The quantity of water that is required to make bread
depends greatly on the flour used. Fine flour requires
more water than coarse, and consequently it makes a
larger quantity of bread ; but it requires also a little
more yeast. The above recipe is for ordinary flour.
German yeast loses its strength if long kept, and
CAKES AND BAKING.
97
when that is the case increase the weight of the yeast
used. Yeasts of all kinds require a warm temperature
to encourage fermentation, or in other words to make
them “rise,” consequently the secret of making bread
light is to have everything connected with it warm
during the process of baking. Bake in a warm place,
set it to rise in a warm place, and from beginning to
end of the process let the bread get no chill. Setting
the bread to rise on a kitchen fender is not a good plan
at all, as the fire always draws a current of air from the
door or window, and consequently must chill the outside
of the basin with the dough or the loaves when set to
rise. The best way is to set them up near the fire and
quite out of the draught. The temperature of the oven
for baking bread should be about 260°.
1 Pinch Salt.
Mix in a basin the flour, sugar, salt, and currants ;
then warm the butter and milk a little, just lukewarm,
and mix the yeast smoothly with it; also beat up the
eggs and mix them. Pour all into the flour, etc., in the
basin, and mix with a spoon till the flour is all wet.
More milk may be required, but the flour is to be just
wet. When well mixed set to rise near the fire for
half an hour, as bread is raised. Then with well floured
hands make the dough up into buns either large or small
as required, and place them on a buttered and floured
oven tin, and set to rise again for 10 minutes near the
BUNS WITH YEAST.
1 lb. Flour.
1 table-spoonful of Sugar.
1 cup of Milk.
^ lb. Currants or Raisins.
2 Eggs.
1 dessert-spoonful of Butter.
1 oz. German Yeast.
Flavouring✪ Buns with Yeast.
98
COOKERY.
fire. Then brush the tops over with egg or sugar and
water; dust with sugar, and bake for 10 minutes, less
or more according to the size.
To make hot cross buns, spices, such as cinnamon,
mace, and cloves, may be put into those buns and the
currants left out, and a cross may be formed on the top.
Lemon essence and peel substituted for raisins and
currants will increase the variety of the buns.
GINGERBREAD CAKE.
i lb. Flour.
1 lb. Butter.
1 lb. Treacle.
1 lb. Sugar.
$ lb. Raisins.
2 oz. Almonds.
2 Eggs.
^ tea-spoonful Carbonate
of Soda.
teaspoonfuls between
Ground Cinnamon and
Cloves.
1 teaspoonful Ground Ginger✪ Gingerbread Cake.
Put the flour, carbonate of soda, the spices, raisins
stoned, and almonds blanched and split up, into a
basin, and mix them well together.
Put into a sauce-pan the butter, sugar, and treacle,
and bring them to the boil.
Beat up the eggs and pour the boiling treacle, etc.,
among them, stirring vigorously all the time ; pour all
in among the ingredients in the basin, and beat up
the whole thoroughly. Pour it into a buttered cake
tin and bake for about an hour, when the cake should
be ready.
Almonds are blanched by putting them on in cold
water and boiling them a few minutes, then washing
them in cold water and rubbing the skins off. They
should then be rubbed in a towel and split up.
CAKES AND BAKING.
99
GINGERBREAD CAKE.
1 lb. Flour.
£ lb. Treacle.
| lb. Butter or Lard.
Page 40 · 5 recipe records on this page
Presented as published in 1882. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
The quantity of water that is required to make bread depends greatly on the flour used. Fine flour requires more water than coarse, and consequently it makes a larger quantity of bread ; but it requires also a little more yeast. The above recipe is for ordinary flour.
German yeast loses its strength if long kept, and
when that is the case increase the weight of the yeast used. Yeasts of all kinds require a warm temperature to encourage fermentation, or in other words to make them “rise,” consequently the secret of making bread light is to have everything connected with it warm during the process of baking. Bake in a warm place, set it to rise in a warm place, and from beginning to end of the process let the bread get no chill. Setting the bread to rise on a kitchen fender is not a good plan at all, as the fire always draws a current of air from the door or window, and consequently must chill the outside of the basin with the dough or the loaves when set to rise. The best way is to set them up near the fire and quite out of the draught. The temperature of the oven for baking bread should be about 260°.
1 Pinch Salt.
Mix in a basin the flour, sugar, salt, and currants ; then warm the butter and milk a little, just lukewarm, and mix the yeast smoothly with it; also beat up the eggs and mix them. Pour all into the flour, etc., in the basin, and mix with a spoon till the flour is all wet. More milk may be required, but the flour is to be just wet. When well mixed set to rise near the fire for half an hour, as bread is raised. Then with well floured hands make the dough up into buns either large or small as required, and place them on a buttered and floured oven tin, and set to rise again for 10 minutes near the
BUNS WITH YEAST.
1 lb. Flour.
1 table-spoonful of Sugar. 1 cup of Milk.
^ lb. Currants or Raisins.
2 Eggs.
1 dessert-spoonful of Butter. 1 oz. German Yeast. Flavouring.
fire. Then brush the tops over with egg or sugar and water; dust with sugar, and bake for 10 minutes, less or more according to the size.
To make hot cross buns, spices, such as cinnamon, mace, and cloves, may be put into those buns and the currants left out, and a cross may be formed on the top. Lemon essence and peel substituted for raisins and currants will increase the variety of the buns.
GINGERBREAD CAKE.
i lb. Flour.
1 lb. Butter.
1 lb. Treacle.
1 lb. Sugar.
$ lb. Raisins.
2 oz. Almonds. 2 Eggs.
^ tea-spoonful Carbonate of Soda.
teaspoonfuls Ground Cinnamon and Cloves.
1 teaspoonful Ground Ginger.
Put the flour, carbonate of soda, the spices, raisins stoned, and almonds blanched and split up, into a basin, and mix them well together.
Put into a sauce-pan the butter, sugar, and treacle, and bring them to the boil.
Beat up the eggs and pour the boiling treacle, etc., among them, stirring vigorously all the time ; pour all in among the ingredients in the basin, and beat up the whole thoroughly. Pour it into a buttered cake tin and bake for about an hour, when the cake should be ready.
Almonds are blanched by putting them on in cold water and boiling them a few minutes, then washing them in cold water and rubbing the skins off. They should then be rubbed in a towel and split up.
GINGERBREAD CAKE.
1 lb. Flour.
£ lb. Treacle.
| lb. Butter or Lard.
Records on this page
Buns with YeastBuns with YeastCurrant CakeSultana CakeGingerbread Cake