School and Home Cooking Part 63

SOUR MILK GRIDDLE CAKES (without eggs)

2 cupfuls flour 1/2 teaspoonful salt 1/2 teaspoonful baking powder 7/8 teaspoonful baking soda 1 3/4 cupfuls sour milk 3 tablespoonfuls fat

Turn the sour milk into a mixing bowl. Melt the fat and add it to the sour milk. Add the dry ingredients (through a sifter) to the mixture. Mix thoroughly. If more moisture is needed, add water.

CORN-MEAL GRIDDLE CAKES

1 cupful corn-meal 2 cupfuls water 3 tablespoonfuls fat 1 cupful sour milk 1 cupful flour 1 teaspoonful salt 1/2 teaspoonful baking soda [Footnote 82: The 1/2 teaspoonful of baking soda (with "acid") is sufficient to leaven the 1 cupful of flour. Then 2 1/2 teaspoonfuls of baking powder should be added, since 1 cupful of corn- meal is contained in the recipe (see _Quant.i.ty of Baking Powder in Quick Breads_).]

2 1/2 teaspoonfuls baking powder [Footnote 83: See footnote 82]

1 to 2 tablespoonfuls sugar

Add the corn-meal to the water, mix thoroughly, and cook 5 minutes. Add the fat. Cool. Then add the milk and dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Drop at once on a hot griddle.

FRUIT SIRUP

Cook fresh fruit, or dried fruit that has been soaked in water, in a generous quant.i.ty of water until it is very soft. Press through a strainer. If it is not of the consistency of catsup, add more hot water.

Add from one eighth to one fourth cupful of sugar for each cupful of sirup, or "sweeten to taste." Serve on griddle cakes, or use as a sauce for Bread Pudding or Rice Pudding.

Fruit b.u.t.ters, marmalades, or jams may be diluted with water, heated, and used in the same way.

QUESTIONS

If an egg or two were added to griddle cakes made with sour milk, how should the recipe be changed? Give reasons for the change.

Explain the action of the leavening agents in Sour Milk Griddle Cakes (without eggs).

In a quick bread leavened with baking soda, sour milk, and baking powder, upon what ingredient does the quant.i.ty of baking soda depend? Upon what ingredients does the quant.i.ty of baking powder depend? Explain your answers.

What is the purpose of cooking the corn-meal before adding the other ingredients? Why should the cooked mixture be cooled before adding the other ingredients?

LESSON CXIV

LEAVENING WITH BAKING SODA, SOUR MILK, AND CREAM OF TARTAR: STEAMED BROWN BREADS

ADDITIONAL LEAVENING FOR SOUR MILK MIXTURES.--Instead of using prepared baking powder as additional leavening for sour milk mixtures (see previous lesson) cream of tartar with sour milk and baking soda may be used. Enough baking soda must be used, however, to neutralize both the sour milk and the cream of tartar. This involves a double reaction:

(_a_) Baking soda + sour milk --> water + carbon dioxide gas + neutral substance.

(_b_) Baking soda + cream of tartar --> water + carbon dioxide gas + a neutral substance.

If mola.s.ses is used with the sour milk and baking soda, a third reaction occurs:

(_c_) Baking soda + mola.s.ses --> water + carbon dioxide gas + neutral substance.

It has been found that the following proportion of cream of tartar and baking soda is effective in leavening: 1 1/4 _teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar with _1/2_ teaspoonful of baking soda._ These quant.i.ties of materials are sufficient to leaven 1 cupful of flour. 1 1/2 _teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar with _2/3_ teaspoonful of baking soda are required to leaven 1 cupful coa.r.s.e wheat flour or flour or meal other than wheat._

In determining the quant.i.ty of cream of tartar and baking soda to use with mixtures containing sour milk or other acid food, note the quant.i.ty of flour (or other cereal) in the recipe. a.s.suming that 1/2 teaspoonful of baking soda (with the necessary "acid" material) leavens 1 cupful of flour, determine the total quant.i.ty of baking soda, which (with the necessary "acid" material) will leaven the flour. Then determine how much of the baking soda will be neutralized by the sour milk or other "acid"

food. a.s.suming that l-1/4 teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar are needed to neutralize 1/2 teaspoonful of baking soda, use enough cream of tartar to neutralize the remainder of the baking soda. For example, if a recipe calls for (among other ingredients) 2 cupfuls flour and 1 cupful of sour milk, 1 teaspoonful of baking soda (with the necessary "acid" material) will be needed to leaven the flour. Since 1 cupful of sour milk will neutralize only 1/2 teaspoonful of baking soda, enough cream of tartar (_i.e._ 1 1/4 teaspoonfuls) will be needed to neutralize the remainder of the baking soda.

GENERAL SUGGESTIONS FOR STEAMED QUICK BREAD MIXTURES.--A quick bread mixture that is to be steamed should be placed in a covered utensil. If the mold or the can used for steaming has no cover, an oiled paper should be tied over the top. As with all quick breads, the molds for steamed mixtures should be oiled. If the quick bread is a pour batter, the mold should be oiled and then sprinkled with flour. It should never be filled more than two thirds full.

A steamer placed over boiling water may be used for the steaming; or a kettle of boiling water containing a rack may be used. If the latter device is employed, the boiling water in the kettle should come halfway to the top of the molds. As the water evaporates, add more _boiling_ water. Less time is required in the steaming, if the mold is placed directly in the water.

At least one hour is required for steaming breads. The longer brown bread is steamed, the darker it becomes. A mixture in an earthen mold requires more time than does one in a tin or granite mold (see Experiment 46).

PLAIN BROWN BREAD

2 cupfuls graham flour 2/3 cupful white flour 3/4 cupful brown sugar 2/3 teaspoonful salt 1 2/3 teaspoonfuls baking soda 1 1/2 teaspoonfuls cream of tartar 2 cupfuls sour milk

Mix all dry ingredients thoroughly. Turn the sour milk into a mixing bowl.

Add the dry ingredients; mix well. Turn at once into an oiled bread pan, and bake in the oven from 50 to 60 minutes; or fill one-pound baking powder cans (which have been oiled) two thirds full, and steam at least 4 hours. If the bread is steamed, remove it (after steaming) from the molds and dry in the oven for a few minutes.

BOSTON BROWN BREAD

1/4 cupful sugar 1 cupful corn-meal 2 cupfuls graham flour 3/4 teaspoonful salt 2 teaspoonfuls baking soda 2 teaspoonfuls cream of tartar 2 cupfuls sour milk 1/2 cupful mola.s.ses

Mix the dry ingredients (except the sugar) thoroughly. Turn the mola.s.ses, sugar, and sour milk into a mixing bowl. Add the dry ingredients; mix well. Turn at once into oiled molds, and steam at least 4 hours. Remove from the molds, and dry in the oven for a few minutes.

Rye meal or bread crumbs may be subst.i.tuted for 1 cupful of graham flour.

If dried bread crumbs are used, moisten them with a little cold water before adding to the other ingredients.

1 cupful of raisins may also be added to the ingredients of the above recipe. If raisins are used, cut them in two and sprinkle flour over them.

b.u.t.tER b.a.l.l.s

Cut firm b.u.t.ter into half-ounce pieces and place in a pan of ice water.

Scrub the b.u.t.ter paddles; place in boiling water for 10 minutes; and then in the pan of ice water until chilled. Place a piece of b.u.t.ter on one of the paddles and hold the paddle stationary. Shape the b.u.t.ter with the other b.u.t.ter paddle, moving it in a circular direction. Hold the paddle over the ice water while shaping. Place the b.u.t.ter b.a.l.l.s in a cool place.

QUESTIONS

What gas is formed in these mixtures to leaven them? By what means is the gas formed in each mixture?

How much baking soda and cream of tartar should be used in a recipe containing 2 cupfuls of flour, 1 cupful of sour milk, and 1/2 cupful mola.s.ses?

Account for the quant.i.ty of baking soda used in each of the Brown Bread recipes.

Give two reasons why the paper used to cover a steamed quick bread mixture should be oiled. Why are molds for steamed mixtures filled only two thirds full?

Why should _boiling_ water be used to replenish the water in steaming kettle? Why is a longer time required for steaming than for baking quick bread mixtures?

Why should b.u.t.ter paddles be cleaned with a brush rather than with a cloth?

What is the purpose of placing b.u.t.ter paddles in boiling water before using?