Student's manual in household arts

If the oven is too hot even with the fire turned low, open the oven door slightly or set a pan of cold water into the oven. In baking batter mixtures the length of time for cooking can be divided into fourths. At the end of the first quarter the mixture should begin to rise; at the end of the second quarter it should continue to rise, but not brown; the end of the third quarter should find it well risen and beginning to brown, and at the end of the fourth quarter if the muffin or cake is done, it will have pulled away from the side of the pan; and if pressed lightly on top with the finger it will feel firm and will spring back into place. A clean straw, knitting needle or wooden toothpick put into the center of the muffin will come out clean if the muffin is done. If the oven is too hot the muffin or cake will bake on top before it has risen enough, then in its effort to rise it will burst through the crust that has formed and will be rough on top. If there are large holes in the muffins after they are baked it is because the oven was too hot, the mixture was too thin or there was too much baking powder in it. Griddle Cakes. flour 1 C. (?) milk 1 t. salt 1 egg 2 t. baking powder 1 T. melted butter 1. Mix and sift dry materials. 2. Add the beaten egg to half the milk and stir into the dry materials. , 3. Add enough more milk to make a pour batter. Stir in the melted butter and beat well. 4. Heat a griddle hissing hot, grease with a piece of fat, salt pork, and pour the batter onto the griddle by spoonfuls. Bake until the under side is brown and bubbles begin to form on top, then turn and brown the other side. Be sure the cake is well browned on the under side before it is turned. Do not turn it a second time or it will not be as light. Note. — If large bubbles rise at once to the top of the cakes, the griddle is too hot, if the top stiffens before the under side is brown the griddle is not hot enough. Serve the griddle cakes as soon as baked. They may be served with butter, with butter and syrup or with butter and sugar. They are sometimes baked in large cakes and spread with butter and then with granulated sugar or crushed maple sugar. As soon as the second one is baked it is placed on the first and spread with butter and sugar. This is continued until there is a pile of eight or ten. They are then cut in sections as you would a layer cake. This makes a nice Sunday night supper in the winter. Plain Muffins. 2 C. flour 4 T. sugar 4 t. salt IC. (?)milk 3 t. baking powder 1 egg 2 T. melted butter. 1. Mix and sift dry materials three times. 2. Add half of the milk to the beaten egg and stir into the dry materials. 3. Beat well and if too thick, add enough more milk to make a soft drop batter. 4. Add melted butter. 5. Fill well greased muffin pans about two-thirds full and bake about twenty minutes in a moderate oven. Graham Muffins. 1. C. Graham flour 1 C. white flour 4 t. baking powder i t. salt 4 T. sugar IC. (f) milk 1 egg 1 T. melted butter Mix by the batter method of mixing. Rice Muffins. 2 C. flour 4 t. baking powder i t. salt 2 T. sugar i C. cooked rice " IC. (?) milk" 1 egg 2 T. melted butter 1. Mix and sift dry materials. 2. Add well beaten egg to one-half the milk and stir into the dry materials. 3. Add the rice and enough more milk to make a soft drop batter. 4. Add the melted butter and bake in well greased muffin pans in moderate oven from twenty to twenty-five minutes. Com Cake. 1 C. cornmeal li C. flour 5 t. baking powder 1 t. salt 4 T. sugar IC. (?) milk 1 egg 1 T. melted butter 1. Mix by the batter method of mixing. 2. Bake in a well greased shallow pan, in a hot oven for twenty minutes.