" Soda, as used in many househokls, is one of
the greatest abominations of the kitchen. It is a
malion intruder in all mixtures where an acid is
wanting ; and even where an acid is present, it
should be used with great care and discretion.
The introduction of baking-powders is a good
thing; for in these the acid and the alkali are
more accurately proportioned than by careless
cooks. Whenever I speak of a measure of bak-
ing-powder, I mean to designate the amount which
the maker of the powder directs to be used in a
given quantity of flour. Those baking-powders
which are put up in separate parcels — the one
containing the alkali, the other the acid — are
perhaps preferable, but should only be used by
cooks who believe in careful and exact measure-
ments. In some cases, tin measures accompany
the powder ; in others, a teaspoon is the measure
desimiated. To attain exactness in these measure-
ments, place a portion of the powder on the mould-
ing-board, and, with a knife, mash it smooth;
then, fill the measure heaping full, and, with the
knife, strike oif all above the rim. Where exact-
38 COOKING AND CASTLE-BUILDING,
ness is indispensable, make even (never heaping)
measures. Mix the quantity to be used with a
small portion of flour by repeated siftings, which
can be easily and quickly accomplished by the use
of two pieces of strong soft paper. Place the
sieve on one of these, and empty the flour from
the other into it ; shake through, and repeat as
often as desirable. In all batter-cakes or soft
dough, where baking-powder is used, mix it in
this manner with a small quantity of flour, which
add near the close of the mixing process ; but in
biscuit and stiff dough, sift the baking-powder
through all the flour used. Some cooks are
affected with soda mania. On general principles,
as it seems, they put soda in all breads and cakes.
If not required to sweeten or make light, they
confidently assert it will make tender. So the
greens are plagued, the string-beans tormented,
and the young pease cursed, by this evil spirit,
the exorcism of which would be a blessing to
thousands.
"For lunch to-day, Alice, you shall make some
cream biscuit which will take your mamma cap-
tive, and charm her as completely as any material
substance can, if the biscuits you produce rival,
as I hope the}^ may, the puffy things made by my
rosy-cheeked friend, Sally. Sally and I were girls
together, and much of my summer rest was found
at the old farm-house, where she and her sisters
STILL DABBLING IN DOUGH. 39
grew up, blossomed, and faded, as the years went
by, in which I served my State as instructor of
its youth. Through all my life, in which, I am
sorry to say, hot biscuits have been a not infre-
quent event, I have never found any that quite
equalled Sally's. She, however, was the only
one in the family who invariably made them just
ri«:ht. If her mother or one of her sisters under-
took the task, the cakes often came out of the
oven yellow, and smelling of soda because of an
overdose; or white and *sad,' because too little
had been used ; for the exact amount required
depended upon the acidity of the cream. Sally
had the knack of guessing just right.✪ Cream Biscuit
Page 14 · 1 recipe record on this page
Presented as published in 1880. 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
" Soda, as used in many households, is one of the greatest abominations of the kitchen. It is a malign intruder in all mixtures where an acid is wanting ; and even where an acid is present, it should be used with great care and discretion. The introduction of baking-powders is a good thing; for in these the acid and the alkali are more accurately proportioned than by careless cooks. Whenever I speak of a measure of baking-powder, I mean to designate the amount which the maker of the powder directs to be used in a given quantity of flour. Those baking-powders which are put up in separate parcels — the one containing the alkali, the other the acid — are perhaps preferable, but should only be used by cooks who believe in careful and exact measurements. In some cases, tin measures accompany the powder ; in others, a teaspoon is the measure designated. To attain exactness in these measurements, place a portion of the powder on the moulding-board, and, with a knife, mash it smooth; then, fill the measure heaping full, and, with the knife, strike oif all above the rim. Where exact-
ness is indispensable, make even (never heaping) measures. Mix the quantity to be used with a small portion of flour by repeated siftings, which can be easily and quickly accomplished by the use of two pieces of strong soft paper. Place the sieve on one of these, and empty the flour from the other into it ; shake through, and repeat as often as desirable. In all batter-cakes or soft dough, where baking-powder is used, mix it in this manner with a small quantity of flour, which add near the close of the mixing process ; but in biscuit and stiff dough, sift the baking-powder through all the flour used. Some cooks are affected with soda mania. On general principles, as it seems, they put soda in all breads and cakes. If not required to sweeten or make light, they confidently assert it will make tender. So the greens are plagued, the string-beans tormented, and the young pease cursed, by this evil spirit, the exorcism of which would be a blessing to thousands.
"For lunch to-day, Alice, you shall make some cream biscuit which will take your mamma captive, and charm her as completely as any material substance can, if the biscuits you produce rival, as I hope the}^ may, the puffy things made by my rosy-cheeked friend, Sally. Sally and I were girls together, and much of my summer rest was found at the old farm-house, where she and her sisters grew up, blossomed, and faded, as the years went by, in which I served my State as instructor of its youth. Through all my life, in which, I am sorry to say, hot biscuits have been a not infrequent event, I have never found any that quite equalled Sally's. She, however, was the only one in the family who invariably made them just right. If her mother or one of her sisters undertook the task,the cakes often came out of the oven yellow, and smelling of soda because of an overdose; or white and 'sad,'' because too little had been used ; for the exact amount required depended upon the acidity of the cream. Sally had the knack of guessing just right.
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Cream Biscuit