate
Harlequin Pistachios
- 262. Chocolate
Drops with Nonpareils
Measures below are approximate
only:
UK
- Metric
- 1 pound =
450 grams
- 1 quart =
1140 mls
- 1
pint =
570 mls
- 1
gill =
90 mls
- 1 ounce =
18 mls
- 1 drachm
= 3.5 mls\
THE
BREAD AND BISCUIT BAKER'S
ASSISTANT.
I. INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.
When we reflect upon the
present conditions under which the bread-making industry is carried on in most
of the large cities and towns of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and remember
the importance of that industry to mankind, we cannot but be impressed by the
little progress that has been made in the art of bread-making. Whilst other
industries have been marked by important improvements, we find bread being made
in much the same manner as it was five hundred years ago. The mystery is how --
by accident, it would seem -- We get such well-made bread as we do. There are
very few even now who have the slightest conception of what yeast really is, and
fewer still who know how or why it makes bread light. But it will surprise me if
the trade does not undergo, in the course of the next ten years, a complete and
beneficial change.
Master bakers and confectioners
are everywhere complaining of the incompetency of their workmen; and it cannot
be denied that there is some ground for the complaint. Proper training in the
baking and confectionery trade is of great importance. A trained servant gives
satisfaction to his employer, and receives a responsive good feeling in
return.
Let us see what is meant by
"training." In its broadest and best sense, it is knowing what to do, and when
and how to do it.
Take the first condition --
What to do. This may be considered on two grounds, generally known as the
practical and the theoretical, though the latter is sometimes confounded with
the scientific, and people are led to sneer at science. Much has been said
lately in our trade journals about introducing scientific chemistry to the
journeyman baker in connection with his daily work of making bread. But how many
journeyman bakers could we find that even understand the meaning of the word
chemistry, without expecting them to understand mysteries to which years of
study have been devoted by such men as Liebig, Graham, Dumas, Darwin, Pasteur,
and Thorns of Alyth?
CHEMISTRY AS APPLIED TO
BREAD-MAKING.
It is not my intention to
depreciate the great good that would be derived from scientific chemistry if
properly applied to bread-making. But who is to study and apply it? Surely not a
man who earns from 20s. to 30s. per week, and works twelve, fourteen, and
sixteen hours a day in an overheated atmosphere. What hours of rest he has
should be used to recuperate his lost vitality. Not till scientific chemistry is
taught in our Board schools and made one of the elements of a scholar's ordinary
education, can we hope to see it used successfully with bakers in making
bread.
Chemistry, I believe, is
destined to play as important a part in the annals of the baking trade as did
the substitution of machinery for hand labour. But at the present day how many
bakers know that the decomposition of sugar produces fermentation; that
fermentation destroys sugar and produces alcohol; that maltose assists
fermentation; that starch, however obtained, has always the same
characteristics, though there are different kinds from different sources; that
dextrine is soluble in water and insoluble in alcohol; that protoplasm, the
basis of all life, consists of proteine, compounds, mineral salts, nitrogen,
&c. ? And do not the meaning and use of terms familiar in scientific
chemistry -- such as diastase, cereslin, gluten, and others -- only perplex the
ordinary journeyman baker, and make him think that the less he has to do with
science, the more easily he will get his life "rubbed through." It is impossible
for working bakers to become acquainted with these things while in the
bakehouse; and while there are in many towns such valuable institutions as free
libraries, mechanics' institutes, &c., they are not available to the
ordinary baker, as his hours are so exceptional. The baker's hours of labour,
indeed, are shorter in many places than they used to be, and he is no longer
called "the white slave." Still, the spirit of competition is so strong that a
baker has to work much harder proportionally than other working men, and his
mind is in no condition, in the little spare time he has, to study the problems
of science; and nobody can expect the baker to know, as it were by intuition,
the whys and the wherefores of chemistry. However, what he has learnt in the
practice of his art, and what the common custom of the trade has handed down to
him, he may use to more or less advantage, according as he has more or less
personal skill. In the case of fermentation, which may be described as the very
backbone of bread-making, a baker will find plenty to study and to think about,
from his first "setting the sponge" until his bread is out of the oven, without
perplexing himself over problems about which he can understand little or
nothing.
With time and money at his
disposal, however, the study of chemistry opens up a wide field to the studious
baker, and would no doubt reward him for his pains, and at the same time prove a
great gain to his trade; and I believe there are not a few earnest workers
labouring at the present time to afford that knowledge and help to the
journeyman baker which will eventually lead to an easier way of earning his
daily bread.
FERMENTATION.
The process of fermentation,
which has for its object either the manufacture of bread, or of an alcoholic
product in a more or less concentrated form, is very similar in action during
its earlier stages. It commences with the growth and multiplication of the
fermenting germs contained in the minute organisms floating in the air, the
inorganic constituents of the water, and the protoplasm (essence of life) of the
yeast; and all the changes brought about are accompanied by heat. Fermentation
is caused by the decomposition of the starch and gluten of a solution of either
potatoes, flour, or malted barley, which decomposition is accompanied by an
evolution of gas. There is also a peculiar vibration given to the various bodies
in contact, which agitates the whole. This agitation is increased by the
bursting of the starch-cells and the formation therefrom of maltose, and also by
the changing of the maltose sugar into carbonic acid gas. Substances in a state
of decomposition are capable of bringing about a change in the chemical
composition of bodies with which they are in contact. Most of the vegetable
substances used in fermentation have a constituent part -- sugar, starch, or
some other substance -- which is easily converted into a fermentable sugar by
the action of yeast, or of diluted mineral acids, or by a constituent of malted
barley, called diastase. The sugar produced by these means is resolved into
carbonic acid gas and alcohol by vinous fermentation. It will be seen,
therefore, that fermentation is started by the saccharine element in the
ferment, which is termed maltose; the process is then kept up by the gluten,
which, becoming decomposed, aids the sugar and starch in the work of providing
food for the yeast as soon as the latter is brought in contact with it. The
fermentation then takes place very rapidly, and carbonic acid gas is generated
and given off in proportion to the amount of the products contained in the
ferment, or sponge, and also to the strength and freshness of the yeast:
especially is this so with gluten, which is the great agent of fermentation,
when in a state of decomposition and when in contact with yeast.
PROCESS OF
BREAD-MAKING.
It will be useful to give here
some remarks by the great scientist, Liebig, on the best process of making
bread: --
"Many chemists are of opinion
that flour by the fermentation in the dough loses somewhat of its nutritious
constituents, from a decomposition of the gluten; and it has been proposed to
render the dough porous without fermentation by means of substances which when
brought into contact yield carbonic acid. But on a closer investigation of the
process this view appears to have little foundation.
"When flour is made into dough
with water, and allowed to stand at a gentle warmth, a change takes place in the
gluten of the dough, similar to that which occurs after the steeping of barley
in the commencement of germination in the seeds in the preparation of malt; and
in consequence of this change the starch (the greater part of it in malting; in
dough only a small percentage)is converted into sugar, a small portion of the
gluten passes into the soluble state, in which it acquires the properties of
albumen, but by this change it loses nothing whatever of its digestibility or of
its nutritive value.
"We cannot bring flour and
water together without the formation of sugar from the starch; and it is this
sugar and not the gluten of which a part enters into fermentation, and is
resolved into alcohol and carbonic acid.
"We know that malt is not
inferior in nutritive power to barley from which it is derived, although the
gluten contained in it has undergone a much more profound alteration than that
of flour in the dough, and experience has taught us that in distilleries where
spirits are made from potatoes, the plastic constituents of the potatoes, and of
the malt which is added after having gone through the entire course of the
processes of the formation and the fermentation of the sugar, have lost little
or nothing of their nutritive value. It is certain therefore, that in the making
of bread there is no loss of gluten.
"Only a small part of the
starch of the flour is consumed in the production of sugar, and the fermentative
process is not only the simplest and best but also the cheapest of all the
methods which have been recommended for rendering bread porous. Besides,
chemical preparations ought never, as a rule, to be recommended by chemists for
culinary purposes, since they hardly ever are found pure in ordinary commerce.
For example, the commercial crude muriatic acid which it is recommended to add
to the dough along with bicarbonate of soda, is always most impure, and often
contains arsenic, so that the chemist never uses it without a tedious process of
purification for his purposes, which are of far less importance than making
bread light and porous.
"To make bread cheaper it has
been proposed to add to dough potato starch or dextrine, rice, the pressed pulp
of turnips, pressed raw potatoes, or boiled potatoes; but all these additions
only diminish the nutritive value of bread. Potato starch, dextrine, or the
pressed pulp of turnips, and beet-root, when added to flour, yield a mixture the
nutritive value of which is equal to the entire potato, or lower still, but no
one can consider the change of grain or flour into a food of equal value with
potatoes or rice an improvement. The true problem is to render the potatoes or
rice similar or equal to wheat in their effects, and not vice versa It is better
under all circumstances to boil the potatoes and eat them as such, than to add
potatoes or potato starch to flour before it is made into bread, which should be
strictly prohibited by police regulation on account of the cheating to which it
would inevitably give rise."
BROWN
BREAD.
With regard to the nutritive
qualities of brown bread, Professor Jago (who I think one of our highest
authorities) says that whole meal, and flour from which the bran and germ have
not been removed, do not keep well. These bodies contain oil and nitrogenous
principles which readily decompose, producing rancidity and mustiness in
flavour. Not only do these changes occur in the flour, but they also proceed
apace in the dough. The diastastic bodies of the bran and germ attack the
starch, and more or less convert it into dextrine and maltose; they further
attack the gluten, and that remarkably elastic body which confers on wheaten
flour, alone of all the cereals, the power of forming a light, spongy,
well-risen loaf. The gluten, under the action of the bran and germ, loses its
elasticity, and becomes fragile and incapable of retaining the gas produced
during fermentation; the result is heavy, sodden, indigestible
bread.
Evidence of this is found in
the fact that while whole-meal loaves are so excessively baked as to produce a
crust two or three times the ordinary thickness, the interior is still in a damp
and sodden condition. This is the effect of bran in whole-meal.
"Not only, then, on the ground
of nutritive value may the use of a pure white loaf be urged, but such bread is
more healthily made, and will be sweet and free from acidity when whole-meal and
dark breads are sour and unwholesome. It has also been pointed out that the
nutritive constituents of the bran are so locked within it that they escape
unaltered from the human body."
Such, in brief, is Professor
Jago's opinion of whole-meal, and bread made from it. My own opinion is that
Darwin's theory of the survival of the fittest is very forcibly illustrated in
the milling of cereals, and the adoption of food most proper for the human
system. We have had brown bread and white bread before the public from time
immemorial, and what is the result ? Why, for every sack of wheat-meal bread
which is baked we have a thousand sacks of fine or white bread. And what of our
hospitals and our army and navy, with medical men at the head of them, watching
the results of this food or that food, and its effects on the human body? I
admit that brown bread does suit some constitutions; but to the majority of
people it is nauseous, frequently causing flatulency. I will just quote another
good authority -- Professor Charles Graham.
In his lecture upon ''The
Chemistry of Bread-Making," delivered before the Society of Arts in December,
1879, he said: "As regards the importance of the constituents of bran, I say
that the analyst, and the physician who makes use of the analyst as his
supporter, in bringing before us the importance of brown bread as compared with
white, and who assert that in rejecting the bran we are guilty of a serious
waste of flesh-forming and bone-forming material, should not take a mere
chemical analysis as all-sufficient to establish their point. A table showing,
from an analyst's point of view, the comparative merits of various substances
for feeding purposes, shows hay to be of high value as a food, and even oat
straw -- as, indeed, every farmer knows from experience. Still more valuable for
their heat giving, and especially for their flesh-forming, materials, are
linseed-cake, rape-cake, and decorticated cotton-cake. Now those who hold, from
mere chemical analysis, that bran is of such high value as a food material that
its omission from flour would meet with grave censure, should, from a similar
analytical standpoint, urge us to eat hay, oat-straw, linseed and cotton cakes.
Doubtless these substances are of high value as food for cattle, because the
herbivorous oxen can digest and utilise them with ease; not so with man, who
would starve in a field where a cow or a sheep would fatten. As with hay or
linseed cake, so with bran; I hold that the best mode of digesting such food
substances is first of all by the aid of our hoofed friends, to convert them
into milk or cream, or bacon, beef, or mutton."
Now these are the scientific
opinions of two of our very highest authorities. But of late I have been making
brown bread out of a blend of cereals made and milled by an enterprising firm of
millers in the North of England, and I must really say that it meets a long-felt
want, as it produces a brown loaf which is free from that nauseous taste of
which complaint is so often made with brown bread, and has a good nutty flavour
of its own.
In conclusion, let me say that
we have reason for great hope for the future of the Bread and Confectionery
trade. Many earnest minds are devoting both time and money to the development of
this important industry, and their efforts cannot fail to result in bettering
the knowledge and lightening the labour of the practical baker.
II.
GENERAL REMARKS ON BAKING.
Baking as a business or
profession has never been confined to the making of bread alone -- that is to
say, bread in everyday use. A baker we take to mean a person who bakes and
prepares any farinaceous substance intended for human food. Therefore baking not
only includes loaf-bread baking, biscuit baking, fancy-bread baking, but also
pastry-making and confectionery. It is common for all these branches to be
practised by the same person, and it is therefore fitting that they should all
be treated of in a work of this kind. This we intend doing under separate heads.
ESSENTIALS OF GOOD
BREAD-MAKING.
Two of the most essential
things in bread-baking, in order to produce a full-flavoured, showy, and sweet
loaf, are good yeast and good flour. A good oven is also necessary. An oven
which is either too hot or too cold will spoil what would otherwise be a good
batch of bread: so great care should be used in order to have the oven of the
proper heat. Pan bread, or bread baked in tins, need a greater heat than batch
bread, as pan-bread dough is of a lighter nature than batch-bread dough, and
consequently requires more heat to keep it up. I do not intend, however, going
into the merits of different ovens, as I am not competent to do so. There are so
many different kinds, and each baker, as a rule, seems to fancy what he has been
most used to. For heating purposes, cinders have taken the place of coals and
wood, and (I think) to the advantage of both master and journeyman. Cinders are
cheaper for the master and cleaner for the workman.
GERMAN YEAST AND
PARISIAN BARM.
Yeasts, or barms, are of many
varieties, but I purpose here to deal with only two kinds -- that commonly known
as German yeast, which is mostly used in England, and Parisian barm, the kind
most in use in Scotland.
A great point in working German
yeast is to know when it is in proper condition, as it is very liable to go bad
in very warm weather, or if kept in a very warm place. Care should be taken to
keep it in a place as near a temperature of 56° to 60° Fahr. as possible. Should
there be any suspicion that the yeast is not up to the mark, a simple and sure
test is to get a clean cup or tumbler, half fill it with warm water of a
temperature of 100°, put an ounce of loaf sugar in the water, and when dissolved
add one ounce of yeast. The yeast will, of course, sink to the bottom, but if it
is sound and in good condition it will rise to the top in two minutes. Should it
take much longer than that, the less you have to do with it the
better.
Parisian barm makes a nice
showy loaf, but for flavour I prefer German yeast. To make Parisian barm 1
gallon of water is put into a pan at, say, 140° Fahr.; weigh 2 lbs. of crushed
malt, put it into the water at the above temperature, cover it up for about
three hours; one hour before you are going to make your barm, that is two hours
since you put your malt to steep, put 3 gallons of water into a large pan, put
it on the fire; when it boils, add 2 oz. of good fresh hops, well boil for
twenty minutes; after which well strain the malt through a hair sieve. Put it
into the barm tub and add as much flour as can be nicely stirred in with the
barm-stick. Then put the boiling hop-water through a sieve on top of the malt
water and flour and well stir it. It should be properly scalded. Some put the
hops in a small linen bag made for the purpose and put it in the boiling water,
squeezing it against the side of the pot before taking it out. Supposing it to
be five o'clock in the afternoon, it may be put by with a couple of sacks over
it till five o'clock next morning. Then "set the barn away" (as they say in
Scotland), by adding to the above liquid half a gallon of the barn previously
made.
After the old barn is added to
the new, in a few hours a scum gathers on the top. This scum will either start
at the side of the tub and work gradually to the other side, or I have seen it
start in the middle and work itself slowly to the sides of the tub. When ready
it should have a nice clear bell top. It takes from ten to twelve hours to work
before it is ready.
By following this method one
may always have good barn. Cleanliness is very essential for barn, and care
should be taken that neither grease nor churned milk shall get near it. We need
scarcely say that experience is required in this as in other things.
AMERICAN PATENT
YEAST.
I may add the following recipe
for American patent yeast :-Take half a pound of hops and two pailfuls of water;
mix and boil them till the liquid is reduced one half; strain the decoction into
a tub, and when luke-warm add half a peck of malt. In the meantime, put the
strained-off hops again into two pailfuls of water, and boil as before till they
are reduced one half; strain the liquid while hot into a tub. (The heat will not
injuriously affect malt previously mixed with tepid water.) When the liquid has
cooled down to about blood heat, strain off the malt and add to the liquor two
quarts of patent yeast set apart from the previous making by the above process.
Five gallons of good yeast may thus be made which will be ready for use the day
after it is made. It takes about eight hours' time to manufacture, but gives
very little trouble to the
baker.
GOOD OR BAD
FLOUR.
Experience is also necessary to
judge of flour; but any one in the habit of using flour may form a pretty
accurate idea whether it is good or bad. If fine and white, it may be considered
good so far as colour is concerned; but if it be brown, it shows that it was
either made from inferior wheat, or has been coarsely dressed -- that is, that
it contains particles of bran. However, brown flour may be of a good sound
quality, and fine white flour may not.
To judge of flour, take a
portion in your hand and press it firmly between the thumb and forefinger, at
the same time rubbing it gently for the purpose of making a level surface upon
the flour; or take a watch with a smooth back and press it firmly on the flour.
By this means its colour may be ascertained by observing the pressed or smooth
surface. If the flour feels loose and lively in the hand, it is of good quality;
if it feels dead or damp, or, in other words, clammy, it is decidedly bad. Flour
ought to be a week or two old before being
used.
ALUM IN
BREAD.
A common custom to improve
flour was to add a small quantity of alum to a sack of flour -- a custom which,
it may be hoped, is entirely a thing of the past. According to Liebig, the
action of alum in the process of bread-making is to form certain insoluble
combinations which render digestion difficult, and detract largely from the
value of bread as food. Professor Vaughan, of the University of Michigan, says:
"The use of alum is an adulteration which is injurious to health. It unites with
the phosphates in the bread, rendering them insoluble, and preventing their
digestion and absorption. In this way, alum, when present, diminishes the
nutritive value of bread. While some gain may perhaps temporarily accrue to the
manufacturer through the covert perpetration of this fraud, still no good to any
one can result therefrom."
BUTTER FOR PASTRY AND
CAKES.
Butter, which so largely enters
into the pastry cook's business, is another important point for consideration.
It should be perfectly sweet, and before it is used made smooth on a marble
slab. Salt butter made from cows fed on poor pasture is the best for puff paste,
and is the most proper for ornamental work; it should be washed in water two or
three times before being used. On the other hand, for every kind of cake the
butter cannot be too rich.
In the course of this work I
likewise intend to touch on the icing of bride and other cakes.
RECIPES.
III.
BREAD, TEA CAKES, BUNS, ETC.
I. -- To
make Home-made Bread.
Put 1 stone of fine flour into
your mixing pan; make a hole in the middle of the flour, and press the sides of
the hole to prevent the liquid running through; dissolve 2 1/2 ozs. of yeast in
1 gill of water, and put it in the hole made in the flour; mix a little flour in
the liquid to make a thin batter, cover your pan over and let it rise to a nice
cauliflower top; when ready, dissolve 2 1/2 ozs. of salt in 1 gill of water, put
this into your pan, and then take sufficient water (or water and milk) to make
all into a nice dough; let it rise a little in the pan, then weigh off into your
tins, and prove and bake. The heat of the water should be between 80° and 90°
Fahr.
2. --
Bread-making by the Old Method.
To make a sack of flour into
bread the baker takes the flour and empties it into the kneading trough; it is
then carefully passed through a wire sieve, which makes it lie lighter and
reduces any lumps that may have formed in it. Next he dissolves 2 oz. of alum
(called in the trade "stuff" or "rocky ") in a little water placed over the
fire. This is poured into the seasoning tub with a pailful of warm water, but
not too hot. When this mixture has cooled to a temperature of about 84 degrees,
from 3 to 4 pints of yeast are put into it, and the whole having been strained
through the seasoning sieve, it is emptied into a hole made in the mass of flour
and mixed up with a portion of it to the consistency of thick batter. Dry flour
is then sprinkled over the top. This is called the quarter-sponge, and the
operation is known as "setting." The sponge must then be covered up with sacks,
if the weather be cold, to keep it warm. It is then left for three or four
hours, when it gradually swells and breaks through the dry flour laid upon its
surface. Another pail of water impregnated with alum and salt is now added, and
well stirred in, and the mass sprinkled with flour and covered up as before.
This is called setting the half-sponge. The whole is then well kneaded with
about two more pailfuls of water for about an hour. It is then cut into pieces
with a knife, and to prevent spreading it is pinned, or kept at one end of the
trough by means of a sprint board, in which state it is left to "prove," as the
bakers call it, for about four hours. When this process is over the dough is
again well kneaded for about half an hour. It is then removed from the trough to
the table and weighed into the quantities suitable for each loaf. The operation
of moulding, chaffing, and rolling up can be learnt only by practice.
3. --
Modern Way of making Bread.
The modern way of making bread
is as follows: Put 1 sack, or 20 stone, of flour into the trough, and, to take
it all up, sponge 12 gallons of water of the required temperature, and from 10
to 16 ozs. of yeast, according to the strength. Then dissolve 2 lbs. of salt in
the water and mix all together. In the morning, or when taken up again, add 6
gallons of water and 1 1/2 lb. of salt. If a quick or "flying" sponge is
required to be ready in an hour and a half, empty the sack of flour into the
trough. Make a sprint, add 12 gallons of water of the required heat and 2 lbs.
of yeast, and as much flour as you can stir in with the hand. Let it rise for
one hour and a half; add 6 gallons more water (at the temperature the sponge is
set, which should be about 100 degrees Fahr.), and 3 1/2 lbs. of salt. Make all
into a nice-sized dough; let it stand three-quarters of an hour, then scale off.
4. --
Scotch Style of making Bread.
The bread-making industry has
made great strides in Scotland. In Glasgow alone there are two firms which each
bake over two thousand bags of flour a week -- namely, J. and B. Stevenson and
Bilsland Brothers -- while five other firms each bake from five hundred to one
thousand bags a week in respect to the output, Scotland is a long way in advance
of either England or Ireland. I can well remember the time when oatmeal cakes
and scones were the staple food in Scotland; but such food is now notable by its
absence. This brings to mind a story I once heard of an Englishman and a
Scotchman who were arguing on the merits of their respective countries. The
Englishman said, "Man Sandy, you are all fed on oatmeal! Why, in England we only
feed our horses on oats." Sandy's reply was, "I don't na but what you say, man,
is a very true, but where wull ye get sic horses and where wull ye get sic men
?"
As I have said before, Parisian
harm is the kind most used in Scotland; in fact, nearly all the Scotch
advertisements require "men used to Parisian barm.' However, I have noticed
lately that German yeast is steadily making its way in the North. The Scotch
used generally to make their bread with what they called potato ferment. Now it
is mostly quarter or full sponges. To make 1 sack of flour into bread with a
quarter sponge take 1 gallon of water of the required temperature, add 1/2 a
gallon of Parisian barm, and sufficient flour to make it into a good stiff
dough. This is generally set between one and two o'clock, and is ready to take
about half-past four. It should be dropped when ready an inch in the quarter
boat or barrel. Empty it into the trough, add 10 gallons of water, dissolve 2
lbs. of salt, and mix all into a well-beaten sponge. Add 6 gallons of water of
the required temperature and 1 1/4 lb. of salt in the morning, or when you take
the sponge, and make all into a nice dough. The softer you can work the sponge
the clearer and showier will be the loaf.
To make 1 sack of flour with a
full sponge, take 1 to 1 1/2 gallons of barm, about 10 gallons of water of the
proper temperature with 2 lbs. of salt dissolved in it; make all into a
nice-sized sponge. When ready add 6 gallons of water of proper temperature, and
1 1/4 lb. of salt, and make it into dough.
Care should always be taken to
keep the barm clear of grease and churned milk, especially if the milk is
sour.
There are a great many
substitutes for wheat-flour bread, some of which I will enumerate; but I do not
think it needful to give the recipes for them, as the recipes and formulae I
have given are evidently those most popular in the English, Scotch, and Irish
bake houses. Among the many substitutes for wheat bread are the following: bread
corn, rice bread, potato bread; bread made of roots, ragwort bread, turnip
bread, apple bread, meslin bread, salep bread, Debreczen bread, oat and barley
bread. The Norwegians, we are informed, make bread of barley and oatmeal baked
between two stones; this bread is said to improve by age, and may be kept for as
long as thirty or forty years. At their great festivals the Norwegians use the
oldest bread, and it is not unusual at the baptism of infants to have bread made
at the time of the baptism of their
grandfathers.
5. --
Home-made Whole Meal Bread.
Take 1 stone of wheat meal
(granulated is best); put your flour in the basin or mixing bowl, and make a
hole in the centre of the meal: dissolve 2 ozs. of yeast in a gill and a half of
water, about 90° Fahr.; pour the yeast and water into the hole, and mix in as
much of the meal as will make a soft batter; cover it up, and when it is ready
(which you will know by its having a nice cauliflower top), add 2 1/2 ozs. of
salt, and sufficient water, at a temperature of say 80° Fahr., and mix all
lightly into a nice mellow dough; put it past, with a cover over it, till you
see it commence to rise; then divide it into the sizes required and place in
tins to prove; bake in a moderate oven.
Wheat meals, and brown or
second flours, do not require so much working, either in the sponge or with the
hands, in making it into dough, as do the flours of a finer quality.
6. --
Whole Meal Bread.
(For Master Bakers, as
generally used in the Trade.) When setting your ordinary sponges at night for
fine bread, dissolve 2 1/2 ozs. of yeast and 2 1/2 ozs. of salt in 1 1/2 gallons
of water, about 4° to 6° Fahr., under whatever heat at which you may be setting
your fine sponges (according to the nature of the meal you are using); take as
much whole meal flour as will make this quantity of water into a weak sponge,
and in the morning, when it is ready, give it half a gallon of water off same
heat as your fine sponges, with 5 ozs. of salt, and make all lightly into a
dough so that there is no "scrape" about it, and work off in the same way as
your ordinary bread.
7. --
Unfermented, or Diet Bread.
Take 8 lbs. of granulated wheat
meal (or meal made with a mixture of barley meal and wheat meal properly
blended), 4 ozs. of cream of tartar, and 2 ozs. of carbonate of soda; mix the
tartar and soda amongst the flour and sift all through a sieve; make a bay, and
add 2 ozs. of crushed salt and 4 ozs. of castor sugar, putting the above in the
bay and pouring in a little churned milk to dissolve the salt and sugar; then
add as much churned milk as will take the 8 lbs. of meal in, and make into a
nice-sized dough; weigh off, and bake in oval tins. They should be put
immediately into the oven.
I consider this the very best
mode of making wheat meals into bread; bread thus made eats well, and keeps
moist longer than fermented
meals.
8. -- Rye
Bread.
Eye bread used to be in greater
favour with the public than it now is, but I consider that is owing to the
sodden, heavy way in which it is generally made; for if rye flour is properly
blended with fine flour, instead of the barley meal generally used, it produces
a very nice-flavoured loaf.
Set a sponge at night with fine
flour -- say, 1 gallon of water, 1 1/2 ozs. of yeast, and l 1/2 ozs. of salt;
let your sponge be about the same consistency as for muffin batter; in the
morning add 1 quart of water and 3 ozs. of salt, and make your dough up with rye
meal; let your sponge be set of the same heat as for wheat meal
bread.
I have adopted this plan, and
find it gives general satisfaction. In baking wheat meals, or other meals of the
same nature, your oven should be 30° or 40° by the pyrometer under the heat used
for fine bread.
9. --
Coarse Bread.
Coarse flour (or "overheads,"
as it is generally called in the south of Scotland) is the cheapest grade of
flour made, and if properly manufactured it will vie with any class of flour in
the market for a fine, sweet, nutty flavour; but of course it is dark in colour,
and I have seen four of this grade very strong and carry an exceedingly large
quantity of water.
In a test I had some time ago,
I produced 110 - 41b. loaves, weighed in dough at 4 lbs. 6 ozs., out of 20 stone
of this flour; but I may say that the flour was stone-dressed, and milled in the
old style. This same class of flour was in general use in Scotland twenty years
ago, and was generally made into coarse or second bread, and coarse "two
pennies." Many a poor family -- ay, and rich families too -- have thriven and
had their hearts made glad on the produce of this grade of flour.
To make Coarse
Bread. -- Take, say 1 gallon of water, at the same temperature as for
wheat meal bread; dissolve 1 1/4 ozs. of yeast, and the same quantity of salt,
in the water; make into an ordinary-sized sponge, and when ready in the morning
add half a gallon of water and about 4 ozs. of salt; then make all into a dough,
and work off as other doughs.
This flour can be sponged the
same way as fine flour for a quick or flying sponge, only care should be used in
not setting the sponge too warm, as I find that it ferments and works more
quickly than the finer grades of
flour.
10. --
Germ Flour Bread.
Germ flour is amongst one of
the newest kinds of flour placed before the public as a speciality. It is in
appearance something like granulated wheat meal, and the vendors of it claim to
have found a new process of removing the germ from the flour, and subjecting it
to a certain process before it is again mixed with the flour. I am having germ
bread made almost daily. Our mode of making it is as follows: -
Dissolve 1 1/2 ozs. of yeast in
half a gallon of water, say 90° Fahr., and mix with this about 7 lbs. of germ
flour; it should be ready in about an hour and a half; weigh off and prove; use
no salt, as we think there is a certain amount of salt (or some substitute for
salt) ground amongst the flour. For this class of bread it makes a very
nice-eating loaf.
11. --
Tea-Cakes.
To be able to make a good
tea-cake is considered a great point in the baking trade. The following not only
makes good tea-cakes, but also capital Scotch cookies.
Take 1/2 a gallon of water at,
say, 94° Fahr. add 1 lb. of moist sugar, 5 ozs. of German yeast; dissolve all
together, add, say, 1 1/2 lb. of flour and mix. When well risen, add 1 lb. of
lard and butter, 2 ozs. of salt, a few currants to taste; mix all together into
tea-cake dough. Let it remain in a warm place for about half an hour, then weigh
off at 8 or 9 ozs. for 2d.; prove, and
bake.
12. --
Queen's Bread.
This can be made with the same
dough, but omitting the currants, and making the dough tighter than for
tea-cakes; add 1 egg to each pound of dough. Weigh at 3 ounces for a penny, and
make into different shapes, such as half-moons, cart-wheels, twists, &c.
13. --
Sally Luns, Yorkshire, or Tea Cakes.
Take 1 quart of milk, 1/4
lb. of moist sugar, and 2 ozs. of German yeast. Ferment this with a little
flour, and when ready, add 1/2 lb. of butter (some add also 4 eggs to this
quantity) and make into dough as for tea-cakes; butter some rings or hoops, and
place them on buttered tins, weigh or divide into 5 or 6 ozs. for two pence;
mould them round, put them in the hoops, and, when half proved, make a hole in
each with a piece of stick. Do not overprove them, or they will eat poor and
dry. When baked, which will be in about ten or fifteen minutes, wash over the
top with egg and milk.
14. --
Muffins.
Sift through the sieve 4 lbs.
of good Hungarian flour; take as much water and milk as will make the above into
a nice-sized batter, having previously dissolved 2 ozs. of yeast, 1 oz. of
sugar, and 3/4 oz. of salt in the liquid; then beat this well with your hand for
at least ten minutes; after it has half risen in your pan beat again for other
ten minutes; then let it stand till ready, which you will know by the batter
starting to drop. Have one of your roll-boards well dusted with sifted flour,
and with your hand lay out the muffins in rows. The above mixture should produce
24 muffins. Then, with another roll-board slightly dusted with rice flour, take
the muffins and with your fingers draw the outsides into the centre, forming a
round cake; draw them into your hand and brush off any flour that may be
adhering to them; place them on the board dusted with rice, and so on till all
are finished; then put them in the prover to prove, which does not take long.
The heat of the liquid for muffins (or crumpets) should range from 90° to 100°
Fahr., according to the temperature of the bakehouse.
One great point to guard
against in fermenting cakes or bread, is to see that your sponge or dough does
not get chilled. By the time your muffins are ready, have the stove or hot plate
properly heated, then row them gently on to the hot plate so as not to knock the
proof out of them; when they are a nice brown turn them gently on the other side
and bake a nice delicate
brown.
15. Another Way. -- Some persons now make muffins after the
same formula as for teacakes, namely, moulding one in each hand and pinning out
the size required, then proving and baking. I have tried that way more than
once, but I cannot get the muffins to appear anything like what my experience
teaches me a muffin should be. Practice and judgment are required to make one
proficient in muffin making.
There has recently been
introduced to the trade a hot plate heated with gas, which will go a long way in
helping the muffin-maker. It is both cleaner, handier, and you can bake with it
to a more certain degree of
heat.
16. --
Crumpets.
Crumpets are generally made by
muffin-makers, the most modern formula being the following: -- Take 4 lbs. of
good English flour, 2. ozs. of good yeast, and 2 ozs. of salt. The flour and
salt may be sifted together. Take 1 quart of milk, and 1 1/2 quarts of water, at
about 100° Fahr.; dissolve your yeast in the water, then mix in your flour and
salt; make all into a thin liquid paste, giving it a thoroughly good mixing; let
it stand for one hour, when you may again give it a thoroughly good beat; let it
stand for another hour, when it will be ready to bake off. In the meantime
thoroughly clean your stove or hot plate before it gets hot, and give it a rub
over with a greasy cloth; then have your rings of the size required (they should
be half an inch in depth); slightly grease them, and see that they are greased
for each round of the hot plate; have a cup in one hand and a saucer in the
other to prevent the batter dropping; pour half a cup of the batter into the
rings and spread them with a palette knife to a level surface, putting what
comes off (if any) back into your pan. Then, when the bottom part is of a nice
golden colour, turn them over with your palette knife, turning the ring at the
same time, and bake off a nice colour. Remove them from the stove or hot plate,
and lay them on clean boards for a couple of minutes, when with a gentle tap
your rings will come clear; and so on till finished. Nothing but careful
practice, and particular attention to the whys and wherefores of both hot plates
and batter," will make a good muffin or crumpet-maker.
17. --
Oatmeal Cake.
Take 7 lbs. of medium oatmeal,
1 1/2 oz. salt, 1 1/2 oz. Carbonate of soda, 1 1/2 oz. cream of tartar, 1 1/2
lb. of flour, 1 1/2 lb. of lard.
Rub the lard in the oatmeal and
flour, having previously mixed all the other ingredients in the oatmeal; make a
bay, add sufficient cold water to make all into a good working dough, weigh off
at 8 ozs., mould up, pin out the size you think most suitable, cut into four,
and place on clean dry tins. Bake in a sharp
oven.
18. --
Bath Buns.
1 lb. of flour, 8 ozs. of
butter, 8 ozs. of sugar, 4 eggs, a little warm milk, 1 oz. of Parisian yeast,
some citron peel cut small, and half a nutmeg grated. This will make fourteen
two penny buns.
Rub the butter in with the
flour, make a bay and break in the eggs, add the yeast with sufficient milk to
make the whole into a dough of moderate consistency, and put in a warm place to
prove. When it has risen enough mix in the peel, a little essence of lemon, and
the sugar, which should be in small pieces about the size of peas. Divide into
pieces for buns, prove and bake in gentle heat. They may be washed with egg and
dusted with sugar before
proving.
19. Another Way. -- 4 lbs. of flour, 1 lb. of butter, 6 ozs.
of sugar, 4 ozs. of yeast, 4 eggs, and sufficient milk to make all into a dough;
add essence of lemon.
Warm the milk, add the sugar
and yeast with sufficient flour to make a ferment; when ready, add butter, eggs,
and remainder of flour, with currants or peel to taste. Weigh or divide into 3
ozs. each, mould them up round egg on top rolled in castor sugar; slightly
prove, bake in moderate oven.
20. --
Hot Gross Buns.
Take 1 quart of milk or water,
3 ozs. of yeast, 12 ozs. of moist sugar, 12 ozs. of butter, 1 oz. of salt, with
sufficient flour to make a nice mellow dough.
Proceed the same as for
tea-cakes, adding spice, currants, and peel to taste; weigh 4 ozs. for a penny,
make a cross in the middle of the bun, wash over with egg, and prove. Spice,
however, is very seldom used, as it tends to darken the buns, and thus giving
them a poor appearance. An ingenious apparatus has been invented called a Patent
Bun Divider, which greatly facilitates the making of these buns, and cannot fail
to be of great service where large quantities of buns or cakes are required to
be divided. All that is needed is to weigh 8 lbs. of dough, place it in the pan,
and at one stroke of a lever thirty buns or cakes are divided ready to mould.
21. --
Chelsea Buns.
Take plain bun dough (or if for
common buns, bread dough), roll it out in a sheet, break some firm butter in
small pieces and place over it, roll it out as you would paste; after you have
given it two or three turns, moisten the surface of the dough, and strew over it
some moist sugar; roll up the sheet into a roll, and cut it in slices; or cut
the dough in strips of the required size and turn them round; place on buttered
tins having edges, half-an-inch from each. Prove them well, and bake in a
moderate oven. They may be dusted with loaf sugar either before or after they
are baked. The quantity of ingredients used must be regulated by the required
richness of the buns. 1/2 lb. of butter, 1/2 lb. of sugar, with 4 lb. of dough,
will make a good bun. When bun dough is used, half the quantity of sugar will be
sufficient; some omit it
altogether.
22. --
Balmoral Cakes.
3 1/2 lbs. of flour, 1 lb. of
butter, 1 lb. of sugar, 5 eggs, nearly 1 quart of milk, a few caraway seeds,
with 1 1/2 oz. of carbonate of soda and tartaric acid, mixed in proportion of 1
oz. of soda to 3/4 oz. of acid.
Mix the soda and acid well with
the flour, then rub in the butter and sugar; make a bay with the flour, add the
seeds, beat up the eggs with the milk, and make all into a dough. Put into
buttered pans according to the size; dust with castor sugar, and bake in a
moderate oven.
23. --
Balloon or Prussian Cakes.
Take currant bun dough and make
it into a round flat cake of any required size, and place it on a buttered tin.
When it is about half proved, divide it with a long, flat piece of wood having a
thin graduated edge, into eight equal parts, and place it again to prove. When
it is proved enough, brush over the top lightly with the white of an egg well
whisked, dust it with fine powdered sugar and sprinkle it with water, just
sufficient to moisten the sugar. Bake it in a rather cool oven to prevent the
icing getting too much
coloured.
24. --
Saffron Buns.
Take the same mixture as for
teacakes, add 1 oz. of caraway seeds, and colour it with saffron. Mould them
round, and put them on the tins so as not to touch. When they are near proof,
wash the tops with egg and milk, and dust them with castor sugar. Put them in
the oven to finish proving, and bake them in a moderately hot oven.
25. --
Cinnamon Buns.
Made same way as saffron buns,
but leaving out the caraway seeds and saffron, and using instead sufficient
ground cinnamon to flavour
them.
26. --
Jubilee Buns.
2 lbs. of flour, 3/4 lb. of
butter, 3/4 lb. of sugar, 4 eggs, 1/2 oz. of voil.
Rub the butter in with the
flour, make a bay and add the sugar, pound the salt in a little milk and pour it
in, break the eggs, and mix all together into a dough. Make six buns out of 1
lb. of dough, mould them round, wash the top with eggs, put some currants on the
top, and dust with sugar.
27. --
German Buns.
4 lbs. of flour, 2 ozs. of
tartar, 1 oz. of carbonate of soda, 12 ozs. of butter, 1 1/2 lbs. of sugar, 4
eggs, 10 drops of essence of lemon, with milk.
Mix tartar and carbonate of
soda with the flour, make a sprint or bay, put butter and sugar in bay, cream;
add eggs, then milk, make all into a dough, and size them off on buttered tins
one inch apart. Wash over with egg, and put a little sugar on top, and bake in a
moderate oven.
28. --
Common German Buns (for wholesale purposes).
4 lbs. of flour, 2 ozs. of
tartar, 1 oz. of carbonate of soda, lb. of lard, 1 1/2 lb. of moist sugar, a
little turmeric and churned milk; then proceed as for best German buns. Bake in
a sharp oven.
29. --
London Buns.
Take 1 pint of milk warmed in a
basin, add 2 ozs. of yeast, 8 ozs. of moist sugar, and make a dough with
sufficient flour.
When the sponge is ready add 12
ozs. of butter, a pinch of salt, and have ready 4 ozs. of chopped peel. Mix all
in the dough with 2 eggs and lemon, and prove. When about half proved wash over
with yolk of egg. Put sugar on top when full proved.
30. --
Penny Queen Cakes.
1 1/2 lb. of butter, 2 lbs. of
sugar, 15 eggs, 2 lbs. of flour, 1 lb. of patent flour. Cream butter and sugar
in a basin, add eggs, then flour, and as much milk as will make a nice
batter. Bake in fluted
pans.
31. --
Patent Flour.
Take 4 ozs. of tartar, and 2
ozs. of carbonate of soda, and 8 lbs. of flour, and sift through a sieve three
times.
32. --
Penny Rice Cakes.
4 lbs. of flour, 2 1/2 lbs. of
castor sugar, 1 1/4 lb. of butter, 10 eggs, 1 oz. of tartar, 3/4 oz. of
carbonate of soda, 1/2 lb. of ground rice, milk to dough. Cream butter and sugar
together, add eggs; when well creamed, add flour, rice, and milk. Bake in small
round hoops papered round the
side.
33 --
Coconut Cakes.
These are made in the same way,
with the same mixture, but leaving out the rice and adding the same quantity of
Coconut Dust Coconut on the top of
each.
34. --
Albert Cakes.
Cream 12 oz. of butter with 1
lb. of sugar, add 13 eggs; mix 1/2 oz. of carbonate of soda and 1/4 oz. of acid
with 2 lbs. of flour; weigh 8 ozs. of currants. Mix all together with milk, and
bake in a small edged pan. Cut into squares when cold.
IV.
GINGERBREAD, PARKINGS, SHORT-BREAD, ETC.
35. --
Queen's Gingerbread.
Take 2 lbs. of honey, 1 1/2 lb.
of best moist sugar, and 3 lbs. of flour, 1/2 lb. of sweet almonds blanched, and
1/2 lb. of preserved orange peel cut into thin fillets, the yellow rinds of two
lemons grated off, 1 oz. of cinnamon, 1/2 oz. of cloves, mace, and cardamoms
mixed and powdered.
Put the honey in a pan over the
fire with a wineglassful of water, and make it quite hot; mix the other
ingredients and the flour together, make a bay, pour in the honey, and mix all
well together. Let it stand tilt next day, make it into cakes, and bake it. Rub
a little clarified sugar until it will blow in bubbles through a skimmer, and
with a paste-brush rub over the gingerbread when baked.
36. --
German Gingerbread.
Same as Queen's Gingerbread,
but dust tins with flour instead of
grease.
37. --
Spiced Gingerbread.
Take 3 lbs. of flour, 1 lb. of
butter, 1 lb. of moist sugar,
4 ozs. of candied lemon or
orange peel cut small, 1 oz. of powdered ginger, 2 ozs. of powdered allspice,
1/2 oz. of powdered cinnamon, 1 oz. of caraway seeds, and 3 lbs. of
treacle.
Rub the butter into the flour,
then add the other ingredients, and mix in the dough with the treacle. Make it
into nuts or cakes, and bake in a cool
oven.
38. --
Scarborough Gingerbread (for wholesale purposes).
Take 180 lb. of treacle, 4 lbs.
of lard, 4 lbs. 10 ozs. of carbonate of soda, 2 lbs. 11 ozs. of caraway seeds, 2
lbs. 11 ozs. of ginger, and 1/2 a gallon of water to dissolve the soda. Mix all
together with a sufficient quantity of flour.
This should turn out about 390
lbs. of very good gingerbread. Wash with glue and water which has been
boiled.
The taste for gingerbread is
very widespread, large quantities of the best quality being exported to India.
Holland is regarded as carrying off the palm for making good gingerbread.
Shakespeare makes mention of it in Love's Labour's Lost, where he says, "An I
had but one penny in the world thou should'st have it to buy gingerbread."
39. --
Ginger Cakes.
2 1/4 lbs. of flour, 1/2 lb. of
butter, 1 lb. moist sugar, 2 ozs. of ginger. Rub the butter in with the flour
and make the whole into a paste with prepared treacle. Make them into round flat
cakes, wash the top with milk, lay a slice of peel on each, and bake in a cool
oven.
40. --
Prepared Treacle.
Take 4 lbs. of treacle, 1 oz.
of alum, 2 ozs. of pearlash, and
mix.
41. --
Prepared Treacle for Thick Gingerbread,
Take 7 lbs. of treacle, 3 ozs.
of potash, 1 oz. volatile salt, and ozs. of alum. The colour of the gingerbread
when baked will be according to the quality of the treacle used. Golden syrup
makes the lightest coloured and
best.
42. --
Laughing or Fun Nuts.
1 lb. of gingerbread dough, 3
ozs. of butter, 3 ozs. of sugar, 1 oz. of cayenne pepper. Mix all together, pin
out in a sheet, one-eighth of an inch thick. Cut them out the size of a penny.
They are very hot.
43. --
Grantham or White Gingerbread.
4 lbs. of flour, 2 1/2 lbs. of
loaf sugar, 4 ozs. of butter, 1 oz.' of volatile salt, 1 pint of milk, 1/2 oz.
of ginger, 1/4 oz. of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and mace, 1/2 oz. caraway seeds.
44. --
Spice Nuts.
3 lbs. of flour, 1 lb. of
butter, 1 lb. of moist sugar, 4 ozs. of candied peel cut small, 1 oz. ginger, 2
ozs. allspice, 1/4 oz. of cinnamon, 1 oz. caraway seeds, 3 lbs. prepared
treacle. Mix same as other
doughs.
45. Another Way. -- Take 3 lbs. of flour, 2 lbs. of sugar, 2
lbs. of treacle, 2 ozs. of ginger, 1/4 oz. of carbonate of soda, 2 drs. of
tartaric acid. Mix the day before
baking.
46. Another Way. -- 7 lbs. of flour, 5 lbs. of syrup, 2 3/4
lbs. of moist sugar, 1 lb. of lard, 4 ozs. ginger, 1/2 oz. of tartaric acid, 1/2
oz. of carbonate of soda, 1/2 oz. of cinnamon, 1/2 oz. of mace. Mix and work
same as other doughs. This is a capital
mixture.
47. --
Light Gingerbread.
Dr. Colquhoun gives a recipe
for preparing a light gingerbread as follows: Take 1 lb. of flour, I oz. of
carbonate of magnesia, and 1/8 oz. of tartaric acid. Mix the flour and magnesia
thoroughly, then dissolve and add the acid; take the usual quantity of butter,
treacle, and spice; melt the butter and pour it with the treacle and acid into
the flour and magnesia. The whole must then be made into a dough by kneading,
and set aside for a period varying from half an hour to an hour; it will then be
ready for the oven, and should not on any account be kept longer than two or
three hours before being baked. When taken from the oven it will prove a light,
pleasant, and spongy bread, having no injurious ingredients in it. That made
with potash, says Dr. Colquhoun, gives the bread a disagreeable alkaline
flavour, unless disguised with some aromatic ingredient, and is likely to prove
injurious to delicate
persons.
48. --
Italian Jumbles, or Brandy Snaps.
6 lbs. of flour, 7 lbs. of good
rich sugar, 1 1/4 lb. of butter or lard, 2 ozs. of ginger or mixed spice, 6 lbs.
of raw syrup. Make the whole into a moderately stiff paste or dough, roll out
into sheets fully an eighth of an inch thick, cut them with a plain round cutter
of 3 inches diameter, put them on tins well greased, and bake in a moderate
oven. When baked cut them from the tin and lay them on the peel-shaft till they
are hard. If they should get too cold to turn, put them in the oven to warm.
Brandy snaps are the same as above, without being turned.
Note. --
For cakes, spice nuts, or biscuits of a small size, that require washing on top,
use a piece of linen the size of the tin, dip it in water, squeeze it, and
spread it on top of the snaps or biscuits and gently press your hand over
it. This will prevent them from running together on the
tins.
49. --
Halfpenny Gingerbread Squares.
8 lbs. of flour, 4 lbs. of
treacle, 3 ozs. of pearlash, 3 ozs. of alum, and 1 oz. of carbonate of soda.
Make a bay, put in the treacle, add the soda, dissolve the pearlash in 1 gill of
cold water and pour it on the treacle; put another gill of water in a small pan,
add the alum, and let it boil till it is dissolved; then pour it on the other
ingredients. Mix all together, put into two tins about 24 inches by 18 inches
with an edge 1 inch high. Cut out of each tin 2s. 3 1/2d. worth. This mixture is
for wholesale purposes, and pays well.
Note. --
Nearly all mixtures made in this way are best made the day before.
50. --
Hunting Nuts.
7 lbs. of flour, 3 1/2 lbs. of
treacle, 1 lb. of sugar, 1 lb. of butter, 3 ozs. of pearlash, 3 ozs. of alum,
half a teaspoonful of essence of lemon, 1 lb. of lemon peel cut small. Mix as
above; roll out the dough in strips, and with the fingers break off pieces the
size of a small marble, lay on the tins in rows and bake in a moderate oven on
tins slightly buttered.
5l. --
Parkings.
3 1/2 lbs. of oatmeal, 1 lb. of
flour, 1 lb. of butter, 8 ozs. of moist sugar, 1/2 oz. of baking powder, with
sufficient syrup to make all into a moderately stiff dough; weigh off at 4 ozs.
for a penny, mould up round, and place on tins 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake in a
cool oven.
52. Another Way. -- 6 lbs. of snap dough, 12 ozs. of moist
sugar, 10 ozs. of butter, 1 3/4 lb. of oatmeal, 1 1/2 oz. of carbonate of soda,
1 oz. of caraway seeds, 1 oz. of seasoning. Proceed as
above.
53. --
Parking Cake.
3lbs. of oatmeal, 1 lb. of
flour, 4 lbs. of treacle, 1 lb. of good butter, 2 teaspoonfuls of carbonate of
soda, 1 gill of beer. Mixed up as above. Baked in an edged pan 3 inches high, in
a cool oven.
54. --
Scotch Shortbread.
Take 1 lb. of butter, 2 lbs. of
flour, 8 ozs. of powdered sugar. Mix the sugar in the butter, then take in all
the flour and thoroughly mix and rub all together till of a nice mellow colour
and easy to work; weigh off the size required, and shape into square or round
pieces; dock them on the top, notch them round the sides, put on clean dry tins,
and bake in a moderate oven.
55 --
English Shortbread.
1 lb. of flour, 1/2 lb. of
sugar, 1/2 lb. butter, 2 eggs. Mix as for Scotch Shortbread, ornament the tops
with designs of neatly-cut lemon peel and caraway comfits.
56. --
French Shortbread.
2 lbs. of flour, 3/4 lb. of
butter, 3/4 lb. of sugar, 4 eggs, 1/2 oz. of ammonia. Rub the butter in the
flour, make a bay, put in the eggs, sugar, and ammonia; beat them well with your
hand, then draw in the flour and butter; make all into a dough, weigh at 12
ozs., chaff them up round, pin out a good breadth, mark them off into eight,
place a piece of peel on each, and bake in good oven. Cut the marked pieces with
a sharp knife after they are
baked.
V. HARD
BISCUITS.
57. --
Machine-made Biscuits.
In making the dough for hard
biscuits it should be kept in a loose crumbly state until the whole is of an
equal consistency, then work, rub, or press it together with your hands until
the whole is collected or formed into a mass. If the old-fashioned biscuit brake
is replaced by a biscuit machine so much the better for the baker and the goods
he turns out. If so, then all that is necessary will be to properly adjust the
rollers whether, for braking (that is making the dough) or rolling out for the
cutter. If an amateur tries to make biscuits he will always experience some
difficulty in moulding them if they are hand-made. When this is so it would be
better to cut them out with a
cutter.
58. --
Ship Biscuits.
These were evidently the first
biscuits, from which have sprung all the varieties of hard biscuits which we at
present possess. They are of the same character as those which were first made
by man in his progress towards civilisation, and were baked or roasted on hot
embers. Before this, men knew of no other use for their meal than to make it
into a kind of porridge. Biscuits prepared in a simple fashion were for
centuries the food of the Roman soldiers. The name is derived from the Latin
bis, twice, and the French cuit = coctus, meaning twice baked or
cooked.
Ship biscuits are composed of
flour and water only; but some think a small proportion of yeast makes a great
improvement in them. The method adopted is to make a small weak sponge as for
bread previous to making the dough; the necessary quantity of water is then
added. The flour used for the commoner sort of these biscuits is known as
middlings or fine sharps; and those made from the finer or best are called
captains or cabin biscuits. A sack of flour loses, by drying and baking, 28 lbs.
59. --
Captains' Biscuits.
7 lbs. of fine flour, 6 ozs. of
butter, 1 quart of water or milk. Rub the butter in with the flour until it is
crumbled into very small pieces, make a bay in the centre of the flour, pour in
the water or milk, make it into a dough, and break it when made into dough,
chaff or mould up the required size, 4 or 5 ozs. each, pin out with a rolling
pin about 5 inches in diameter, dock them and lay them with their faces
together. When they are ready bake them in a moderately quick oven, of a nice
brown colour. These are seldom made with hand, as the machinery in use outstrips
hand-made biscuits of this class in speed and gives a better appearance and
quality.
60. --
Thick Captains.
7 1/2 lbs. of flour, 1/2 lb. of
butter, 1 quart of water or milk. Mix as directed. When ready weigh out at 2
ozs. each, mould or chaff, roll out, dock quite through and bake in a hot oven.
Ail biscuits of this class require thorough drying in the drying room.
6l. --
Abernethy Biscuits. (Dr. Abernethy's Original Recipe.)
1 quart of milk, 6 eggs, 8 ozs.
of sugar, 1/2 oz. of caraway seeds, with flour sufficient to make the whole of
the required consistency. They are generally weighed off at 2 ozs. each, moulded
up, pinned and docked, and baked in a moderate oven.
Note. --
The heat of an oven is not required so strong for biscuits containing sugar, as
it causes them to take more colour in less
time.
62. --
Abernethys as made in London.
7 lbs. of flour, 8 ozs. of
sugar, 8 ozs. of butter, 4 eggs, 1 1/2 pint of milk, 2 tablespoonfuls of
orange-flower water, 1/2 oz. of caraway
seeds.
63. --
Usual Way of making Abernethy Biscuits.
Take 8 lbs. of flour, 1 1/2 lb.
of butter and lard, 12 ozs. of sugar, 1/2 oz. of caraway seeds; some use about
1/2 oz. of powdered volatile salts. Proceed to make into dough as before. Well
break the dough and finish with either hand or machine.
64. --
Wine Biscuits.
Take 8 lbs. of flour, rub in 2
lbs. of good butter. Make a bay, add about 1 quart of water, take in your flour
and butter and well shake up, and note the more your mixture is shaken up and
worked the better biscuits you will have. Also note in shaking up these
biscuits, when they are mixed let your two thumbs meet, giving the mixture a
shake up in the air till you have all the dry flour worked in and the mixture is
nice and moist. Bake in a smart oven on
wires.
65. --
Soda Biscuits.
14 lbs. of flour, 1 1/4 lb. of
butter, 1/2 oz. of carbonate of soda, 3 drachms of muriatic acid, 2 quarts of
water. Mix as the last, adding the acid mixed with half-a-pint of the water
after the dough is shaken up, then finish with the machine.
66. --
Boston Lemon Crackers.
26 lbs. of flour, 2 1/4 lbs. of
butter, 5 lbs. of sugar, 2 ozs. of ammonia, 1/2 oz. of essence of lemon, 3
quarts of water. This should be made into small round biscuits rather larger
than pic-nics. Bake them in a sound
oven.
67. --
Pic-Nics.
30 lbs. of flour, 4 lbs. of
butter, 4 lbs. of castor sugar, 3 ozs. of carbonate of soda, 2 ozs. of muriatic
acid, 4 quarts of milk.
68. --
Common Pic-Nics.
28 lbs. Of flour, 2 lbs. of
lard, 2 lbs. of sugar, 2 ozs. of carbonate of soda, 2 ozs. of hydrochloric acid.
Mix as above and finish the dough in the usual way. Bake in a moderately brisk
oven.
69. --
Luncheon Biscuits.
56 lbs. of flour, 3 1/2 lbs. of
lard, 3 1/2 lbs. of butter, 1 1/4 lb. of castor sugar, 4 quarts of milk, 4
quarts of water, 2 ozs. of carbonate of soda, 1 1/2 oz. of hydrochloric acid.
Mix as before described. Let the dough be of a good stiffness and broken very
clear. The cutters may be either round or oval. They require about 20 minutes'
baking. As soon as they are drawing put them in the stove for about two hours.
70. --
Digestive Biscuits.
Take equal parts of fine flour
and wheat-meal flour and mix them together to 5 quarts of milk and water. Use 2
1/2 lbs. of butter and 2 ozs. of German yeast. Rub the butter in the flour, make
a bay, pour in your liquor and yeast. Mix the whole into a dough, break it a
little, and put it in a warm place to prove. After it is light enough, break it
quite smooth and clear, roll it out in a sheet one-eighth of an inch in
thickness and cut out your biscuits. As soon as the biscuits are cut out bake in
a hot oven.
71. Another way. -- 5 lbs. of granulated wheat meal, 1 lb.
of butter, 1/4 lb. of sugar, 1/4 lb. of ground arrowroot, 4 eggs, 1 quart of
milk, 1/4 oz. of carbonate of soda. These are mixed up in the usual way, pinned
out and cut with a small round cutter, docked and baked in a moderate oven.
72. --
Small Arrowroot Biscuits.
5 1/2 lbs. of flour, 8 ozs. of
butter, 6 ozs. of sugar, 6 ozs. of arrowroot, 3 eggs, 1 pint of liquor. Prepare
as the last. Make 16 biscuits from 1 lb. of dough. Mould and pin into round
cakes 3 inches in diameter, dock them with an arrowroot docker, and bake them in
a sound oven.
73. --
Coffee Biscuits.
4 lbs. of flour, 4 ozs. of
butter, 4 ozs. of castor sugar 5 large eggs, with enough water to fill a pint.
Make a bay; after the butter is rubbed in with the flour, add the sugar and beat
up the eggs and water together; pour into your bay, make the whole into a dough,
break it clear and make it quite thin. When you finish it roll it out the tenth
of an inch in thickness, cut with your coffee biscuit cutter and bake them in a
brisk oven. If the oven should not be hot enough to raise them round the edges
twist up a handful of shavings rather hard and place them round the edges of the
biscuits when baking.
74. --
Victoria Biscuits.
3 1/2 lbs. of flour, 2 ozs.
butter, 2 ozs. of sugar, 1 pint of eggs. Make a bay, rub the butter in the flour
before you make a bay, add the sugar, pour in the eggs, beat them well up with
your hands, make the whole into a dough, break well that it may be clear, roll
into thin sheets, cut with an oval cutter the same as used for Brightons, put
them on clean tins, and bake in a hot oven the same as Coffee Biscuits.
75. --
Shell Biscuits.
5 lbs. of flour, 12 ozs. of
castor sugar, 12 ozs. of butter, 1 pint of milk. Make all into a good dough,
roll into sheets half-an-inch thick, cut with an oval-pointed cutter in shape
thus - 0, place them on a crimp board and with a knife or scraper curl them up,
put on clean dry tins. Bake in moderate
heat.
76. --
York Biscuits.
5 1/4 lbs. of flour, 12 ozs. of
butter, 2 lbs. of sugar, 1 pint of milk. Mix as before into a dough, roll out
the dough 1/4 of an inch thick, cut them into long strips, and cut them diamond
shape or square, dock them either on the table or crimping-board as your fancy
dictates. Bake them in a rather warm
oven.
77. --
Machine Biscuits.
10 lbs. of flour, 2 1/4 lbs. of
butter, 10 ozs. of castor sugar, 1 quart of water. Mix up the same as the
others, roll out a sheet 1/2 inch in thickness, cut them out in various forms,
dock them, and bake on clean dry tins in a moderate oven.
78. --
Bath Oliver Biscuits.
1 quart of milk, 1 lb. of
butter, 2 ozs. of German yeast, 6 1/2 lbs. of flour. Make the milk warm, add the
sugar, yeast and a handful of flour to form a ferment, let it ferment for an
hour and a half. Rub the butter into the remaining flour and make all into a
nice smooth dough; let it stand about two hours, then roll it out thin; cut the
biscuits out with a cutter about three inches in diameter, dock them well, place
on clean tins sprinkled with water, wash over with milk when you have them all
off, put them in a steam press or drawers for half an hour, and bake in a cool
oven.
79. --
Edinburgh Biscuits.
4 lbs. of flour, 12 ozs. of
butter, 6 ozs of sugar, 1 pint of milk. Mix up in the usual way, break smooth,
and make 12 biscuits out of a pound of dough; roll thin, dock them, and bake in
a brisk oven. Sold at a halfpenny
each.
80. --
Nursery Biscuits.
Take 1 quart of milk, 5 ozs.
sugar, 3 ozs. yeast, 1/4 lb. of flour. Mix all together into a ferment and let
it drop, add 1/4 lb. arrowroot, 5 ozs. butter, and as much flour as will make a
good dough. Put it away till you think it is ripe enough to work off, which you
will know by its appearing light and spongy. When it has reached this stage take
4 lbs. of the dough and roll it out 1/2 inch thick, cut out with a plain round
cutter an inch and a half in diameter, put them on tins a quarter of an inch
apart, prove them in steam press, and when ready bake in a sound oven. Put them
in a drying stove or some warm place to thoroughly dry them, to make them light
and easily digestible.
81. --
Soda Biscuits.
12 1/2 lbs. of flour, I oz. of
salt, 6 ozs. of lard, 1 oz. of acid, 1 1/2 oz. of soda, 2 quarts of water. Mix
as for Machine Biscuits, break the dough smooth and clear, let it lay for about
half an hour, then roll out in large sheets nearly the thickness of three penny
pieces, cut out with an oval spring cutter five inches in length and three
inches in breadth. The dough must be well made and of a good stiffness. When cut
out lay them on top of each other in sixes on carrying boards. Have the oven of
a good sound heat and well cleaned out, have a running peel that will hold six
biscuits, and run them on the sole of the
oven.
VI. FANCY
BISCUITS, ALMONDS, ETC.
82. --
Digestive Biscuits.
5 lbs. of wheat meal, 1 lb. of
butter, 4 ozs. of sugar, 4 eggs, 1/4 oz. of carbonate of soda in 1 quart of
water. Rub the butter in the wheat meal, make a bay, add the sugar, eggs, and
soda; mix well together, add the water, and take in the wheat meal. After making
it into dough, take about 2 lbs., roll it out into a sheet the thickness of a
penny; take it on the pin again, and roll it on to a piece of cloth spread on
the table; cut them out with a small oval cutter, put on tins well cleaned but
not greased, and bake in a cool
oven.
83. --
Kent Biscuits.
4 lbs. of flour, 1 lb. of
butter, 1 1/2 lb. of sugar, 10 eggs, and 3 drs. of volatile salt. Rub butter in
with flour; or make a bay, put in the butter, partly cream it, add eggs and
sugar, and voil after well mixing all together; take in the flour and make it
into a dough. Roll out a sheet the thickness of two penny pieces, cut out with a
small fluted cutter, lay them in rows, take a brush and egg-wash top, lay them
on lump sugar previously broken into pieces the size of split peas, and bake on
tins slightly buttered, in a moderate
oven.
84. --
Imperial or Lemon Biscuits.
Take 1 1/4 lb. of flour, 1 1/4
lb. of sugar, 4 eggs, 4 ozs. of butter, and a pinch of volatile salt. Rub butter
in the flour, then take the sugar and mix it with the flour and butter; make a
bay; put in your eggs and voil, and mix all lightly but well together. Take a
piece, roll it out same as for hunting nuts, in strips, place on slightly
buttered tins t inch apart, and bake on double tins, unless the oven is very
cold.
Note.. --
In making fancy biscuits the tins must be as clean as it is possible to get
them. I have seen a whole batch of biscuits spoiled through "only a little bit
of dirt," as the boy said when taken to task for his carelessness.
85. --
Venice Biscuits.
5 lbs. of flour, 1 1/2 lb. of
butter, 2 1/2 lbs. of sugar, 11 eggs, 1 lb. of mixed peel and 1 oz. of volatile
salt. Proceed to make the dough in the same way as for Imperial or Lemon
Biscuits, roll out in a sheet, and cut out with a small oval fluted cutter; egg
them on the top, and throw them on large crystallised sugar. Bake on slightly
buttered tins in a moderate
oven.
86. --
Shrewsbury Biscuits.
2 lbs. of flour, 1 lb. of
sugar, 1 lb. of butter, 4 eggs, pinch of powdered cinnamon, and a little milk.
87. Another Way. -- 14 ozs. of flour, 10 ozs. of sugar, 10
ozs. of butter, 2 small eggs, half a nutmeg grated, a little cinnamon and mace,
and a pinch of voil.
88. Another Way. -- 1 1/2 lb. of flour, 1/2 lb. of butter,
1/2 lb. of sugar, 1 egg, with sufficient milk to make dough. Some add about 1/4
oz. of volatile salt. Rub the butter in with the flour, make a bay, add the
sugar, eggs, milk, and spice; make the whole into a dough, roll it out on an
even board to the thickness of an eighth of an inch, cut out with a plain round
cutter two and a half inches in diameter, place them on clean tins, not
buttered, bake in a cool oven. When the biscuits are a little coloured on the
edges they are done.
89. --
Peruvian Biscuits.
4 ozs. of flour, 1 lb. of
rice-flour, 1/2 lb. of arrowroot, 1 lb. of butter, 1 lb. of sugar, 6 eggs, 1/2
oz. of voil. Make into a dough same as for other biscuits, roll into strips the
thickness of your finger, cut them the size of small marbles, and bake on
slightly greased tins in a moderate
oven.
90. --
Currant Fruit Biscuits.
3 lbs. of flour, 12 ozs. of
arrowroot, 14 ozs. of butter, 2 lbs. of sugar, 10 eggs, 20 ozs. of currants, 1/2
oz. of voil. Proceed to make dough as before; roll out in a sheet the thickness
of two penny pieces. Cut with a plain round cutter, and bake in a moderate oven.
91. --
Snowdrop Biscuits.
1 lb. of arrowroot, 1 lb. of
flour, the whites of 10 eggs, 1/2 lb. of butter, a lb. of sugar, 1/4 oz. of
voil. Rub the butter in the flour, add the arrowroot, make a bay, add all the
other ingredients, mix into a dough. Proceed the same as for Peruvian biscuits,
and bake in a very cool oven.
92. --
Rice Biscuits.
1 1/4 lb. flour, 3/4 lb.
rice-flour, 1/2 lb. butter, 1 lb. sugar, 2 eggs, 1/4 oz. of voil. Make into
dough with a little milk, roll out in sheets same size as for Currant Fruit,
place on dry tins, and dust the tops with ground rice.
93. --
Genoa and Toulouse Biscuits, Exhibition Nuts and Marseillaise
Biscuits.
6 lbs. flour, 14 ozs. butter, 4
lbs. sugar, 10 eggs, 1/4 oz. voil. Make a nice stiff dough with the rest
milk.
Genoas are made by rolling out
the dough in strips and cutting off in pieces the length of the little finger.
Wash them on top with white of egg and throw on lump sugar the size of split
peas.
Marseillaise Biscuits are made
from the same dough, rolled out in strips, but cut the size of small marbles.
Put about twenty or thirty of them into a sieve, and roll them about to make
them round. These are baked on dry tins.
Toulouse Biscuits and
Exhibition Nuts have currants added to them. For Toulouse biscuits, roll out the
dough in strips, cut the same length as Genoas, and wash the top with yolk of
egg. Place on slightly greased tins 1/2 inch apart.
For Exhibition Nuts cut the
dough the size of small marbles, lay in the tin with the cut side down, and
press gently with heel of the
hand.
94. --
Walnut Biscuits.
2 lbs. flour, 1/2 lb. brown
sugar, 1/2 lb. castor sugar, 1/2 lb. butter, and yolk of one egg. Simmer the
sugar and a little milk over a slow fire, rub the butter into the flour; after
the sugar has become cold put it into the bay and make into a stiffish dough.
Put the dough into blocks, and give them the impression of half a walnut, after
which cut off the surplus dough with a sharp knife, knock out the biscuits, and
bake on slightly buttered tins until a nice brown. After they are baked dip in
white of egg, and put two together so as to form a walnut.
95. --
Queen's Drops.
8 ozs. butter, 8 ozs. sugar, 4
eggs, 10 ozs. flour, 6 ozs. currants. Some add a little voil, but if well
creamed there is no use for voil. Cream the butter and sugar together, add the
eggs, then flour and currants; have ready a linen bag with a small tin funnel at
the end of it; have a small cork in the funnel so as to keep the mixture from
dropping out, drop them on paper about the breadth of a shilling, put them on
tins, and bake in a sound
oven.
96. --
Cracknel Biscuits.
3 1/2 lbs. flour, 3 ozs.
butter, 6 ozs. castor sugar, 13 eggs, 2 drs. voil. Rub the butter in the flour,
make a bay, put in the sugar in powder with the eggs and voil, make the whole
into a dough of moderate consistence; break it well and let it be quite clear
and smooth; roll out a quarter of an inch thick, cut out with an oval cutter, or
one in the form of an oak-leaf, dock them in the centre, lay them on a tray in
rows, cover them with a damp cloth. Have a copper on the fire boiling, throw
them into the water one at a time face upwards, and after they have risen to the
top be careful to turn each biscuit face uppermost. Let them remain this way for
two or three minutes for the edges to turn up. When ready take a skimmer and
throw them into a pail of cold water. When they have been in the water for about
an hour put them in a sieve to strain, and bake on buttered tins in a moderate
oven. When baked they should be placed in the drying stove for a few hours.
97. --
Premium Drops.
1 lb. butter, 1 lb. sugar, 9
eggs, 1 lb. rice-flour, 1/4 oz. voil, 1 lb. flour, 4 drops essence of lemon.
Proceed the same as for Queen's Drops. The batter, however, will be found a good
deal stiffer. This makes a nice drop when well got up.
98. --
German Wafers.
8 ozs. sugar, 8 ozs. eggs, 4
ozs. flour, 1 oz. butter. Put the flour in a small basin, rub in the butter and
add eggs and sugar; have the tins well greased, and drop the batter on them with
a spoon in pieces a little larger than a penny. Bake in a cool oven. When baked
form into the shape of a cone, dip each edge in white of egg, and then each end
in coloured sugar. They make a nice show for a window.
99. --
Crimp, or Honeycomb Biscuits.
4 lbs. flour, 2 lbs. sugar, 1
lb. butter, 9 eggs, 1/2 oz. voil. Rub the butter in with the flour, make a bay,
add the sugar, eggs and voil. Roll out a sheet a nice thickness. Cut out with a
small round plain cutter, but before doing so run over the surface of the dough
with a crimp-pin. Bake in a moderate
oven.
100. --
Hermit Biscuits.
2 lbs. flour, 4 oz. butter, 12
ozs. sugar, 1/4 oz. caraway seeds, 5 or 6 eggs, 1/4 oz. voil. Make up the dough
as usual for biscuits, cut them out the size of spice nuts with spice-nut
cutter, egg them on top; have some loaf sugar, and almonds with the skins on cut
the size of split peas, place the biscuits on the sugar and almonds, gently
press them down before putting them on slightly buttered tins, and bake in a
moderate oven.
101. --
Italian Macaroons.
1 lb. of Valentia almonds, 2
lbs. of powdered sugar, 7 or 8 whites of eggs. Beat the almonds with whites of
eggs, but not so fine as for common macaroons; lay out stiff on wafer-paper;
have almonds cut in slices, one into six pieces, lay them on the sides and top
of each macaroon; ice them well from the icing-bag, and bake in a slow oven.
102. --
Common Macaroons.
1 lb. Valentia almonds, 1 1/2
lb. sugar, about 8 whites of eggs. Beat the almonds very fine with the white of
an egg in a mortar, and then add the sugar and two or three whites of eggs; beat
well together. Take out the pestle, add two more whites, and work them well with
a spatter until the whole of the whites, are incorporated. Lay out one on
wafer-paper and bake it in a slow oven. If it appears smooth and light the
mixture is ready, but if not add one more white of egg, as it is hardly possible
to ascertain the exact number of whites to use. If ready lay out on wafer-paper,
ice them with sugar on top, and bake in a moderate oven.
103. --
French Macaroons.
1 lb. of Valentia almonds, 1
lb. of sugar, 5 or 6 whites of eggs. Proceed as before, but instead of beating
the almonds with whites of eggs use rose or orange-flower water, and when beaten
very fine put in the whites of eggs and sugar, beating them well with the
spatter. Lay out one oval on wafer-paper and bake it. If it runs into its shape
the mixture is ready; if too stiff, add one more white of egg; lay out on
wafer-paper, dust sugar on top, and bake them in a good oven.
104. --
Ratafias.
8 ozs. of bitter almonds, 8
ozs. of sweet almonds, 2 1/2 lbs. of sugar, and about eight whites of eggs.
Blanch and beat the almonds with white of egg as fine as possible, and be
careful when beating them you do not oil them. When beaten fine, mix {n the
sugar and beat both well together; then add more whites of eggs, work them well
with the spatter, adding more whites of eggs as you proceed. Then lay one or two
on dry paper half the size of a macaroon, and bake them in a slow oven. If they
are of proper stiffness lay them out; if too stiff, add more whites of eggs to
them. Should they be good they will come off the paper when cold; if not, the
paper must be laid on a damp table, when they will come off easily.
105. --
Princess Biscuits,
These are exactly the same as
common macaroons, but must be laid out on wafer paper half the size, and a dried
cherry put on the top for effect. Use a square of citron on some, and a square
of angelica on others. Dust them on top with sugar, and bake them in a slow
oven.
106. --
Rusks.
1 quart of sponge, 4 ozs.
sugar, 2 eggs, 2 ozs. of butter. Mix all the ingredients together, make it up
the size of bun dough with best flour, let it lie for two hours, make into long
rolls and batch them on tins, greasing between each roll. Bake in moderate oven
for thirty-five minutes. After they are baked let them lie for one day. Rasp top
and bottom off, cut into neat slices, and bake again in a moderate oven until
thoroughly crisp and dry, and of a nice brown colour. Put them in a basket, and
leave them all night in a warm place. This will make them much crisper. Some add
a pinch of ground alum.
107. --
Rock Almonds (White).
Blanch and cut the long way any
quantity of almonds. Make some icing pretty stiff, put the almonds into it and
let them take up all the icing. Citron, lemon, and orange cut small may also be
added. Lay out on wafer paper in small heaps and bake in a very slow oven.
108. --
Rock Almonds (Pink).
Make any desired quantity of
icing, colour it with lake finely ground, mix in as many cut almonds, citron,
and lemon as it will take; lay out on wafer paper in small heaps and bake in a
slow oven.
109. --
Rock Almonds (Brown).
Take any quantity of Jordan
almonds, cut them up very small (but not blanch them); also citron, lemon, and
orange cut small Prepare some very light icing, with which mix the almonds,
&c., into a soft paste. Lay out on wafer paper and bake in a slow oven.
110. --
Almond Fruit Biscuits.
1 lb. of Valentia almonds, 1
lb. of powdered sugar, 2 or 3 whites of egg. Beat up the almonds very fine with
white of one egg; then rub the sugar and almonds into a fine paste with 1 or 2
whites of egg, divide it into two parts, work 2 ozs. of flour into one part and
roll it out thin for the bottom, cut it square and cover it with good raspberry
jam; then roll out another square the same size, and lay it on the top of the
fruit, cover this thinly with icing and cut it up into different shapes
according to fancy; lay them on wafer paper and bake in a slow
oven.
Note. --
There will be many cuttings from the above shapes which should not be
wasted. Put several bits together in little heaps on wafer paper, put a little
icing on top, a bit of green citron, and a small bit of raspberry jam. A little pink icing may also be added. Bake in a slow oven.
111. --
Meringues.
Take any desired quantity of
whites of eggs (half duck whites if you can procure them), whisk them until so
stiff that an egg will lie on the surface, then mix in with the spatter some
fine powdered sugar until they appear of a proper stiffness, which may be known
by laying out one oval with a knife and spoon. If it retains the mark of the
knife they are ready to bake; if not, more sugar must be added. Lay out oval on
dry paper and bake on a piece of wood two inches thick: this is to prevent them
having any bottom. They must have a pretty bloom on them when baked. Take one
carefully off with a knife, take out the inside and fill it with any kind of
preserved fruit. Then take off another and do the same, putting both sides
together; and so on till they are all baked. If good they will have the
appearance of a small egg.
112. Another Way. -- The whites of 12 eggs and I quart of
clarified sugar. Let one person whisk up the eggs as before directed while the
sugar is boiled to the degree called "Blown;" *then grain the sugar, and mix the
whites of eggs and the sugar together. Lay out and bake as before directed. *To
boil sugar to the degree called "Blown,". Refer 183.
113. --
Common Drop Biscuits.
Break the eggs into a
round-bottom pan, whisk them till they are hot, having your pan placed over hot
water; take them off and whisk them till they are cold, then put in the sugar
and whisk till hot, after which again whisk till they are cold. When the eggs
and sugar are perfectly light take out the whisk, stir in the flour gently. From
beginning to end the operation should not take more than twenty minutes. Cover
the tins or wires with wafer paper, and lay out the biscuits any size required
from a savoy bag. Dust them over with sugar and bake in a hot
oven.
The savoy bag should be of the
strongest fustian and so made as to come to a point, like a jelly-bag, at the
point of which must be fixed a small tin pipe two inches long. Boil the bag two
or three times to prevent the mixture passing through.
114. --
Savoy Biscuits.
For ingredients, take 8 eggs, 1
lb. of sugar, and 1 lb. of flour, and see directions below under Fruit Biscuits.
115. --
French Savoy Biscuits.
Take 8 eggs and 4 yolks, 1 lb.
of sugar, and 1 lb. of flour, and see directions below.
116. --
Judges' Biscuits.
Take 8 eggs and 4 yolks, 1 lb.
of sugar, 1 lb. of flour, and a few caraway seeds, and see directions below.
117. --
Lord Mayor's Biscuits.
Take 8 eggs, 1 lb. of sugar, 1
lb. of flour, and a few caraway seeds, and see directions below.
118. --
Fruit Biscuits.
For these the ingredients are 6
eggs and 6 yolks, 1 lb. of sugar, and 1 lb. of flour.
To mix the above five recipes,
observe the directions given for Common Drop Biscuits. They must be baked in a
hot oven. The Savoy Biscuits must be laid out from a savoy bag on "cap" paper
one-half round and one-half long. The French Savoys must be laid out oval, and
when baked two are to be put together. The drudges' Biscuits are to be laid out
round, about the size of a half-crown; and the Lord Mayor's are to be round, and
of double the size. The Fruit Biscuits are to be laid out about the size of a
shilling, and preserved fruit put between two of them. Have ready some castor
sugar, spread it on a piece of paper, making it smooth on the surface; then lay
each half-sheet of paper on which the biscuits are placed on the sugar; let them
remain a moment, take them off, give them a shake and bake in a hot oven. Turn
each half-sheet on to a clean table, wash the bottom of the paper with clean
water, let them lie for a moment, and they will be found to come off easily.
Proceed in this way till all are off, and baked.
Note. --
Some prefer whisking up sponge mixtures cold. They keep better, but are not so
showy.
119. --
Palais Royal Biscuits.
Make the mixture exactly the
same way as for French Savoys. Bake them in paper boxes about two inches long,
one inch and a-half wide, and an inch deep. Dust them lightly on the top with
sugar and bake in a moderate oven. The boxes must be made of the best writing
paper. They are very proper to mix with rout biscuits.
120. --
Rice Biscuits.
Take the weight of 8 eggs in
sugar, 2 eggs in flour, and 6 eggs in rice-flour; or take 1 lb. of sugar, 4 ozs.
of flour, 12 ozs. of rice-flour, and 8 eggs. Mix cold in the same manner as for
Savoy Biscuits. Bake in a moderate oven in sponge frames nicely buttered.
121. --
Scarborough Water Cakes.
8 eggs, 1 lb. of sugar, 1 lb.
of flour, and a little ground cinnamon. Mix the same way as for Savoy Biscuits.
Flavour with as much ground cinnamon as will make them pleasant to the taste.
When taken off the paper put two
together.
122. --
Sponge Biscuit.
Take 12 eggs, 1 lb. 2 ozs. of
sugar, 15 ozs. of flour. Mix cold the same as for Savoy Biscuits, which is the
best method; or they may be mixed hot. The pans must be neatly buttered with
creamed butter, and a dust of sugar thrown over them. Bake in a moderate oven,
but not too hot. The bottoms should be a neat brown.
123. --
Almond Sponge Biscuits.
Make exactly the same way as
Sponge Biscuits, only have ready Jordan almonds blanched and each cut the long
way into 6 or 8 pieces. Put them neatly on the top of each biscuit, dust sugar
over them and bake as before.
124. --
Naples Biscuits.
8 eggs, 1 lb. of sugar, 1 gill
of water, 1 lb. 2 oz. of flour. A Naples Biscuit frame is about 8 ins. long, 3
ins. broad, and 1 in. deep. In this the partitions are upright, and must be
papered neatly. Put the sugar and water into a small pan, let it dissolve and
boil; then whisk the eggs. Pour in the sugar gently, and keep whisking until
very light. When it is quite cold scatter in the flour, and mix it until smooth,
stirring it as lightly as possible. Put it into the frames, well filled, and
bake in a good oven, but not too hot. Dust them with sugar before putting in the
oven.
VII. PASTRY, CUSTARDS,
ETC.
125. --
Butter for Puff Paste.
The butter must be perfectly
sweet, and before it is used worked on a marble slab to make it smooth. Salt
butter from cows fed on poor land makes the best puff paste, but it must first
be washed in two or three waters. For every kind of cakes the butter cannot be
too rich.
126. --
Puff Paste.
3 lbs. of butter and 3 lbs. of
flour. The butter must be tough: if salt, wash it in two waters the night before
using it. Take half of it and rub into the flour, and with pure water make into
a paste the same stiffness as the butter. Roll it on a marble slab half an inch
thick, spot it with small pieces of butter, dust it with flour; then double it
up again, spot it as before, and roll it out again, spot it the third time, roll
out again twice, and put in a cool place for half an hour with a cloth over it,
when it will be fit for use.
NOTE. --
Common puff paste for large pies may be made this way by using 1 lb. of butter
and 2 lbs. of flour.
127. Another Way. -- 2 lbs. 8 ozs. of butter, and 3 lbs. 8
ozs. of flour. Mix the flour with water to the same stiffness as the butter,
then roll out the paste, spot it with the butter. Roll it out three times, and
dust it with flour as before. This paste is worse for lying, and should
therefore be baked as soon as possible.
By using lard of a good tough
quality, and mixing it as above, with the addition of a little salt, a good puff
paste can be made suitable for wholesale
purposes.
128. --
Crisp Tart Paste.
1 lb. of butter, and 2 lbs. of
flour. Rub the butter and flour very finely together, then mix it, with water,
into a paste of the stiffness of the butter. This is a choice paste for tarts
made of fresh fruit.
129. --
Sweet Tart Paste.
6 ozs. of butter, 2 ozs. of
sugar, 1 lb. of flour. Beat to a froth the whites of two eggs, rub the butter
and flour very finely together, make the paste of the proper stiffness with
whites of egg and a little
water.
130. --
Paste for a Baked Custard.
8 oz. of butter and 1 lb. of
flour. Boil the butter in a small teacupful of water, mix it into the flour,
make it smooth, and raise it to any shape
desired.
131. --
Paste for small Raised Pies.
12 ozs. of butter, 2 lbs. of
flour, and 1 gill of water. Mix the same way as for baked custards.
132. --
To make a handsome Tartlet.
Take a large oval dish and
sheet it with the best puff paste; cut it round the sides to make leaves, and
fill it three-parts full with good preserved fruit. On the fruit put some device
in cut paste, such as a large star, a sprig of flowers, or a tree.
133. --
Nelson Cake or Eccles Cake.
Take 2 lbs. of puff paste, roll
out half of it, spread 1 1/2 lb. of clean currants and 1/2 lb. of raw sugar upon
it with a little spice, and dash a little water on the sugar and currants to
make them unite; then roll out the remainder of the paste and lay it on the top.
Ice it well with whites of eggs and sugar. Bake on a square tin in a good oven.
134. --
To make a Custard.
Boil 1 pint of milk with a bit
of cinnamon and a little fresh lemon-peel, then mix in a pint of cream and the
yolks of 7 eggs well beaten. Sweeten to taste and let the whole simmer until of
a proper thickness. It must not be allowed to boil. Stir it one way the whole
time with a small whisk, until quite smooth, then stir in a glass of brandy.
135. --
Common Custard.
Beat up 3 eggs, add 1 gill of
cream or new milk and a little sugar. Put a dust of cinnamon on each before
putting in the oven.
VIII.
FRUIT CAKES, BRIDE CAKES, ETC.
136. --
Directions for mixing Cakes made with Butter.
Take your Butter and work it on
a marble slab, then cream it in a warm earthenware pan, and be particularly
careful not to let the butter oil; add the sugar and work it well with your
hand, mixing in one or two eggs at a time, and so on progressing until all the
eggs are used. Beat it well up, and as soon as you perceive the mixing rise in
the pan put in the flour and beat it well. Then add the spices, currants, and
whatever else is required for the mixing. You may then put it up into the tins
you intend for it. It will be necessary during the time of creaming it to warm
it two or three times, particularly in cold weather.
137. Another Way. -- Proceed with the butter and sugar as
before. Have ready separated the whites from the yolks of the eggs; mix in the
yolks two or three at a time; let another person whisk up the whites stiff. Then
put them to the other mixture and proceed as before directed.
138. --
London Way of mixing Cakes.
Weigh down the flour and sugar
on a clean smooth table, make a hole in it, and bank it well up; in this hole
put your eggs; cream the butter in an earthenware pan; then add to the flour and
sugar the eggs and butter; mix all together and beat up well with both hands.
You may work it up this way as light as a feather; then add the currants,
spices, &c.
139. Another Way. -- Take six pieces of cane about 18
inches long, tie them fast together at one end, but in order to make them open
put in the middle, where you tie them, one or two pieces half the length. This
is called a mixing-rod. Provide a tall pot, as upright as can be procured, which
make hot; work your butter on a marble slab, then put it in ú the pan and work
it well round with the rod until it is nicely creamed; put in the sugar and
incorporate both together; add one or two eggs at a time, and so on
progressively until they are all used up; work away with the rod with all speed,
and as soon as it is properly light (which you may know by its rising in the
pan) take it out and mix in the flour, spices, currants, &c., with a
spatter. This is esteemed the very best way of mixing cakes.
140. --
Citron Cake.
1 lb. of butter, 1 lb. 2 ozs.
of sugar, 6 eggs, and 4 yolks; 1 lb. 4 ozs. of flour. Cut 4 ozs. of green citron
in long thin pieces and place them in two or three layers as you put the cake
up. It must be baked in a deep tin or rim papered with fine paper. Neatly
buttered and baked in a slow
oven.
141. --
Common Fruit Cake.
3 lbs. of butter, 2 lbs. of
sugar, 24 eggs, 5 1/4 lbs. of flour, 4 1/2 lbs. of currants, 1 lb. 8 ozs. of
lemon and orange peel, a little mace, a pint of warm milk, 1/4 oz. of soda,
about 1/2 oz. cream of tartar. Proceed as directed.
142. --
Pound Cakes.
1 lb. of butter, 1 lb. of
sugar, 8 eggs, 1 lb. 2 ozs. of flour, 1 lb. 8 ozs. of currants, 8 ozs. of orange
and lemon peel. Proceed as
directed.
143. --
Seed Cakes.
1 lb. of butter, 1 lb. of
sugar, 8 eggs, 1 lb. of flour, caraway seeds. Some put 1 tablespoonful of brandy
and 2 ozs. of cut almonds.
144. --
Two and Three Pound Cakes.
2 lbs. 4 ozs. of butter, 2 lbs.
of sugar, 16 eggs, 2 lbs. 6 ozs. of flour, 3 lbs. 8 ozs. of currants, 1 lb. 8
ozs. of orange, lemon, and citron; almonds and brandy if required; 3/4 oz. of
cream of tartar and carbonate of soda. Proceed as directed.
145. --
Another Seed Cake.
2 lbs. 8 ozs. of butter, 2 lbs.
of sugar, 16 eggs, 2 lbs. 4 ozs. of flour, 4 ozs. of cut almonds, caraway seeds,
and a glass of brandy; 3/4 oz. of cream of tartar and carbonate of soda. Proceed
as directed.
146.--Four and Six Pound Cakes.
2 lbs. 8 ozs. of butter, 2 lbs.
of sugar, 16 eggs, 3 lbs. 8 ozs. of flour, 6 lbs. of currants, 2 lbs. of orange
and lemon, citron and almonds. Proceed as directed.
147.--Bride Cakes.
The following mixtures are made
in a few first-class shops, and the recipes for the same are not generally
known. The prices quoted allow for almond-icing as well.
- Ingredients
10s.6d. 12s.
15s. 18s. F1.
1s. F1. 11s. F2. 2s
-
lb. oz. lb. oz. lb. oz. lb.
oz. lb. oz. lb.
oz. lb. oz.
- Butter
0 11 0 13 1
1 1
4 1
6 2
1
2 12
- Sugar
0 7 0
8 0 10 0
12 1
0 1
6
1 12
- Currants
1 4 1
6 1 10 2
00 2
8 3
12 5
0
- Orange and citron, mixed 0
6 0
7 0
8 0 10
0 12 1
2
1 8
- Almonds
0 1 1/2 0 2 0
2 0
3 0
3 0
4
0 6
- Mixed
spice*
0 1/2
--- 0
3/4
--- 0
1 0 1
1/2 0 2
- Flour
0 11 0 13 1
1 1
4 1
6 2
1
2 12
- Eggs, number
of
6
7
9
10
12
18
24
-
\ Wine- Wine-
Wine- Wine-
- Brandy or brandy and }
glass- glass- glass-
glass 1/4 pint 1/4
pint 1/2 pint
- Wine
/
ful.
ful.
ful. ful.
- * Nutmegs, mace, and cinnamon.
148. --
Icing Sugar for Bride Cakes, &c.
To make this take 2 lbs. of
finely powdered icing sugar (first having an earthenware pan made warm), put in
six fresh whites of eggs, and immediately whisk them, and as quickly as
possible, until quite stiff; then add the sugar by degrees, whisking all the
time. As soon as it appears light cease whisking, and beat it well with the
spatter until you have put in all the sugar. A little tartaric acid or
lemon-juice may be added towards the end of the mixing. To know when it is
sufficiently beaten, take up a little on the spatter and let it drop into the
basin again. If it keeps its shape it is ready; if it runs it is either beaten
too little or requires more sugar.
A good substitute for eggs is
French glue. Take a quarter of an ounce of it and fully one imperial pint of
boiling water. Pour the water on the glue, and stir in with a spoon until all is
dissolved. If convenient, make it two days before using. The glue is used
similar to eggs. Add to it a small pinch of tartaric acid. This glue is mostly
used for wholesale or cheap
purposes.
149. --
Almond Icing for Bride Cakes.
1 lb. Valencia almonds, 2 lbs.
of icing sugar, and about 3 whites of eggs and 2 yolks. Blanch and beat the
almonds. Fine with whites of eggs, then add the sugar and whites and yolks, beat
them well together and make them into a stiffish paste. As soon as the cake is
baked, take it out and take off the hoop and the paper carefully from the sides,
then put the almond icing carefully on the top of the cake, and make it as
smooth as you can. Put into the oven, and let it remain until the almond icing
is firm enough and of the colour of a macaroon; let it stand two or three hours,
then ice it with sugar icing.
150. --
Wedding Cake.
1 1/4 lb. of flour, 1 lb. 2 oz.
of butter, 1 lb. of moist sugar, 4 lbs. of currants, 1 1/2 lb. of mixed peel, 2
nutmegs grated, 1/2 oz. ground cinnamon, 10 eggs, 1/2 lb. blanched sweet almonds
cut in halves, and a wineglassful of brandy. Mix as before directed.
151. --
Rich Twelfth Cake.
Same as wedding cake. In olden
times a bean and a pea were introduced into the cake to determine who should be
king and queen of the evening
festivities.
152. --
Madeira Cakes.
1 3/4 lb. of butter, 2 lbs. of
sugar, 2 lbs. of flour, 1 lb. of patent flour, 24 eggs. Proceed as before
directed. This mixing makes eight cakes, selling at a shilling each. Put two
thin slices of citron on each. Bake in a cool oven. Note. -- Patent flour is
made with 8 lbs. of flour, 4 ozs. cream of tartar, 2 ozs. carbonate of soda, and
sifted three times.
153. --
Plum Cake. (As made for best shops in Edinburgh.)
3 lbs. of butter, 3 lbs. of
sugar, 4 1/2 lbs. of flour, 40 eggs, 8 or 10 lbs. of currants, 2 lbs, of peel, a
few drops of essence of lemon. Cream and finish as before directed.
154. --
Genoa Cake.
1 lb. of butter, 1 lb. of
sugar, 1 1/4 lb. of flour, 1 lb. of eggs, 2 1/2 lbs. of currants, washed and
picked, 1 1/2 lb. of orange peel. Bake in a small square-edged tin. Proceed as
before directed. When nicely in the tin have prepared some blanched and chopped
almonds, strew them rather thickly on the top, and bake in a moderate oven.
155. --
Rice Cake (Scotch Mixture).
2 lbs. of butter, 2 lbs. of
sugar, 2 1/4 lbs. of flour, 1/4 lb. of rice flour, 20 eggs, essence of lemon.
Proceed as before directed.
156. --
Madeira Cake (Scotch Mixture).
1 1/4 lb. of butter, 1 3/4 lb.
of sugar, 2 1/4 lbs. of flour, 20 eggs, a small pinch of tartaric acid and
carbonate of soda. Proceed as before
directed.
157. --
Pond Cake or Dundee Cake.
1 lb. of butter, 1 1/4 lb. of
sugar, 13 eggs, 1 3/4 lb. of flour, 2 lbs. of peel cut in small squares. After
it is creamed up and ready, entirely cover the top with small comfits. Bake in
moderate oven. Do not cream it so light as for other cakes so as to keep the
comfits from sinking in the
cake.
158. --
Silver Cake.
1 lb. of butter, 1 lb. of
sugar, 1 pint of whites of eggs, 1 3/4 lb. of flour, almond to flavour.
159. --
Gold Cake.
1 1/4 lb. of butter, 1 1/2 lb.
of sugar, 1 pint of yolks of eggs, 1 3/4 lb. of sultana raisins, 1/2 lb. of
lemon peel, 2 lbs. of flour, 1/4 lb. of patent or soda flour. Add a little milk
to make it as soft as the Silver mixture, paper a deep square tin, and spread
the gold mixture 2 inches thick, then spread the silver mixture nicely over the
top of the gold. Baking, about 2 1/4
hours.
160. --
Plum Cake at 6d. per lb. (As sold by Grocers.)
8 lbs. of flour, 2 lbs. of
butter, 3 lbs. of sugar, 4 lbs. of currants, 1/2 lb. of peel, 15 eggs, 2 ozs. of
carbonate of soda, 3 ozs. of cream of tartar, essence of lemon, and fresh
churned milk, to make into a nice dough. Have some square one-pound tins nicely
papered, and weigh in 1 lb. of the mixture. This is an excellent mixture if well
got up.
161. Another Way. -- 1 lb. of lard, 1 1/4 lb. of sugar, 8
ozs. of peel, 5 lbs. of currants, 6 lbs. of flour, a grated nutmeg, 1 oz.
carbonate of soda, 2 ozs. cream of tartar, 8 eggs, the rest milk.
162. Another Way. -- 1/2 lb. of butter, 3/4 lb. of sugar, 4
eggs, 3 lbs. of currants, 4 lbs. of flour, 3/4 oz. of carbonate of soda, 1/2 oz.
of tartaric acid. Dough with
milk.
163. --
Mystery, or Cheap Plum Cake at 3d. per lb.
8 lbs. of common flour, 3 lbs.
of brown sugar, 1 lb. of lard, 2 ozs. of peel, 3 lbs. of currants, 1 1/2 oz. of
spice, 2 ozs. of carbonate of soda, 1 oz. of tartaric acid. Dough with milk.
Bake in a slow oven, wash with egg on
top.
164. --
Plum Cake at 4d. per lb.
4 lbs. of flour, 3 lbs.
of currants, 12 ozs. of lard, 14 ozs. of sugar, 1 1/2 oz. of cream of tartar, 1
oz. of carbonate of soda, 1/4 oz. of spice. Dough with good churned milk.
165. --
Lafayette Cakes.
1/2 lb. of butter, 1/2 lb. of
sugar, 1/2 lb. of flour, 6 eggs, 1/4 oz. of volatile salts in powder. Mix same
as pound cake. Bake in round flat tins about 1/4 of an inch deep, or drop some
of the paste on whity-brown paper and spread it out into a round thin cake about
6 inches in diameter. This will make 12 cakes. Bake them in a moderate oven in
tins. Take them off the paper when baked, spread some raspberry or other jam on
two of them and put three together. Trim them round the edges with a knife, and
divide or cut them into 4, 6, or 8 parts according to the price at which they
are to be sold.
166. --
American Genoa Cake.
Take 7 lbs. of common butter or
butterine, 7 lbs. of castor sugar, 60 eggs, 12 lbs. of flour, 10 lbs. of
currants, 3 lbs. of chopped peel, 1 1/2 oz. of cream of tartar, 3/4 oz. of soda,
about 2 pints of churned milk. Cream the butter and sugar together, add the
eggs, then mix all the other ingredients together. Paper a square-edged pan, lay
on your batter about three inches thick, and bake in a sound oven. After the
cake is baked, put it aside in a cool room till next morning, when you may turn
it out of the tin, and then, after taking the paper nicely off, cut it into
suitable sizes.
Note. --
The sides of the tin before being papered must be lined with wood upsets. This
cake is sold at 6d. per
pound.
167. --
Lemon Cake.
3/4 lb. of butter, 3/4
lb. of sugar, 1 lb. of eggs, 1/2 gill of brandy, lb. of flour, the grated rind
of two lemons. Cream the butter, sugar, and eggs, in the usual way, stir in the
lemon rind, brandy, and flour; put in small moulds and bake in a moderate oven.
168. --
Bristol Cake.
2 lbs. of butter, 2 lbs. of
sugar, 2 lbs. of eggs, 2 lbs. of flour, 1 lb. of patent flour, 3 lbs. of sultana
raisins. Cream this cake in the usual way, bake in small round hoops, weighed
out at 1 lb. each. Bake in moderate
oven.
l69. --
Jubilee Cakes.
4 1/2 lbs. of flour, 1 lb. 6
ozs. of butter, 1 lb. 14 ozs. of castor sugar, 11 eggs, 1 1/4 oz. of carbonate
of soda, 1 3/4 oz. of cream of tartar, churned milk to dough. Weigh the flour,
add the tartar and soda, make a bay; have the butter previously warmed, put it
in the bay with the sugar, cream it well with your hand, adding the eggs
gradually, then mix all together and make into a nice batter. Weigh at 1 lb. for
sixpence.
This makes a number of cakes of
various kinds -- such as Cilron Cake, by adding a small quantity of thinly
chopped citron; Madeira Cake by dusting the top with castor sugar, and placing
two pieces of peel on the top; Plum Cake, by adding a few currants and cut peel;
Coconut Cake, by adding a little cocoa-nut to the mixture, and dusting the top
with cocoa-nut; and Seed Cake, by adding a few seeds. It is a capital mixture
when nicely got up.
IX. HANDY WHOLESALE RECIPES FOR SMALL MASTERS.
170. --
Soda Cakes or Scones.
12 lbs. of flour, 6 ozs. of
cream of tartar, 3 ozs. of carbonate of soda, 12 ozs. of lard, 2 ozs. of salt.
Dough up with churned milk, mix the tartar and soda with the flour, rub the lard
in the flour, make a bay, add the salt, and make into a nice dough with milk.
Weigh off at 6 ozs. for a penny. Mould round, pin out the breadth of a small
saucer, wash the top with milk, bake on the bottom of a good sound oven. Dock
them with a docker.
171. --
Currant or Milk Scones.
6 lbs. of flour, 6 ozs. of
lard, 6 ozs. of sugar, 3 ozs. of cream of tartar, 1 1/2 oz. soda, 1 lb. of
currants, 1 oz. of salt; buttermilk to dough. Mix as above. Weigh off at 11 ozs.
for 2d., mould, pin out and cut in four; put on flat clean tins; wash with egg
on top. Bake in a sound oven.
172. --
Sugar or White Spice Biscuits.
7 lbs. of good fine flour, 12
ozs. of lard, 3 lbs. of moist sugar, 4 ozs. of ammonia, churned milk to dough;
mix as above, but do not work the mixture too much. Take about 4 lbs. of the
dough, work it into a square or round shape, pin it out a little thicker than a
penny piece, cut out either in shapes or farthing or halfpenny biscuits, but
well dock the sheet before you cut them.
Bake on greased tins; wash on
top; a few currants strewn on the shapes. Bake in a sharp oven.
173. --
Halfpenny Scotch Cakes.
3 1/2 lbs. of flour, 12 ozs. of
lard, 12 ozs. of sugar, 1/4 oz. vol, and a little milk, as much as will dissolve
the volatile salts and sugar. Mix as above, but well rub the dough; make it nice
and easy to work off. Pin out a sheet about 1/4 of an inch thick, cut out with a
small round cutter; dock each one well; pinch round the edges with the finger
and thumb. Bake on clean tins, but not greased, in a moderate oven.
174. --
Large Square Penny Albert Cake.
Rub 6 ozs. of lard in 6 lbs. of
flour, then add 4 ozs. of cream of tartar and 2 ozs. of soda. Mix all together
and make a bay. Put in the bay 2 lbs. of sugar and 3 lbs. of currants, and dough
with churned milk, a little softer than for plum cake mixture. Have a
large-edged pan cleaned and greased, put the mixture in the tin and spread it
equally over the tin, putting your hand occasionally in a little milk to smooth
over the surface. This mixture is best made up in a basin or large bowl and
poured into the tin. Bake in a moderate oven and cut when cold.
175. --
Brandy Snaps.
Rub 1 lb. of lard in 4 lbs. of
flour, put 4 lbs. of moist sugar on it and mix together; make a bay, put in 4
lbs. of syrup and about half a teaspoonful of essence of lemon. Make all into
dough, pin it out, cut with a small round cutter, about the thickness of a
penny. Bake on well-greased tins in a moderate oven. You can curl them round the
peel or have them plain.
176. --
Nonpareil Biscuits.
Rub 6 ozs. of lard in 5 lbs. of
flour, make a bay, put in 2 1/2 lbs. of moist sugar, 2 ozs. of ammonia; dough
with milk; make into a dough, but do not work it too much. Cut out the same size
and thickness as for brandy snaps; wash the top with milk; have some nonpareil
sweets spread on the table, throw the biscuits on them, put on slightly greased
tins. Bake in moderate oven.
177. --
Common Halfpenny Queen Cake.
3 lbs. of flour, add 1 oz. of
cream of tartar, 1 oz. of soda; mix; rub in 12 ozs. of lard, make a bay, put in
24 ozs. of castor sugar, essence of lemon; dough with churned milk; dough rather
soft. Have some fluted tins ready greased, take a spoon and three-parts fill
your tins. Bake in a moderate
oven.
178. --
Halfpenny lunch Cake.
2 lbs. of flour, 4 ozs. of
lard, 8 ozs. of sugar, 8 ozs. of currants, 1 oz. of soda, 1 oz. of cream of
tartar; dough with churned milk and mix as for queens. Have some square sponge
cake tins ready greased, take a spoon and three-parts fill them; wash with egg
on top, dust them with castor sugar and bake in sound oven.
179. --
Polkas or Halfpenny Sponges.
Put 2 1/2 lbs. of good flour on
the table, make a bay, put in 5 eggs, l 1/2 lb. of castor sugar, and 1 oz. voil;
beat eggs, sugar, and ammonia with your hand for twelve or fifteen minutes, add
a little churned milk, take in your flour and beat all well together with 12
drops of essence of lemon. Have your tins greased, take a spoon, half fill it
with the mixture; put on tins about 2 inches apart; put about 6 or 8 currants on
each and bake in a hot oven.
THE SUGAR-BOILER'S
ASSISTANT.
X.
CONFECTIONS IN SUGAR-BOILING.
180. --
Clarifying Sugar.
The clarifying and boiling of
sugar to the different degrees must be considered as the key to all sorts of
stove working, and I will give here the method used for clarifying sugar. The
pan used must be perfectly clean and bright. Whisk two whites of eggs in one
pint of water; break 30 lbs. of good lump sugar into small pieces and put it
into the pan; pour over it 6 quarts of water, set it on a clear stove to melt,
but be careful it does not blubber and boil before it is melted; when you see it
rise it is then boiling, and must be stopped immediately by putting in 1 quart
of water; when it rises again add the same quantity of water, and so on two or
three times; this prevents the scum from boiling into the sugar and makes it
rise to the top. Draw the pan to one side of the fire and take all the scum off;
let it continue to simmer. Keep adding a little water to make the remaining part
of the scum rise. By this time the scum will be very white and tough, which also
take off if the sugar appear clear. Dip in your finger, and if a drop hang from
it, it is of the first degree, called smooth, and may be put by for
use.
You may clarify a much smaller
quantity of sugar by carefully attending to these instructions.
181. --
Testing Sugar.
Granulated sugar is considered
the best to use, as it is less liable to adulteration than any other kind. Of
moist sugars, Demerara is the best. The simplest way to test sugar for its
purity is to dissolve a little in a glass of clear water. If the sugar be quite
pure the water will only be slightly thickened, but not in the least clouded,
neither will there be any sediment. In keeping sugar care should be taken to
protect it from dampness and vermin -- especially ants.
To boil Sugar to the
different degrees.
182. To the degree called "Pearled." --
Cover your
preserving pan bottom two or three inches deep, boil it briskly over a clear
fire for a short time, then dip in your finger and put it to your thumb, if on
separating them a small string of sugar adheres to each it is boiled to the
degree called pearled.
183. To the degree called "Blown." --
After you have
ascertained that the sugar is boiled to the degree called pearled put in the
skimmer and let it boil a few minutes, then shake it out of the sugar and give
it a blow. If sugar fly from the skimmer in small bladders it is boiled to the
degree called blown.
184. To the degree called "Feathered." -- Continue to boil
the sugar from blown for a short time longer; take out the skimmer and give it a
jerk over the pan, then over your head, and if sugar fly out like feathers it is
boiled to the degree called
feathered.
185. To the "Ball" Degree. -- To know when the "ball" has
been acquired, first dip your finger into a basin of cold water, then apply your
finger to the syrup, taking up a little on the tip and dipping it into the water
again; if upon rolling the sugar with the fingers and thumb you can make it into
a small ball, that is what is termed the "small ball ;" when you can make a
larger and harder ball, which you could not bite without its sticking
unpleasantly to the teeth, you may be satisfied that is the "large ball."
186. To the degree called "Crackled." -- Boil the sugar
from the degree called feathered a little longer; dip a stick or a piece of pipe
(or your finger, if you are used to boiling) into water, then into the sugar and
again into the water. If it crack with the touch it is boiled to the degree
called crackled.
187. To the degree called "Caramelled." -- Boil the sugar
still further, dip a stick or your finger into water, then into the sugar, and
again into the water. If it snap like glass it is of the highest degree, called
caramelled, and must be taken off the fire immediately, for fear of burning.
This sugar is proper to caramel any sort of
fruit.
188. --
To boil Sugar by the Thermometer.
All the foregoing tests are
according to the old style of boiling; but a boiling-glass can now be had which
enables us to boil to a better degree of accuracy. Thus, to boil to the pearl is
to boil to 220 degrees; the small thread 228 degrees; the large thread 236
degrees; the blow 240 degrees; the feather 242 degrees; the small ball 244
degrees; the large ball 250 degrees; the small crack 261 degrees; the hard crack
281 degrees; the caramel 360
degrees.
189. --
Barley Sugar.
Put some sugar in a pan with
water and place it on the fire to boil; when it is at the feather add a little
lemon juice and continue boiling to the caramel; when done add a few drops of
essence of lemon. Pour it on a marble slab previously oiled, cut into strips.
When nearly cold take the strips in your fingers and twist them, and when quite
cold put them into tin boxes and keep them closed down. The reason that barley
sugar is so named is that it was originally made with a decoction of barley.
190. --
Barley Sugar Drops.
These are made in the same
manner as the preceding. You pour the sugar while hot into impressions made in
dried icing sugar.
191. --
Acid Drops,
Boil 3 lbs. of loaf sugar, 1
pint of water, and a teaspoonful of cream of tartar to the caramel; add a few
drops of essence of lemon, and pour it on an oiled marble slab or stone;
sprinkle on it a tablespoonful of powdered tartaric acid and work it in. Oil a
tin sheet and put the sugar on it in a warm place, then cut off a small piece
and roll it into a round pipe, cut this into small pieces the size of drops with
a pair of scissors and roll them round under the hand; mix with fine powdered
sugar, sift the drops from it and put them in boxes, to be used as required.
192. --
Pineapple Drops.
Cut the half of a pineapple
into slices, drop them into a mortar and pound them; put the pulp into a cloth
and extract the juice; take as much sugar as will be required and boil it to the
crack. When the sugar is at the feather commence to add the pine-apple juice;
pour it on slowly, so that by the time the syrup is at the crack it shall all be
mixed in with the sugar. Finish as for barley sugar drops.
193. --
Poppy Drops.
Extract the essence of the
poppies (the wild flowers are the best) in hot water, boil some sugar in a pan
-- the same way as for barley sugar drops -- and add the decoction of poppies
just before the syrup is at the crack. No essence of lemon should be used, and
they need not be sugared when put into
boxes.
194. --
Ginger Drops.
Make these after the same
manner as barley sugar drops, in boiling the sugar, and flavour with a few drops
of the essence of ginger just before the syrup is at the crack.
195. --
Cayenne Drops.
These are made the same way as
barley sugar drops and the poppy and ginger drops. Flavour a minute before the
boiling sugar is at the crack. To give the cayenne flavour add a few drops of
the essence of capsicum.
196. --
Ginger Candy.
Boil some clarified sugar to
the ball, and flavour with essence of ginger, then rub some of the sugar against
the sides of the pan with a spatula until the sugar turns white; pour it into
tins which have been oiled and put into the stove. The sugar should be coloured
with some vegetable yellow whilst
boiling.
197. --
Lemon Candy.
This is made in the same manner
as ginger candy. Colour yellow with a little saffron, add a few drops of essence
of lemon. This is made by boiling sugar to the feather and ball, and grained by
rubbing against the pan.
198. --
Peppermint Candy.
The mode of making this candy
is the same as that for making ginger candy, only add essence of peppermint.
199. --
Rose Candy.
Made the same way as ginger
candy. Rose candy should be coloured with cochineal or carmine.
200. --
Burnt Almonds.
1 lb. of almonds, 2 lbs. of
sugar. Take 2 lbs. of clarified sugar and boil it to the "ball" put 1 lb. of
Jordan or Valencia almonds, blanched and dried, into the pan with the sugar;
stir them from the fire, and let them absorb as much sugar as possible. If you
want them well saturated with sugar repeat this until the sweetening is
completed. Flavour with orange-flower
water.
201. --
Cast Sugar Drops.
Select the best refilled sugar
with a good grain, pound it and pass through a coarse hair sieve; sift again in
a lawn sieve, to take out the finest part, as the sugar, when it is too fine,
makes the drops heavy and compact and destroys their brilliancy and shining
appearance. Now put the sugar into a pan and moisten it with any aromatic spirit
you intend to use, using a little water to make it of such a consistence as to
allow of its dropping off the spoon without sticking to it. Rose water is the
best; it should be poured in slowly, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon.
Colour the sugar with prepared cochineal or any other colour, ground fine and
moistened with a little water; the tint should be light and delicate. Then take
a small pan, made with a lip on the right side, so that when it is held in the
left hand the drops may be detached from the right. Put in the paste and place
the pan in the stove on a ring that just fits it. Take a small spatula and stir
the sugar until it dissolves and makes a slight noise, but do not let it boil,
but remove it from the fire when it is near the boiling point, then stir it well
with the small spatula until of such a consistence that when dropped it will not
spread too much, but retain a round form. Should it, however, be too thin add a
little of the coarse powdered sugar, which should be reserved for the purpose,
and make it of the thickness required. Take a smooth tin or copper plate and let
the paste drop on it from the lip of the pan at regular intervals. You hold the
pan in the left hand and with a piece of straight wire in the right hand you
separate the drop of sugar from the lip of the pan, letting it fall on the tin.
In the course of an hour and a half or two hours the drops may be removed with a
thin knife. If no copper plates are at hand a piece of stout cartridge paper
will do. Damp the back of the paper with a sponge when you wish to remove the
drops.
202. --
Rose Drops.
These are made as in the
preceding case. Flavour with essence of rose and colour with cochineal.
203. --
Orange-flower Drops.
Flavour with orange-flower
water or a little of the essence of
neroli.
204. --
Chocolate Drops.
2 ozs. of chocolate, 2 lbs. of
sugar. The chocolate must be scraped to a powder and then made into a paste with
cold water, finishing as for cast sugar
drops.
205. --
Coffee Drops.
2 ozs. of coffee, 2 lbs. of
sugar. Make a decoction of coffee in the regular manner and add it to your sugar
to make the paste or syrup. Finish in the same way as for cast sugar drops.
206. --
Barberry Drops.
6 ozs. of barberries, 1 1/2 lb.
of sugar. Press the juice out of the barberries and mix it into the pounded
sugar. Should there not be sufficient juice add a little clear water. Make no
more paste than you can actually use, as the second time it is heated it becomes
greasy and difficult to drop.
207. --
Peppermint Drops.
Moisten the sugar, which should
be white and of the finest quality, with peppermint water, or flavour it with
the essence of peppermint and moisten it with a little clear water. See that
your utensils are very clean.
208. --
Pineapple Drops.
Take the pineapple and rub the
rind on a piece of rough sugar. The sugar thus impregnated you scrape off for
use directly. Pound the pine-apple, and pass the pulp or juice through a fine
hair sieve. Add the sugar just scraped off and as much more as you think it
requires to make it sweet. Make it into a paste with clear water. Every
precaution must be used, as it soon greases. No more should be made than you
actually want for immediate
use.
209. --
Vanilla Drops.
2 pods of vanilla, 1 lb. of
pounded sugar. Use the pods of vanilla in preference to the essence; the latter
is apt to grease the paste. Cut the vanilla up very fine, put it in a mortar,
and pound it well along with a portion of your sugar. When sufficiently smooth,
sift it through a fine sieve. Finish as for the rest.
210. --
Ginger Drops.
Take as much ginger as you wish
to use, pound, and sift it through a fine lawn sieve; add it to as much sugar as
you desire to flavour, and mix it with clear water. Some use the ginger sold at
the shops already powdered; some, again, the essence of ginger, colouring the
paste with saffron.
211. --
Lemon Drops.
Rub off the yellow rind of some
lemons on a piece of rough sugar; scrape it off, and mix it into your paste. Add
sufficient to your sugar to give it a good flavour, and colour it a light yellow
with saffron. Moisten with clear water, and mix as the rest.
212. --
Orange Drops.
These are made the same as
lemon drops.
213. --
Pear Drops.
Made the same as above, and
flavoured with the essence of jargonel
pear.
214. --
Lavender, Violet, Musk, and Millefleur Drops.
These are all made the same way
as the above, being flavoured with the essences that give them their names.
215. --
Pink Burnt Almonds,
Put 1 pint of clarified sugar
in a round-bottomed pan on a clear fire, boil it to the degree called blown, mix
in as much prepared cochineal as will make it a good colour, boil it again to
the degree called blown, throw in the brown burnt almonds free from small; take
the pan off the fire and stir the almonds well about in the sugar with the
spatter until it is all upon them, which is very easily done if you are careful.
You may repeat this two or three times, which will make the almonds very
handsome.
216. --
Philadelphia Caramels.
Take 10 lbs. of sugar, 2 quarts
of rich cream, 1 1/2 lb. of glucose, 1 lb. of fresh butter, 1 teaspoonful of
cream of tartar, 1 lb. of cocoa paste, and 1/4 of a lb. of white wax of
paraffin. Boil these to the "crack," pour upon a greased marble slab, between
iron bars, and let it remain until cold, then cut it into small cubes and fold
in wax-paper.
217. --
Boston Chips.
These are made of sugar boiled
to the hard crack, flavoured and tinted to suit your fancy; it is then poured
upon a greased marble slab. As soon as it becomes sufficiently cold the edges
are turned in and the batch is folded in a mass, placed upon the candy hook and
pulled; it is then run through a machine the iron rollers of which are set very
closely together, so that the candy comes through as thin as a wafer; it is then
cut into strips to suit, or it may be wound around an oiled round stick and then
slipped off, making a curl. Two or more colours may be joined together before it
is run through the machine, thus making a parti-coloured ribbon.
218. --
Engagement Favours.
Break up 1 lb. of loaf sugar
into small particles, let it dissolve in a pan with 1/2 pint of water and 2
spoonfuls of lemon-juice; skim and boil to the ball, add pieces of lemon peel
tied together with a string, boil until a sample is brittle; take out the lemon
peel, pour out the sugar on an oiled slab, taking care to distribute it so that
the whole mass cools at the same time. It is pulled, manipulated, and cut in the
ordinary way. A small part of the sugar coloured red and boiled separately may
be used to variegate the sweets, and should be worked in just before cutting.
219. --
Almond Hardbake.
Oil a square or round tin with
low edges, split some almonds in halves and place them in rows over the bottom
with the split side downward until the surface is covered. Boil some raw sugar
to the crack, pour it over them so as to cover the whole with a thin sheet of
sugar.
Coconut cut in thin slices,
currants, and other similar candies are made in the same way, except that the
sugar is ground before it is poured
over.
220. --
To make Gum Paste.
Put any quantity of picked gum
dragon into an upright earthen jar, cover it over with cold water and let it
stand two or three days. Have ready some of the very finest icing sugar, take
the gum into a coarse piece of canvas and let another person assist in twisting
it round until the whole has passed through. Beat it well up in the mortar to
make it tough and white, then add sugar by degrees, still beating it with the
pestle. When it is stiff take it out and keep it in an earthen jar for use. When
it is worked into ornaments it will require a little starch-powder to smooth and
make it proper for use. If you want to colour any part of it, use vegetable
colouring.
221. --
To spin a Silver Web.
Take 1 pint of clarified sugar
and 1 teaspoonful of lemon juice, boil it in a small pan to the degree called
caramelled; the moment the sugar is ready take it off and put the bottom of the
pan in cold water. As soon as the water is warmed take the pan out. This
precaution will keep the sugar from discolouring. As this sugar is to represent
silver you must be particularly careful not to boil it too high. Have ready a
crocanth mould neatly oiled with sweet oil, then take a teaspoon and dip the
shank of it into the sugar on one side of the pan, take up a little sugar and
throw the spoon backwards and forwards in the mould, leaving as fine a thread as
possible. Continue to do so until the mould is quite full. You must observe that
there be no blotches and that the threads be as fine as hair; you may then take
it out and cover it over a custard or any other sweet, and may, if you please,
raise it by spinning light threads of sugar on the top.
222. --
To spin a Gold Web.
Proceed with a gold web exactly
the same as with the silver web, only boil the sugar a moment longer.
223. --
A Spun Sugar Pyramid.
Provide four or five round
moulds, the one larger than the other, oil them neatly, then boil your sugar as
for silver web, only let it remain on the fire one minute longer, then take up
sugar with the shank of the spoon and spin it as near the side of the mould as
possible, but let no blotches appear; do this to the four moulds. As soon as
cold take them out and fix one above another with hot sugar, then spin long
lengths of sugar round until they form a complete pyramid. You may spin long
threads of sugar to represent a feather, and place them on the top, or you may
place a sprig of myrtle on the top and spin long lengths of sugar round it. The
way to do it is to take the shank of your spoon, dip it into the cool sugar at
the side of the pan, take hold of a bit of the sugar with your finger and thumb
and pull it out to any length and fineness you please.
224. --
To spin a Gold Sugar Crocanth.
Boil your sugar a minute longer
than for the silver web, using the same precaution as before. Have ready your
mould neatly oiled, then take a little sugar on the shank of your spoon, spin it
quite close to the side of your mould (be careful you make no blotches), spin
all round, and strengthen the sugar as much as you can. There must be no holes
or blotches, but an even regular sugar, all parts as near alike as possible.
When the sugar is perfectly cold turn it out carefully, and set it over a
custard or any other sweet. You may use it plain or ornament it with gum paste,
as you think proper.
225. --
To spin a Gold Cup,
Provide a copper mould like a
cup. It must be made in three parts, and must be perfectly smooth within; oil
each neatly, and spin sugar in each, agreeable to the directions for the
crocanth. If two persons can spin at the same time it will be much better. When
the three moulds are perfectly covered with sugar, and cold, take each out and
put them together in a proper manner with hot sugar. You may ornament the cup
with gum paste, which will make it very beautiful.
Note. -- In
boiling sugar to spin, great care must be taken to have a clear fire, and only
to boil a small quantity at a time in a small brass pan. If you have two or
three sugars to spin you must use two or three pans. One person may be attending
to the boiling while another is spinning. A teaspoonful of lemon juice must be
put to a pint of clarified sugar. If the sugar is likely to boil over the top of
the pan drop one drop of sweet oil from your finger into the sugar, which will
stop it immediately.
226. --
A Spun Sugar Beehive.
Mould twenty or thirty bees in
gum paste, as near the colour and shape as possible, make a hole with a pin on
each side of the mouth and let them dry; make some of the wings extend as if
flying. Provide a large round crocanth mould as near the shape of a bee-hive as
possible, then boil the sugar as formerly instructed. Spin the sugar hot close
to the inside of the mould. It must be regularly spun and very strong, the
threads very fine, and no blotches. When it is so, let it stand until quite
cold, then turn it out of the mould on to a large dish and ornament as under.
227. --
To Ornament a Beehive.
Before you begin to boil the
sugar take as many borders out of your gum paste moulds as will go round the
bottom; also take out leaves for the top; run a husk round the sides to
represent the matting of the hive, lay your borders and leaves on a marble slab,
with a cloth over them to keep them moist.
You may also twist a length of
gum paste like a wreath and make it into a large ring; this must be dried; then
fix on the ornaments with a little hot sugar and set the ring upright on the
top. You may then spin long lengths of sugar very fine on to a tin plate. Take
the bees and fix them with hot sugar on the top and sides of the hive; break the
lengths of sugar in short pieces and fix them in the holes made in the bees. You
may also form three entrances into the hive with the gum paste husk.
XI.
COLOURING SUGAR.
228. --
To prepare Sugar for Colouring.
Take good loaf sugar, get it
ground well, put it through a hair sieve; what remains in the hair sieve put
into a fine wire sieve and sift it, and the sugar which comes through the wire
sieve will be rough sugar proper for
colouring.
229. --
To colour Sugar.
Divide the sugar into as many
parts as you intend to colour, put each into a sheet of paper, then prepare your
colours. Take a round-bottomed pan and put it on a warm stove, pour in your lot
of sugar, stir it about with a dry whisk until the sugar is warm, add the
colour, stir it well with the whisk to make the sugar all of that colour, then
stir it about till the sugar is nearly dry, when you may spread it about on the
sheet of paper. You may proceed in this manner with all the colours. The first
colour used should be yellow, and the next green, which may be coloured in the
yellow pan and with the same whisk. You must then wash both, and colour red, and
after that orange. When the sugar is cold, sift it to take out any coupled, then
bottle it separately. It will be found to be a useful article to ornament rout
biscuits, creams, &c.
230. --
Blue Colouring.
Take a fig of the best indigo,
dip one side in warm water and rub it on a marble slab until you gain the
strength you want; or if you wish for a quantity, put a fig into a small cup,
drop a tablespoonful of water upon it, and let it stand half an hour; then pour
off the water at the top, and you will have a fine smooth colour.
231. --
Carmine Colouring.
Take carmine, No. 24 or 40, 1
dr., liquor potassae 2 1/2 drs., water 2 ozs., glycerine sufficient to make 4
ozs. Rub the carmine to a paste with liquor potassae and add the water and
glycerine. This is a splendid red, and works well with liquor acids.
232. --
Green Colouring.
Take some strong saffron colour
and a little of the fine melted blue; mix them well together, which will make a
green colour. If you want a pale green, use more yellow; if a dark green, use
more blue.
233. Another Way. -- Take a quantity of spinach, pick the
leaves from the stalks, put them very tight down in a small pan, add a small
quantity of water, cover them closely up, and set the pan on a warm stove for
two hours; then turn the leaves into a coarse canvas, and let two persons twist
it round until all the liquor is squeezed out; set it on a clear fire in a small
pan, and let it boil one minute. When cold, bottle and cork it
tight.
Note. --
The vegetable colouring bought at shops which manufacture it specially for
confectioners is the safest, cheapest, and
best.
234. --
Orange Colouring.
Take one tablespoonful of
cochineal colour and the same quantity of the saffron liquor; mix them together
and you will have an orange colour. If it be too red, add a little more yellow;
if it be too yellow, add a little more
red.
235. --
Red Colouring.
Beat 1 oz. of cochineal fine in
a mortar, to which put 1 1/2 pint of soft water and 1/2 oz. of cream of tartar;
simmer them in a pan for half an hour over a slow fire. Take it off, and throw
in 1/2 oz. of roach alum to strike the colour. You may ascertain the strength by
dipping in a piece of writing paper. If not sufficiently strong, simmer it again
for a short time. When nearly cold, strain it through a strong piece of canvas,
and before you bottle it add 2 ozs. of double refined sugar
236. --
Yellow Colouring.
Put the best saffron down
tightly in a small jar, pour a little boiling water over it, cover it closely
up, and set it in a warm place for half an hour, turning it two or three times
in the water; then strain and bottle it for
use.
XII.
LOZENGES.
Lozenges are made of loaf sugar
finely ground, gum arabic dissolved in water, also gum dragon. They are mixed
together into a paste, cut round or oval with cutters, and dried. To make the
best sort of lozenges, 1 lb. of gum arabic should be dissolved in 1 pint of
water; but the proportion of gum and water in general use is 2 1/2 lbs. of gum
arabic in 1 quart and 1/2 pint of water, and 1 oz. of gum dragon in 1/2 pint of
water.
237. --
Peppermint Lozenges.
Take some finely powdered loaf
sugar, put it on a marble slab, make a bay in the centre, pour in some dissolved
gum, and mix into a paste, flavour with the essence of peppermint, roll the
paste on the marble slab until it is about an eighth of an inch thick. Use
starch-powder to dust it with; this keeps it from sticking. Dust the surface
with a little starch-powder and sugar, and rub it over with the palm of your
hand. Cut out the lozenges and place them on wooden trays, and place them in the
stove to dry. All lozenges are finished in the same way.
238. --
Rose Lozenges.
Make the paste the same way as
the preceding, and use essence of roses to flavour with; colour the paste with
cochineal.
239. --
Ginger Lozenges.
1 oz. of powdered ginger, 1 lb.
of powdered sugar. Mix to a paste with dissolved gum; colour with yellow.
240. --
Transparent Mint Lozenges.
These are made with the coarser
grains of powdered loaf sugar. Pass the sugar through a hair sieve, then sift it
through a fine sieve to take away the powder. Flavour with peppermint. Finish as
the others.
241. --
Cinnamon Lozenges.
Mix as the others; flavour with
cinnamon in powder, adding a few drops of essential oil. Colour with coffee
colour.
242. --
Clove Lozenges.
1 oz. of cloves powdered and 2
1/2 lbs. of sugar. Mix, and finish as for the others.
243. --
Nutmeg Lozenges.
1/4 oz. of oil of nutmeg,
2 lbs. of sugar. Mix as instructions for the others.
244. --
Lavender Lozenges.
Mix as for others; flavour with
English oil of lavender, and colour with a little cochineal and blue mixed.
245. --
Vanilla Lozenges.
Use essence of vanilla or the
stick pounded with sugar and sifted through a fine hair sieve.
246. --
Brilliants.
Take either of the pastes for
lozenges and cut into small fancy devices or ornaments.
XIII.
ICE CREAMS.
The genuine recipe for making
ice creams will be found below. The first operation is the thorough scalding of
the cream, sugar, and eggs: this gives it greater body and richness.
247. --
Vanilla Ice Cream.
Put into a perfectly bright and
clean copper basin 2 lbs. of sugar, 4 eggs, 1 large fine bean of vanilla split
and cut into small pieces, stir all well together with a large wire whisk, then
add 4 quarts of rich cream, place it upon the fire and stir well and constantly
until it is about to boil; then immediately remove it from the fire and strain
it through a hair sieve into an earthen tureen or crock; let it stand till cool,
pour it into your freezing.can already imbedded in broken ice and rocksalt,
cover and turn the crank slowly and steadily until it can be turned no longer,
open the can and remove the dasher, scrape the hardened cream from the sides
with a long-handled spatula, and beat and work the cream until smooth. Close the
can, draw off the water, and repack with fresh ice and salt and let it rest for
an hour or two to harden and ripen.
Ice cream is often made from
fresh unscalded cream beaten vigorously during the entire freezing process, this
causes it to swell and increase in bulk from a fourth to a third, but what is
gained in quantity is lost in quality, as it becomes very light and snowy in
texture, having no body: it is simply a frozen froth.
Ice cream should be firm,
smooth, and satiny, yet melting on the tongue like the best quality of
gilt-edged butter.
In flavouring ice creams with
fruit juices or the pulp thereof, the latter must never be cooked or scalded
with the cream under any circumstances; they must be added, mixed, and beaten
into the cream after it is frozen.
The process given above for
vanilla ice cream is the same for all cream
ices.
248. --
Bisque or Biscuit Glace.
Make a rich and highly
flavoured vanilla ice cream and add for each quart 1/4 of a lb. of almond
macaroons dried crisp and reduced to a powder in a stone mortar. After the cream
is frozen, add and work into it the macaroon powder, and finish as above
directed for vanilla ice
cream.
249. --
Crushed Strawberry Ice Cream.
As for bisque, make a rich
vanilla ice cream, and when it is well frozen add to it 1 pint of strawberries
to each quart of cream. The berries must be full ripe and be crushed to a pulp
with some fine sugar before adding and working them into the cream. Finish as
for vanilla.
250. --
Hokey Pokey.
This article is not an ice
cream proper, but a species of frozen custard made of milk, eggs, sugar,
gelatine, and flavouring. Take 2 ozs. of gelatine, dissolve in 1/2 pint of milk
or water, then to 4 quarts of milk and 8 eggs slightly beaten add 1 1/2 lb. of
sugar and the thin yellow rind of 2 lemons, and a pinch of salt; put the
ingredients into a clean, bright basin, place on a moderate fire, and stir
constantly till it begins to thicken, then remove quickly, and pour it into an
earthen pan and continue to stir it till nearly cold, then add and stir in the
dissolved gelatine; pour all into your freezer and freeze as for other ices.
When frozen it may be put in small boxes about three inches long by two inches
wide, or it may be wrapped in wax paper and kept ready for sale in an ice cave.
The office of the gelatine is to solidify the compound and assist its "keeping"
qualifies.
251. --
Coconut Ice.
Take grated white meat of 3
fine cocoanuts and the milk they have contained, to which add 3 quarts of
filtered water; place on the fire and boil for ten minutes, then pour it into an
earthen or stoneware crock, cover, and let it infuse till nearly cold, then
strain and press off the liquid with a fine sieve; to this liquid add 1 1/4 lb.
of pulverised sugar and the whites of 3 eggs; mix all thoroughly well together
and pour it into the freezer already imbedded in ice and salt. Freeze and finish
as other ices.
XIV.
PRESERVING FRUITS.
The preserving of fruits has
always been considered a principal branch of confectionery, and one which
requires no small degree of attention and diligence. As you are instructed in
the boiling of sugars in its several degrees, named in each recipe, should it be
boiled lower the fruit will lose its colour, turn windy, and spoil; if it is
boiled higher it will rock and cannot be got out of the jars. Another important
point is to preserve such fruit only as is quite fresh picked, the flavour,
which is a very essential consideration, being lost if the fruit be stale.
Cleanliness in this branch, as in every other, must not be neglected. Preserving
pans, &c., must resemble a looking-glass as much as possible. Fruits well
preserved will keep in almost any place. It is better, however, to keep them
neither in too dry nor in too damp a place. The jars must be well protected from
air by covering each with writing-paper dipped in brandy, covered and tied over
with wet bladder.
Note. -- A
wood skimmer must be made of ash or elm about 4 inches long, 3 inches broad, and
1 inch thick. There is a handle fixed on one side, which take hold of and lay
the wood gently on the fruit where the scum is, then take it off and scrape off
the scum, and so on until all is taken
off.
252. --
Large Strawberries.
Procure the largest Carolina or
Hanoverian strawberries, pack two layers with care in a flat-bottomed preserving
pan, then pour over them 1 pint of currant juice, cover them with smooth
clarified sugar, and over it a sheet of paper, set them on a warm part of the
stove until the syrup is new-milk warm, then take them off; next morning take
them out one at a time with an egg-spoon and lay them on a fine splinter sieve
set over a pan to drain; add to the syrup a little clarified sugar and boil it
to the degree called "pearled," put in the fruit with care and simmer them
round; as soon as the syrup is off the degree called pearled, take them from the
stove, skim, and put them with great care into a flat pudding pot, cover them up
for two days, then lay them on a splinter sieve to drain, and add to the syrup 1
or 2 pints of clarified sugar as occasion may require, with the proportion of
red currant juice, boil it to the degree called pearled, and put in your fruit
with great care and simmer them very gently round the sides of the pan; as soon
as the syrup is off the degree called pearled skim them and put them into jars,
filling them within half an inch of the top. When cold cover them with
writing-paper dipped in brandy and bladder them over.
253. --
Strawberry Jam.
Take any quantity of scarlet
strawberries, pass them through a fine splinter sieve, add to them 1 or 2 pints
of red currant juice, according to the quantity of strawberries, put the same
weight of sifted loaf sugar as fruit, boil them over a bright fire, keep
stirring all the time with a spatter, and with it make a figure of eight in the
pan to prevent the jam taking hold of the bottom; when it has boiled ten minutes
take it off and take a little jam out with a scraper, which drop upon a plate;
if it retains the mark of the scraper it is of a proper consistency and ready to
put into jars, but should it run thin on the plate it must be boiled again until
of the substance above named. It is necessary here to observe that all sorts of
red fruit should be kept as short a time as possible on the fire, and for that
reason let your fires be perfectly bright before you use them.
254. --
Raspberry Jelly.
Take 4 quarts of clear
raspberry juice, add to it 8 pounds of sifted lump sugar, set it on a clear fire
in your preserving pan, stir it with the spatter to keep it from burning; let it
rise, then take it from the fire, skim it, set it on the fire again, and let it
rise three or four times, skimming it each time. If, on taking out the skimmer,
small flakes hang from it, it is of a proper consistency and may be put into
jars. When cold cover it with writing-paper dipped in brandy, and bladder them
over.
255. --
Black Currant Jelly.
Pick black currants from the
stalks as well and in as short a 'time as you can, then put them into strong
earthen jars or stew pots, cover them well over and set them in a slow oven for
one night; next morning put them into the jelly-bag, and as soon as drained,
which will be in three or four hours, measure the juice. To each pint of juice
take 1 lb. 4 ozs. of sifted loaf sugar, boil and skim it as before. You may if
you think proper clarify the sugar, but this is a much easier way.
256. --
-Red Currant dam.
Pick red currants until you
have 7 lbs., then force the whole of them through a splinter sieve, to which add
7 lbs. of sifted lump sugar; boil this very well over a brisk fire for twenty
minutes, stirring it all the time with the spatter. This is very useful for
tartlets, cheaper than rasps, and a much better colour. Put it into jars, cover
them with paper dipped in brandy and bladder them over.
257. --
Apple Jelly.
Take codlin apples, cut them
very thin across, fill your preserving pan nearly full, cover them with soft
water and then with a sheet of paper, set them on a slow fire, let them simmer
slowly for a considerable time to extract the jelly from the apple. They must
not on any account be stirred about in the pan. When the virtue appears to be
quite extracted from them pour them into a jelly-bag. Cut more apples as before,
about half the quantity, put them into the pan, and pour over them the extract
from the first apples, simmer them very slowly as before. When the essence is
all extracted put them into a jelly-bag. This jelly is used in the putting up of
all preserved fruits.
258. --
Gooseberry Jam.
Take 7 lbs. of clean, picked,
dry gooseberries, put them into your preserving pan with 1 pint of water and 7
lbs. of sifted loaf sugar. Boil over a clear fire from twenty minutes to half an
hour; when they are boiled to the consistency required take them off, put them
into jars and secure them from the air as the others.
259. --
Orange Marmalade.
Take 12 Seville and 12 China
oranges, pare the outer skin off as thin as you can, lay it in soft water and
freshen it every two hours to take out the bitterness, then pull off the white
skin from the pared oranges and throw it away; cut them across, squeeze the
juice from them, and set them on the fire in the preserving pan with plenty of
soft water, boil them until so soft as to pulp through a hair sieve. Then boil
the outer skin equally soft. If it will not go through, beat it well in a mortar
and then put it through; add to it the other pulp and the juice. Weigh it, and
to each pound allow 1 lb. 2 ozs. of sifted loaf sugar. Boil this well together,
stirring it all the time, until it will retain the mark of the scraper, when it
will be ready to put into jars, which must be secured from air as before.
XV.
CHOCOLATE.
260. --
General Directions for Making Chocolate.
Provide yourself with an iron
pestle and mortar, also a stone slab of a very fine grain about two feet square,
and a rolling-pin of hard stone or iron. The stone must have an opening beneath
in which to place a pot of burning charcoal to heat it. Warm the mortar and
pestle by placing them on a stove, or charcoal may be used, until they are so
hot that you can scarcely bear your hand against them. Wipe the mortar out
clean, and put any convenient quantity of prepared nuts in it, which pound until
they are reduced to an oily paste into which the pestle will sink with its own
weight. Add fine powdered sugar to the chocolate paste. After it has been well
pounded, the sugar must be in proportion of 3 lbs. to 4 lbs. of prepared cocoa.
Continue to pound it until completely mixed; then put it in a pan and place it
in the stove to keep warm. Take a portion of it and roll or grind it well on the
stone slab with the roller, both being previously heated like the mortar until
it is reduced to a smooth impalpable paste, which will melt in the mouth like
butter when this is accomplished. Put it in another pan and keep it warm until
the whole is similarly disposed of; then place it again on the stove, which must
not be quite so warm as previously. Work it over again, and divide it into
pieces of two, four, eight, or sixteen ounces each, which you put in tin mould.
Give it a shake, and the chocolate will become flat. When cold, it will easily
turn out.
261. --
Chocolate Harlequin Pistachios.
In making harlequin pistachios,
you warm some of the sweet chocolate by pounding it in a hot mortar. After it
has been prepared in this manner, take some of it and wrap it round a blanched
pistachio nut; roll it in the hand to give it the form of an olive, and throw it
into nonpareils of mixed colours, so that it may be variously coloured, a la
harlequin. Proceed with the remaining pistachio nuts after the same fashion,
dropping them into the nonpareils so that the comfits will adhere to the
pistachios. Fold them in coloured or fancy papers, with mottoes. The ends are
generally fringed.
262. --
Chocolate Drops with Nonpareils.
Prepare some warm
chocolate as in the preceding recipe. When the chocolate has been well pounded
and is a smooth impalpable paste, make it into balls the size of a small marble
by rolling in the hand. Place them on square sheets of paper about one inch
apart; having filled the sheet, take it by the corners and lift it up and down,
letting it touch the table each time: this will flatten them. Completely cover
their surfaces with white nonpareils, gently shaking off the surplus ones. After
the drops are cold, they can be very easily removed from the paper. The drops
should be about the size of a
sixpence.
263. --
Chocolate in Moulds.
It is usual now amongst
confectioners to use the English unsweetened chocolate, as it saves much time
and trouble, and is equally good. To form it into shapes you must have two kinds
of moulds, made either of thick tin or copper tinned inside; the one sort is
impressed with a device or figure, and with a narrow edge; the other is flat or
nearly so, and the same size as the previous mould, with a shallow device in the
centre. You put a piece of prepared chocolate into the first mould, and then
cover it with the flat one; upon pressing it down the chocolate receives the
form of both devices. After it is cold it can be easily taken out. It should
have a shining appearance.
THE END
Measures below are approximate
only:
UK - Metric
- 1 pound
= 450 grams
- 1 quart
= 1140 mls
- 1
pint =
570 mls
- 1
gill
= 90
mls
- 1 ounce
= 18
mls
- 1 drachm
= 3.5 mls
-
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Owner Chris Kenoyer
www.onlinepot.org
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