Manual for army cooks

Then pour gradually into the middle of the batter about a pint of warm but not hot water; mix it thoroughly through the dough till it becomes a round mass. Sprinkle rye flour over it; flour the hands and knead it thoroughly, frequently turning it over, for half an hour, or until it ceases to adhere to the hands. Sprinkle it again with rye flour; cover, and set it in a warm place to rise. When perfectly light the dough will stand high and the surface will be cracked all over. Put it at once into a deep tin or iron pan, greased, and bake about two hours ; as soon as baked wrap it in a clean coarse towel, wet with cold water, and stand it on end till cool. It is important that the oven should be ready and of the proper heat, so that the dough may be put in as soon as it has completely risen the second time. When dough has done rising it will fall if not put at once into the oven. If the dough has stood so long as to sour, dissolve a level teaspoonful of soda in sufficient warm water; sprinkle this over the dough and knead it well in and put it into the oven as soon as possible. Excellent bread may be made as above of equal quantities of corn meal, wheat and rye flour; or, of one part of corn meal and three parts of wheat flour. CORN MEAL. As corn meal contains very little gluten, wholesome and palatable bread can be made of it without the use of any material to lighten it, using only salt and water to mix it. If corn meal is not fresh, a better bread can be made from it by scalding the meal. CORN BREAD. Corn bread will often be found more desirable than wheat bread. It is much healthier for those engaged in muscular exercise, more easily digested, and more apt to be successfully prepared. An excellent recipe is the following : Corn meal, two quarts ; salt, two teaspoonf uls ; mix rapidly with Ijoiling water, and stir till it drops lightly from the spoon. This may be baked in an ordinary Dutch oven, or, in thin cakes, in a frying pan. Eaten either warm or cold. CORN BREAD OR HOECAKE. 1 quart meal. 3 teaspoonfuls salt. 3 tablespoonfuls melted lard. Sufficient warm water (but not hot enough to scald meal) or warm milk to make a thick batter. Put meal in a deep dish ; mix in the salt ; pour in sufficient warm water or milk to make a thick batter ; last add the melted lard, beat thoroughly, and bake in a well-greased pan in a quick oven. By the addition of more warm water or milk the batter can be thinned down and a griddle cake made from above recipe. WHEAT BREAD. Should wheat bread be desirable it is better to use the patent self-raising flour ; this only requires to be gradually mixed into a thin batter with cold water, and may be baked in a Dutch oven, or, into biscuits or hot cakes, in a frying pan. It makes most delicious bread and biscuits. The addition for self-raising flour is baking powder and salt, in proper proportions, which makes it cost about 1|- to 2 cents more per pound than the straight flour. Remember, always, that to bake in an oven (or Dutch oven) you must have the heat on top of as well as under the oven. 9281 11 POTATO BREAD. 1 quart boiling water. 1 tablespoonful salt. 3 large potatoes. 3^ quarts flour. 1 cup yeast, or 1 cake compressed yeast.