The school cookery book

Cleanse the currants ; rub the dripping into the flour lightly with the fingers in a basin ; add the sugar, currants, and baking powder ; stir in as much milk as will make a stiff dough. Turn out the dough on a floured board ; knead lightly ; roll out about half an inch thick ; cut out into small rounds with a tumbler or tin cutter. Bake on a hot girdle for about ten minutes, turning them when cooked on one side. When done, put them slanting against a plate to prevent them becoming sodden. Flour and Water Scones. — Required: y lb. flour ; about V2 gill cold water ; a good pinch of salt. Mix the flour and salt together in a basin ; stir in enough cold water to make a stiff dough ; turn out on a floured board ; roll out very thin ; cut into small rounds with a tumbler or tin cutter. Bake on a hot girdle for about five or ten minutes, turning them when cooked on one side. Serve hot. These scones are made lighter by mixing a quarter teaspoonful baking powder with the dry flour. Potato Scones. — Required: y2 lb. cold potatoes ; about 2 oz. flour ; about gill sweet milk ; a pinch of salt. Mash the potatoes ; add the salt ; knead as much flour into them as they will take up, taking care not to allow the flour to go into lumps ; add as much milk as will form it into a stiff dough ; roll out very thin on a floured board ; cut into small rounds with a tumbler or tin cutter, prick with a fork. Bake on a hot girdle for about five minutes, turning when half cooked. Serve hot. Plain Dripping Cake. — Required: % lb. common flour ; i teaspoonful baking powder ; 2 tablespoonfuls sugar ; 2 oz. dripping ; about 1 gill cold milk ; a small pinch of salt. Rub the flour and dripping together, add the salt and sugar ; mix well ; add the baking powder ; stii in enough milk to make a stiff batter ; pour into a greased tin mould, and bake in a brisk oven for half an hour. The above mixture can be made richer by adding one egg, and using butter instead of dripping ; if an egg is used, one half the quantity of baking powder is required, and rather less milk. Seed Cake is made in the same way as dripping cake, with the addition of a teaspoonful of carraway seeds. Currant Cake is made in the same way as dripping cake, with the addition of ^ lb. dry currants previously cleansed. Buttermilk Cake. — Required: lb. flour - ^ lb. dripping or lard : 2 oz. raisins ; 3 oz. currants ; % lb. soft sugar ; ^ teaspoonful carbonate of soda ; ^ teaspoonful tartaric acid ; small pinch of spice ; about 3 gills buttermilk. Cleanse the currants ; remove the stones from the raisins ; rub the flour and dripping lightly together with the tips of the fingers; add the currants, raisins, sugar, soda, tartaric acid and spice. Mix the whole with a wooden spoon; add enough buttermilk to make a stiff batter. Pour into a well-greased tin, and bake in a hot oven for about an hour. DRINKS. xxiv.— drinks! Tea. — Proportions : For good tea allow y2 pint boiling water to 1 teaspoonful of tea.