Cooking and castle-building

"But Kate," said Emeline, "I wish to know how those queenly buckwheat cakes are made. Most housekeepers have difficulty with their * buckwheats.' They are either too thick or too thin ; and when not actually sour, have a strong, rank taste. I have never found in anv cook-book the proportions of flour and water to be used in making buckwheat cakes. This important item is left to the judgment or discretion of the cook. Do you know the exact proportions ? " " My favorite buckwheat cakes are made in this manner : Make two quarts of gruel, by adding to two quarts of boiling water half a pint of corn meal, wet with a little cold water ; boil well. Then cool to lukewarmness and add half a pint of wheat flour, three pints of buckwheat flour, one gill of yeast, and salt to taste. Set in a moderately warm place until perfectly light. " Buckwheat cakes should be set to rise at noon, for the next morning, and by eight or nine o'clock they will be light, when they should be well beaten and set in a cool place through the night. " Just before baking, add a little soda if needed, and thin by adding a little warm water if necessary." "I observe," said Alice, "that in these buckwheat cakes which have no eggs, you use only a measure of flour to a measure of water, while in wheat flour cakes, you use a measure and a half of flour. Why is that ? " " The nature of the grain is different ; buckwheat swells more than wheat ; but it is always difficult to get the exact proportions required by measurement ; for different grades of flour require differ- ent proportions of water for the same thickness of batter ; and I find that in all ])atter cakes and muffins raised with yeast it is better to stir them a little too thick than too thin ; for just before baking they can be made thinner without injuring their quality ; whereas, if you thicken by adding more flour, it destroys somewhat of their lightness." " I think, Kate," observed Emetine, " there is one serious objection to your method of making buckwheat cakes. The average cook won't take the trouble to make gruel for her buckwheat cakes." "I know," I replied, "that women hate to be painstaking about these things ; and I have a friend, an admirable housekeeper, who insists that her buckwheat cakes are just as good as mine ; and her method is much simpler. She sets her cakes to rise the first thing after breakfast, using only cold water, buckwheat flour, yeast, and a little salt. " She sets them to rise on a table in the kitchen, or some moderately warm room, and next morning thins them with a little warm milk or water, adding a little soda if necessary. After first starting her cakes, she never adds fresh yeast, but uses the batter left ; to which she adds flour and water enough for the next mornins:. In my cook-book. Emetine," I went on to say, "I mean to make very emphatic this idea ; that however cooks may make buckwheat cakes, they must be careful to give them abundant time to thoroughly ferment and rise ; for. I think a great many buckwheat cakes are baked before they have risen to their best estate."