Sea Cookery

This is a simple but very reliable way of making good yeast. Have a little yeast from the last use in the jar, mix the hop water, sugar, and flour together, pour all into the jar. Put the yeast into a warm place to ferment, and it will be ready for use in ten hours. Sufficient yeast for thirty-six crew loaves. To make hop water, boil together £ lb. hops and two gallons water for twenty minutes. Strain it off into a jar, cover, and use as required. SHORT PASTE. 2 lbs. flour j 1 saltspoonful salt 1 lb. lard j about 1 pint cold water Put the flour in a bowl, add the lard and salt, and rub the lard in the flour until it has a rough or ‘ sandy ’ appearance. Add the water gradually, at the same time mix up to a firm paste. Use as required. Remember that when baking pastry a hot oven is necessary. Do not use baking powder in pastry that has lard or butter added to it in proportions of lb. or more to the pound of flour. But if less is used, a little baking powder is helpful for shortening and raising the pastry. BUTTER PUFF PASTE. ■h lb. flour i- lb. butter 4 or 5 drops of lemon juice cold water if the butter is fresh, a pinch of salt, if tinned butter, there will be enough salt in that Put the flour into a bowl, add the lemon juice, and mix with a spoon into a paste as stiff as the butter, with cold water. Press out the paste, put the butter in a lump in the centre, and fold the paste entirely over it. Roll out all one way until very thin, fold in three and roll out the opposite way, fold in three again and put the paste in a cool place for twenty minutes. After that time roll out again twice as before and put away again for twenty minutes, and continue rolling and folding until the paste has been rolled out seven times. It is then ready for use. SUET PUFF PASTE. i lb. flour cold water 6 ozs. suet pinch of salt Put the suet through a mincing machine to remove all skin, work it up to the consistency of butter. Mix the salt and flour together, add sufficient water to make a stiff dough. Spread the dough on a paste board, put the suet in a lump in the centre, draw over the dough to completely cover the suet. Roll it out into a thin sheet, fold in three, roll out as before, and continue rolling and folding for seven times. Allow to stand for twenty minutes and it is ready for use. ROUGH PUFF PASTE. 1 lb. flour 6 ozs. butter 6 ozs. dripping or lard pinch of salt water Put the flour, butter, dripping and salt in a bowl together, break the butter and dripping into small pieces with a knife or spoon, mix into a stiff paste with cold water, roll out four times and use as required. SHORT PASTE. This kind of paste is made in the same way always, but the ingredients used vary according to individual requirements. The method of making is to first rub the fat into the flour until it is evenly distributed throughout. The water and/or milk is then added along with the salt, and the dough is made up with as little handling as possible. It is not essential to use baking powder, but it is advisable to use powder when the proportion of butter used is less than \ lb. to the 1 lb. of flour. When lard or dripping is used in smaller proportions than 6 ozs. to the 1 lb. flour it is also advisable to use baking powder. The following ingredients are given as suitable quantities to use : — (1).