Handbook of practical cookery

Put the flour into a bowl, and rub into this the butter with the hands. Add to this the salt, half an ounce of the sugar, and the baking-powder. Make a well in the centre of the mixture, pour into it the milk, stir into this the dry flour from the sides, and turning all out upon a mixing-board, knead all together as quickly and lightly as possible. Cut the dough into six pieces, and draw each piece quickly to the length of about four inches, with a sharp knife cut each roll twice across the top, place them side by side upon a slightly floured baking-tin, and bake them in a quick oven for twenty minutes. At the end of this time withdraw the tin from the oven, brush the rolls over with a little milk, sprinkle over their tops the remainder of the sugar, and return them to the oven for one minute to dry the milk. Serve hot. NOTE. — In using baking-powder for dough, the quicker the mixture containing it is baked, and the less handled, the more satisfactory the result. French Bolls.— One ounce of butter, one salt-spoonful of salt, one half pint of milk, one egg, two table-spoonfuls of brewer's yeast, one and one half pound of flour. First place the butter and milk together in a tin basin, and placing this over the fire, let them heat until the milk becomes tepid. Put the yeast into a mixing-bowl, and pour over this the tepid mixture. Beat the egg thoroughly, and pour this also into the bowl, together with the salt, stir into the mixture the flour, cover the bowl with a cloth, and stand it in a warm place for two hours, to allow its contents to become light. At the end of this time knead the light dough until it cleaves from the sides of the bowl, after which divide it into twelve rolls, form them upon a mixing-board, and place them on a slightly floured baking-tin, and allowing them to MILK BISCUIT — MUFFINS. 203 stand to rise for twenty minutes, bake in a quick oven for ten minutes. Serve hot. Milk Biscuit.— One gill of milk, one ounce of butter, one tea-spoonful of baking-powder, one half pound of flour, one salt-spoonful of salt. Put the milk into a small sauce-pan together with the butter, and place all over the fire. When the milk becomes tepid, put the flour into a bowl, mix with it the salt and baking-powder, and pour into the centre of this the contents of the sauce-pan. Mix all to a stiff, smooth paste, turn this out upon a mixing-board, and roll it out as thinly as possible. Take a small biscuit-cutter and cut the dough into rounds, pricking each several times on the top with a fork. Arrange the biscuits upon a slightly greased baking-tin, and bake them in a moderate oven fifteen minutes. Muffins. — One pint of milk, one pint of flour, one teaspoonful of salt, two ounces of butter, three eggs. Put the flour into a bowl, mix with it the salt, make a little hole in the centre of the flour, and separating the whites from the yolks of the eggs, drop the yolks into this hole, and place the whites upon a plate. Melt the butter, taking care that it does not become hot, and pour this over the yolks of eggs, when the milk also must be poured in, and as it is poured the dry flour must be worked in from the sides. When all the flour is mixed in, the mixture should be beaten until bubbles arise upon its surface. Whip the whites of eggs to a stiff froth, and stir this lightly into the batter.