The Community Cook Book.

by Anonymous.

FOREWORD

The Community Cook Book is a collection of recipes chosen from many hundreds that may well be considered representative of the best to be found in any of the more intelligent and progressive of American Communities in which a part of the population make occasional visits to all parts of the country from which they bring back choice recipes to contribute to the neighborhood fund. Added to this, that constant change and interchange of a part of the population, and if the best recipes of such a section be carefully selected and cla.s.sified, then in a real American Community's Cook Book, such as this, we have one of the most valuable practical cook books in the world.

In presenting this cook book, the compilers were guided by the fact that what each housekeeper needs, is not so much a great variety of ways, but a few successful ways of preparing each article of food.

BREAD, BISCUITS, ROLLS AND PASTRY

"'Bread,' says he, 'dear brothers, is the staff of life.'"

BAKING POWDER BISCUITS.

Two cups flour, two teaspoonfuls baking powder, one-half teaspoonful salt, two tablespoonfuls lard, a little sugar if desired, one-half cup milk or water, milk preferred. Mix flour, salt, sugar and baking powder well with fork; add milk. When well mixed, drop in small quant.i.ties onto b.u.t.tered pans. Bake eight minutes in moderate oven.

BAKING POWDER BISCUITS.

Two cups flour, two teaspoonfuls baking powder, one-half teaspoonful salt, two tablespoonfuls b.u.t.ter, milk enough to make soft dough. Mix dry ingredients, chop in b.u.t.ter, add milk, mixing all the while with a wooden paddle or knife. Toss on a small floured board, roll lightly to one-half inch in thickness. Shape with cutter. Place on a b.u.t.tered pan and bake in a hot oven.

BOSTON BROWN BREAD.

One level pint cornmeal scalded, one level tablespoonful salt, one cup New Orleans mola.s.ses, two teaspoonfuls soda over which pour a little boiling water, one pint sour milk; put half the soda in the mola.s.ses and the remainder in the milk. Stiffen with Graham flour. Steam four hours, and brown in oven for about fifteen minutes.

BUCKWHEAT CAKES.

One cake yeast, one coffee-cup cornmeal, two coffee-cups buckwheat, one teaspoonful salt, one quart tepid water. Before cooking, add four tablespoonfuls milk and two of mola.s.ses in which you have stirred a teaspoonful of soda.

CORNBREAD.

Sift three-fourths cup cornmeal, three-fourths cup flour, two and one-half teaspoonfuls baking powder, three-fourths teaspoonful salt, one tablespoonful sugar. Work in tablespoonful b.u.t.ter, then add three-fourths cup sweet milk, into which one or two eggs have been beaten. Pour into greased pans and bake in a moderate oven. If sour milk is used, take one and one-half teaspoonful baking powder and one-fourth teaspoonful soda.

CORN GEMS.

Two eggs, one-half cup white flour, one cup milk, one cup corn flour, one tablespoonful b.u.t.ter, one teaspoonful salt, one heaping teaspoonful baking powder. Pour enough boiling water over corn flour to wet it and burst starch grains. Beat eggs very light. Mix dry ingredients to corn flour, then eggs, milk and last b.u.t.ter. Bake twenty-five minutes in hot oven.

CRUMPETS.

One pint of milk, four ounces b.u.t.ter, one teaspoonful salt, one cake compressed yeast, three cups flour. Scald milk and let stand until lukewarm, then add salt and flour, beat vigorously, then add b.u.t.ter melted and the yeast, beat again, cover and stand in a warm place until very light. Grease m.u.f.fin rings and place them on a hot griddle. Fill each ring half full of batter. Bake until brown on one side, then turn and brown the other side. Take from the fire and stand aside until wanted. When ready to use, steam and serve with b.u.t.ter, marmalade, syrup, jam, or anything else desired.

DUMPLINGS.

One pint flour, one level teaspoonful salt, one heaping teaspoonful baking powder, one heaping teaspoonful lard, enough milk and water to make a soft dough. Roll one-half inch thick, cut in squares, or with biscuit cutter, and lay in on top of stew. Cook ten minutes.

FRENCH BREAD.

After softening one cake of compressed yeast in one-half cup lukewarm water, stir in enough flour to make a very stiff dough. Knead well, shaping into a ball. Make two cuts on top about one-quarter inch deep.

Place in a pan of tepid water until it swells and floats. When very light put into a bowl containing one-half cup salted water, stir in enough flour to make a stiff dough. Let stand in a temperature of 68 or 70 degrees F. until light. Shape into loaf, let lighten again and bake.

GRAHAM BREAD.

Two cups sour milk, two teaspoonfuls soda dissolved in little warm water, one-fourth cup sugar, one-half cup mola.s.ses, one egg, salt, three and one-half cups Graham flour. Bake one hour.

GRAHAM BREAD.

With one pint warm milk, one cake of yeast and white flour, make a sponge. One teaspoonful salt not heaped, one-half cup mola.s.ses. Let rise, then stir in sifted brown flour till partly stiff, put in baking pan, let rise, then bake.

GRIDDLE CAKES.

One-half pint milk, one-half pint warm water, one-half cake yeast, one teaspoonful salt, one egg, one tablespoonful melted lard, flour enough to make a batter like ordinary batter-cakes. Let rise over night and fry for breakfast.

KENTUCKY CORN BREAD.

One pint thick, sour milk, two teaspoonfuls salt, one egg. Mix with this enough cornmeal to make a batter not stiff. Use meal of medium fineness--not the very fine sold in most groceries. Beat well; add last one level teaspoonful soda dissolved in a little water. Allow a tablespoonful of lard to become very hot in baking pan; pour into the batter, stir, and turn into pan. Bake until cooked through.

MILK BREAD.

Scald one pint of milk, pour while hot over a tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter, one tablespoonful sugar, one teaspoonful salt. When nearly cold, add one-fourth cake of yeast, dissolved in one-half a cup of lukewarm water, add flour stiff enough to knead. Knead until smooth and elastic, cover, and let rise until morning, then shape into loaves, let rise again, bake from forty to fifty minutes; rolls from fifteen to twenty minutes.

m.u.f.fINS.

One egg, one-half cup sugar, two cups flour, two heaping teaspoonfuls baking powder, three-fourths cup milk, salt. Mix egg with sugar. Sift flour, baking powder and salt, add to egg and sugar alternately with the milk and beat well. In season add blueberries. If short of milk, use part water.

NUT BREAD.

Four and one-half cups wheat flour, eight teaspoonfuls baking powder, one teaspoonful salt, one cup sugar, two cups sweet milk, one large cup chopped walnuts, two eggs well beaten. Stir all dry ingredients together thoroughly, add eggs and milk. Stand twenty minutes before baking. Bake in two tins about forty-five minutes in a moderate oven.