“The use of soda and baking powder in bread making is harmful and unnecessary. Soda causes inflammation of the stomach and often poisons the entire system.”

The chemical substances left in foods by the union of soda and cream of tartar in baking powders cannot be used by the system, so the excretory organs are overworked in their efforts to throw them off.

Experiments have also proven that the chemicals of baking powder retard digestion.

The use of yeast is preferable to baking powder or soda, but breads made without baking powder, soda or yeast are best of all.

Unfermented breads are generally baked in small loaves, so that they are dry and require thorough mastication.

Because of their dryness, dough breads are more desirable than batter breads.

With the other advantages, unleavened breads have all the sweet taste of the flour.

The substitute for carbonic acid gas is as pure and “as free as the air we breathe,” for it is the air we breathe, the very same thing; consequently it is inexpensive and the use of it requires less time and labor than the making of fermented breads.

The Essentials of Success in making unleavened breads are, after good materials (the flour must be of the best); (a) that the ingredients be as nearly ice cold as possible; (b) that the breads stand or rest before baking, in a cold place for from 20 m. to 3 or 4 hrs., or over night; (c) that the oven is not too hot when they are first put in—not that they must be beaten very vigorously. Iron is the best material for batter bread pans as it gives a firm, steady heat. The irons with thin, flat, oval (not square cornered) cups are best, but the small round cups are not objectionable and the stick shaped pans are excellent. Next to irons are earthen custard cups.

When meal is to be scalded, heat it in the oven before pouring liquid over it.

Gems

Have materials and utensils cold, put liquid with salt, oil and yolks of eggs when used, in stone milk crock or deep pan, agitate for a moment by moving wire batter whip briskly back and forth, when the liquid will be full of bubbles. Sprinkle flour in, not too slowly, with the left hand, keeping up the agitating motion. When the batter is quite stiff, beat it (never stir it as that drives out the air) just enough to incorporate all the flour. Give a few turns of the egg beater to the whites of eggs (which are in a bowl with a little salt), so that they are full of large bubbles, rinse off the beater with cold water, give it a shake and hang it in its place. Turn the eggs on to the batter and mix them in lightly, beating a little if necessary to mix well; cover the dish and set it in the ice box (or in a pan of cold water with a wet cloth over it) in summer, or in a cold room where it will not freeze in winter, for not less than 20 m. and longer if possible. (I always stir my gems up over night when making them for breakfast.)

Slightly warm the pans and oil them.

When ready to bake the gems, warm the irons a little and without stirring the batter dip it into the cups, filling them to the brim, set into a slow oven that bakes well from the bottom.

Bake until well risen, increase the heat sufficiently to brown the gems nicely, then lower the temperature and finish baking. Be sure that the gems are well baked to the center. Turn out of pans at once and let stand for 10 or 15 m. before serving. There is no objection to serving unleavened breads warm. If the oven does not bake well at the bottom, leave the pans on top of the stove where it is not too hot, for 10–15 m., then place carefully in the oven.

When baking with gas, put the gems on the top grate of the oven before it is lighted; use one burner only at first and have that turned rather low.

Whole Wheat and Graham Gems

• 1?–1½ cup of milk,
• 1 egg and flour for drop batter.

Graham gems should not be quite as stiff as whole wheat. Use the quantity of milk that will just fill the pan; skimmed milk with 1½–2 tablespns. of oil to the quart equals whole milk. Brazil or other nut butter or meal, with water, is sometimes used.

All whole wheat or graham flour may be used, but combining either with ?–? white flour makes gems more digestible.

The batter may be made thinner than a drop batter, but I have better gems when it is quite stiff. I take only 3 eggs to a quart of milk, but more may be used. When we are so happy as to get a spring wheat graham flour, 2 eggs to the quart of liquid is sufficient.

Gems may be made without eggs with all whole wheat, or graham flour of spring wheat. They require a little more beating, the longer rest is imperative, and the oven should be a little warmer at first.

Cold boiled rice may be added to thin gem batter sometimes, also grated cocoanut.

White, and Sally Lunn Gems

Make the same as whole wheat gems, using white bread flour, and 1 egg to each cup of milk, add 2 tablespns. of sugar for Sally Lunns.

Fruit and Nut Gems

Add a few English currants, seeded raisins in quarters, with or without fine cut dates, or dried or fresh blueberries to any gem batter. Use chopped nuts alone or with fruit. Ground citron goes nicely with nuts.

Rye Gems

• 1 pt. skimmed milk
• 1 tablespn. oil
• ½ teaspn. salt
• 1 egg
• 3 cups rye meal or 3½–4 cups rye flour
• with or without a few caraway seeds

No oil is required with whole milk.

Plain rye or corn gems may be served with maple syrup.

Rye and Wheat Gems

• 1 cup skimmed milk
• 1 tablespn. oil
• 1 egg
• salt
• ½–? cup rye meal
• ? cup white bread flour

? Crumb Gems

• 1 qt. skimmed milk
• 2 tablespns. oil
• salt
• 3 small eggs or 2 large ones
• graham flour for thin batter
• 1 cup fine zwieback crumbs

Or, 1½ cup crumbs, ½ cup white flour, 2 eggs, 1 teaspn. sugar, with the milk, salt and oil.

? Corn Meal and White Flour Gems

• ½ cup granular corn meal
• ¾ cup boiling water
• ½ cup cold water
• ½ teaspn. salt
• 2 teaspns. oil
• 1 egg
• 1¼ cup white bread flour

Scald meal with boiling water, add oil, salt, cold water and yolk of egg; beat, add white flour, beating, and lastly stiffly-beaten white of egg; rest. Bake in moderate oven.

Corn and Graham Gems—no eggs

• 3 cups milk
• 2 teaspns. oil
• 3? cups white corn meal
• 1? cup graham flour
• salt

? Cream Corn Gems or Griddle Cakes

Stir enough corn meal into not too thick cream to make a stiff batter; about 1½ cup meal to 1 of cream; add salt, beat a little, rest, bake in gem irons or on griddle.

Pop Overs

• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup flour
• salt

Beat egg with salt; add half the milk, beat in the flour and add the remainder of the milk, and without beating strain into a pitcher; rest. Pour into rather hot irons and bake in moderate oven.

Sometimes the mixed egg and milk are poured gradually into the flour, stirring, and sometimes the beaten white of egg only is used, being added after straining batter. And again, a teaspoonful of oil or melted butter is put in after the flour is beaten into half the milk.

German puffs call for 4 eggs and Vanity puffs for 6 eggs, with the other ingredients the same.

Other Variations of Pop Overs

• (a) 2 eggs, 1 cup milk, 1 cup flour, 2 teaspns. oil or melted butter.
• (b) 2 eggs, 1 cup milk, 2 cups flour.
• (c) 2 eggs, 2 cups milk, 1½ cup flour.
• (d) 2 eggs, 1½ cup milk, 1½ cup flour.

Whole Wheat Pop Overs

• ? cup whole wheat flour
• ? cup white flour
• ? cup milk
• salt
• 1 egg

Mix flours and salt, stir into milk, add beaten egg, rest. Put into rather hot oiled gem pans, bake.

? Corn Pop Overs

• ? cup corn meal
• ? cup white flour
• ? cup milk
• salt
• 1 egg white and yolk beaten separate

? Sweet Potato Bread

• 3 large (or 1¼–1½ lb.) sweet potatoes
• 1 teaspn. salt
• 1½ level tablespn. butter or oil
• 1½ cup granular corn meal
• ? cup milk
• 1 egg

Bake potatoes, peel and rub through colander, add salt, oil, meal, milk and beaten egg; beat well. Bake in moderate oven 30–40 m. Serve hot.

? Rice Breakfast or Supper Cake

• 2 cups boiled rice
• 1 tablespn. oil
• 1 tablespn. melted butter
• 1 cup milk
• salt
• 3–6 eggs
• 1 cup flour

Add stiffly-beaten whites of eggs last, rest, bake in shallow pans or patty pans. Serve hot. The flour is sometimes omitted.

Take 1 cup each of rice and hominy for Rice and Hominy cake.

? Corn Bread

• 2 cups yellow granular meal
• 2¼ cups boiling water
• 1 teaspn. salt
• 1¼ tablespn. oil
• 1 egg

Pour boiling water over meal, add salt, oil and yolk of egg; cool, add beaten white and bake in oiled pan. Use a little less water for Rhode Island meal.

Crumbs and Corn Bread

• 1 pt. hot milk
• ½ cup stale bread crumbs
• 2 cups white corn meal
• 2 eggs
• 1½ tablespn. oil or melted butter
• 1 teaspn. salt

Pour boiling milk over corn meal, stir well, add oil, salt and crumbs; cool, add beaten yolks of eggs, then stiffly-beaten whites. Bake in oiled pie pans. Or, soak meal and crumbs in cold milk for several hours and add salt, oil and eggs as before.

? The Laurel Brown Bread. Sr. Olive Jones Tracy

• 1 qt. each of corn meal, rye meal and cold water
• 1½ cup molasses
• 2 teaspns. salt
• 2 tablespns. oil
• 6 eggs

Mix water, salt, molasses, oil and yolks of eggs and add mixed meals; then stiffly-beaten whites of eggs. Steam 3 hrs., bake in slow oven ½ hr. 1 qt. of thin cream may be used in place of oil and water.

Halved, seeded raisins may be added occasionally or fine cut steamed prunes or broken pieces of nuts.

Crumb Brown Bread—no eggs or yeast

• 1 cup granular corn meal or 1½ of Rhode Island meal
• ½ cup rye meal
• ¾ cup molasses
• 1 teaspn. salt
• 2 cups water
• 2½ cups (not too fine) dry bread crumbs

Mix and steam 3 hrs.

2 cups of granella in place of the crumbs is better still.

½ cup sugar with ½ cup more of water may be used in place of the molasses. Cereal coffee may be used for the liquid, or a little browned flour may be mixed with the meal.

? Johnny Cake

• 2½ cups granular corn meal
• 3 tablespns. oil or melted butter
• salt
• about 1½ cup milk

Mix; rest 1 hr. or longer in cold place, bake in iron skillet in quick oven.

Southern Johnny Cakes

½ cup each fine hominy, rice and rice flour, salt, water, milk. Cook rice and hominy in 2 cups of water, each. Add ½–1 cup milk, salt and rice flour; drop by spoonfuls on hot, oiled griddle, flatten with fingers dipped in cold water, bake in oven or on top of stove.

? Bannock

• ? cup granular meal
• 3½ cups boiling water
• ¾ teaspn. salt
• 1 tablespn. oil or butter
• 2 eggs

Cook meal in water for 10 m., add oil, cool a little, add yolks of eggs, beat well, fold in stiffly-beaten whites of eggs, bake in oiled pudding dish or pie plates, in moderate oven. Serve at once.

Water Corn Bread

1½ cup granular corn meal, salt, 1 cup cold water. Rest 1–2 hrs., spread thin on hot griddle or frying pan, bake in hot oven, serve hot.

No. 2

1 cup granular meal, salt, ¾ cup boiling water. Spread at once, thin, on hot griddle or frying pan and bake in hot oven. Serve hot.

Oat Cake

1 cup fine oatmeal, ½ teaspn. salt, boiling water, 1–1½ cup perhaps. Grind rolled oats (not too fine) if very fine meal is not obtainable. Pour over enough boiling water to moisten, spread very thin on hot oiled frying pan or griddle (or spread spoonfuls in cakes), bake on top of stove or in hot oven.

Corn Meal Crusts

• 1 cup yellow meal
• ½ teaspn. salt
• 1½ tablespn. oil or melted butter
• 1 teaspn. sugar
• 1½ cup boiling water

Pour boiling water over meal, sugar and salt; beat well; add butter, spread very thin on well oiled pans, bake. Pull apart while hot.

White Corn Meal Crusts

1 cup white corn meal, 2 cups boiling milk, 1 teaspn. salt; stir smooth and pour ?–½ in. deep in oiled pan. Bake in moderate oven. Split for eating.

Rhode Island Johnny (Journey) Cakes

Those who have not made the acquaintance of Rhode Island Johnny cakes have missed much. To make them in their perfection Rhode Island meal is required, though white meal will do. Do not try them with yellow granular meal. Rhode Island meal has a creamy tint and is lighter in texture than granular meal.

Mix the meal with salt in a cake bowl and pour perfectly boiling water over it to more than moisten. (A rule for the quantity is out of the question). Stir, and if necessary add more water. The batter should be soft, but the meal must be well wet with the boiling water. Beat and drop in spoonfuls on to a hot, well oiled griddle. Dip the hand in water and flatten the cakes to about ¾ in. thick. Keep the griddle hot until cakes are nicely browned on one side, turn, adding more oil if necessary and brown on the other side; after which set back where cakes will bake slowly for 20 m. to ½ hr. Serve with cream, nut cream or butter, or with some meaty flavored gravy; sometimes honey or maple syrup.

In many families these cakes form the bread for three times a day six days in the week, and one soon comes to feel lost without them.

As Toast—Split cold cakes, lay in deep dish with salt and bits of butter and pour hot milk over.

Pone, or Corn Bread “Straight”

1 qt. white corn meal, 1 teaspn. salt, cold water for soft dough. With hands moistened with cold water mold into oblong mounds, a little thicker in the center than at the ends. Lay on hot oiled or floured pan, press a little with the fingers and bake in hot oven. Break (not cut). Eat hot.

A little oil may be added to the meal for pone, but then it will not be “straight.”

Ash Cake

Brush a place clean before the fire and lay the pones upon it. Let the tops dry a little and cover with hot ashes. Bake until dry and firm, 15–30 m. Draw from the fire, brush off the ashes, wash and wipe, serve. Buttermilk is the ideal accompaniment to ash cake or pone.

A cabbage leaf may be laid above and below the cake in the ashes; then it will not require washing, but will need to be baked a little longer.

Hoe Cake

One hoe cake is the pone mixture baked on a hoe or griddle in one large cake or in several small ones ¼–¾ in. thick.

Another—1 cup white Southern corn meal or Rhode Island meal, mix with ½ teaspn. salt and pour boiling milk or water over to make a batter thick enough not to spread. Drop by spoonfuls on well oiled griddle and press ½ in. thick. When nicely browned on one side, put a small piece of butter or a little oil on top of each cake and turn. Bake thoroughly. Serve hot. A teaspn. of sugar is sometimes added to the meal, but “no Southern cook would risk the spoiling of her corn breads by sweetening them.”

For campers, the batter may be spread on a floured oak board, the board slanted in front of the fire and the hoe cake baked “in its original way and with its original flavor;” or it may be baked on a smooth flat stone which has been heated and floured. Sometimes the scalded meal is allowed to stand for an hour or longer, then formed into cakes ½–¾ in. thick before baking.

? Sr. Welch’s Corn Dodgers

• ? cup common yellow corn meal
• good ? cup white flour
• 1–2 teaspns. sugar
• salt
• 1? cup milk or water or half of each
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspn. oil or melted butter

Mix corn meal and flour and heat in oven, add sugar and salt and pour boiling liquid over, stir rapidly until smooth, add oil and yolk of egg, then stiffly-beaten white; drop in spoonfuls on hot oiled pan; bake in quite hot oven.

Sr. Welch’s Corn Dodgers—granular meal

• 1 cup yellow granular corn meal
• large ½ cup white flour
• ½ tablespn. sugar
• salt
• 2¾–3 cups boiling milk or water, or half of each
• 1 large or 2 small eggs

Mix and bake as with common meal. If the liquid is not rich milk, use 1 tablespn. oil or melted butter.

Use ¾–1 cup of nut meal or butter and all water for Nut Corn Dodgers.

Corn Meal Porridge Dodgers

• 1 cup corn meal
• ½ teaspn. salt
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 tablespn. oil or melted butter

Pour boiling water over corn meal and salt in inner cup of double boiler; stir smooth, cook 1 hr., add oil, drop by spoonfuls on oiled griddle, dip fingers in cold water and pat down flat; when browned put a dot of butter or a little oil on top of each and turn. Serve with poached eggs if desired.

Griddle Cakes

Batter for griddle cakes should stand 2 hrs. or longer in the ice box, or in winter in some cold place, to lighten it by allowing the starch grains and glutenous portion of the flour to swell.

An iron or steel griddle is best for baking cakes. Soapstone, so highly recommended, is objectionable because little particles of the stone adhere to the cakes.

The griddle should stand on a not too hot part of the stove and heat slowly for a long time before the cakes are to be baked. Professional pancake bakers have their griddle over a slow fire all night.

When oil is used in the batter, less or none is required on the griddle.

Have the griddle hot before putting the cakes on, brown them delicately, then turn once only. A second turning makes them heavy. Cakes ought to be eaten as soon as baked, but should not be covered when required to stand for a short time.

Plain Griddle Cakes

• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespns. oil
• 2 eggs
• 1¼–1½ cup bread flour
• ¼–? teaspn. salt

Rest 2 hrs. or longer. May spread with jelly, or with butter and sugar and roll.

Rice Griddle Cakes

Add 1–2 cups cold boiled rice to plain cakes.

Crumb Griddle Cakes

Use only 1 cup of flour in plain cakes and add stale or dry bread crumbs to make quite a thick batter.

Buckwheat Cakes

Use ? buckwheat in place of all white flour in plain cakes.

Savory Meat Griddle Cakes

Add crumbled trumese, fine chopped onion and powdered sage to rice or crumb cakes.

Mushroom Griddle Cakes

Lay a spoonful or two of chopped mushroom stems, simmered in oil with or without a little tomato, browned flour and onion, on each small thin cake, roll lightly and serve with or without Italian or Boundary Castle sauce.

Plain Griddle Cakes—Roux. Delicate and Creamy

• 1 full tablespn. oil
• 2 tablespns. bread flour
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup flour
• ½ teaspn. salt
• 2 eggs

Heat oil, add the 2 tablespns. flour, hot water and milk, boil well; when cool, add salt, yolks of eggs and ½ cup of flour, beating; then the stiffly-beaten whites of eggs; rest.

Variations

(a) 2 cups dry bread crumbs in place of the half cup of flour and less or no salt.

(b) Add 2–4 cups of cold boiled hominy to plain batter and another ¼ cup of flour if necessary.

(c) Add 1½–2 cups cold boiled rice to plain cakes and a little more flour if necessary.

(d) Add 1–1½ cup drained canned corn to plain cakes, more flour if necessary.

(e) Add 4 tablespns. granular corn meal scalded with about ? cup of boiling water, to plain cakes.

Crumb Griddle Cakes—no flour

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup dry crumbs
• ? teaspn. salt
• 1 egg

Corn and Crumb Griddle Cakes—no eggs

• ½ cup granular meal
• ½ cup boiling water
• 1 teaspn. oil
• ½ teaspn. salt
• ¾ cup dry bread crumbs
• ¾ cup whole milk

Cool. If necessary, add ¼ cup more of milk.

Rice Griddle Cakes—no flour

• ½ cup rice
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• ½ teaspn. salt
• 1 tablespn. oil

Boil rice in 2 cups water, partly cool, beat smooth with milk, add salt and beaten eggs. Another yolk of egg may be used. If rice is thin, use less milk.

Hominy Griddle Cakes

• ½ cup hominy
• 3 eggs
• ? cup milk
• 1½ tablespn. oil
• salt

Cook hominy in 2 cups water and proceed as in Rice Cakes.

Corn Meal Griddle Cakes—no flour

• 1 pt. granular meal
• 1 teaspn. each butter, salt and sugar
• 1 pt. boiling water
• ½–¾ cup cold milk
• 2 eggs

Scald meal with boiling water, add butter, salt, sugar and cold milk, then yolks of eggs; beat batter and fold in stiffly-beaten whites. Or, beat eggs all together.

For Rhode Island meal, 1½ pt. boiling water will be required.

Green Corn Batter Cakes

• 2 tablespns. oil or melted butter
• 3 tablespns. flour
• ? cup boiling water
• ½–¾ cup of grated or ground green corn
• 1 teaspn. sugar if corn is not sweet
• 3 tablespns. fine dry or toasted bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• salt

Heat oil, add flour, then boiling water; remove from fire, add salt and crumbs, cool, add corn and beaten egg. Bake on well oiled griddle.

Nut Butter Griddle Cakes

2 tablespns. almond, Brazil or other nut butter, 1 cup water, salt, 2 eggs, whites beaten separate, 1 cup bread flour.

Nut and Egg Cakes

Rub 2 tablespns. nut butter smooth with 2 full tablespns. of water; add a beaten egg with salt. Bake on moderate griddle to delicate brown.

Dough Breads

Grind dough breads 5–8 times through a food cutter with the finest plate instead of kneading; it saves time and strength and the breads are better.

A good spring wheat graham flour makes better rolls than whole wheat flour, but poor graham flour does not make good “anything.” The simplest rolls are made with flour and water, with or without salt, and require more thorough working than those made with shortening. Rolls may be reheated whole, or be split and toasted.

Sticks and rolls may be mixed with milk instead of water.

All crackers and wafers (except fruit) should be crisped thoroughly in the oven before serving.

Plain Graham Rolls

Put a cupful of ice water into a cold bowl. Add ¼ teaspn. of salt if desired, but the rolls will have more of the sweet, nutty flavor of the flour without it. Agitate the water until full of bubbles and sprinkle in the cold flour as for gems. When the batter is too stiff to beat, take it out on to a cold floured board and knead, using as little flour as possible, until smooth and elastic. About 3 cupfuls of flour will be taken up. Divide the dough, roll it quickly and evenly to about ¾ in. in diameter, cut into 3 in. lengths and set in ice box to rest. Bake in a moderate oven with steady heat until the rolls will not yield to pressure between the thumb and finger and are of a delicate brown.

If preferred, the water may be poured over the flour and the dough kneaded the same. The dough may rest before being rolled out.

The yolk of a hard boiled egg rubbed into each pint of flour makes more tender rolls; or one beaten raw yolk may be added to each ¾ cup of water.

Nut Rolls

Add ¾–1 cup of nut meal to water in plain rolls recipe.

Cream Rolls

Mix rich cold cream and graham flour together quickly. Press together without kneading, rest for 2 hrs. or more, shape into rolls and bake, or put on ice again until ready to bake.

Rolls may be kneaded, and if kneaded at all should be kneaded thoroughly. Cocoanut cream may be substituted for dairy.

? Shortened Rolls

The quantity of oil required will depend entirely upon the quality of the flour, but for ordinary graham flour take ? cup of oil to each pint of flour; to a good spring wheat flour not more than ¼ cup. Rub the oil into the salted flour, add ice water for moderately stiff dough, press into a mass and set to rest, unless preferring to knead. Finish the same as cream rolls. ? white flour may be used with the graham.

Fruit Rolls

Roll shortened dough ¼ in. thick. Cut into strips 2½–3 in. wide, put a strip of halves of stoned dates, pieces of nice fresh figs or a roll of seeded and ground raisins along the length of the dough a little one side of the center; slightly moisten the edge of the dough farthest away from the fruit, lap the edge nearest, over the fruit and roll it up in the dough, leaving a long roll with the fruit in the center; roll over and over until the edge of the dough is well fastened down; cut roll into 2 or 3 inch lengths (1 inch for some occasions); bake.

This way of putting the fruit in the roll has the advantage of leaving no pieces of fruit sticking through the dough to be burned in baking, and also of not having any “sad” portion of dough in the center of the roll.

Fruit and Nut Rolls—may be made by adding pieces of nuts to the fruit in the roll.

Sticks

Roll any of the roll doughs or the graham cracker dough to about the size of a lead pencil or not over ? of an inch in diameter; cut in 5–7 in. lengths, rest and bake the same as rolls. Sticks are more crisp and delightful than rolls. They should be on the table for every meal.

White Sticks

Take 1–1½ tablespn. of oil to each cup of white bread flour, with a trifle of salt, and water for stiff dough. Dainty white sticks are nice to serve with soups, salads and some desserts.

Porridge Sticks.

• 1 cup cold, thick oatmeal porridge
• 1 tablespn. oil
• salt
• ½ cup graham flour
• 1¼ cup white flour

Mix and knead thoroughly. Dough must be very stiff.

Beaten Biscuit—Whole Wheat

• 1 qt. true whole wheat flour
• ½ teaspn. salt
• ? cup oil
• 1 scant cup ice water, about

Rub salt and oil with flour, add water, knead until smooth (the dough should be very stiff), then separate dough into several pieces and put it through the food cutter 6 or 8 times. This takes the place of the laborious beating. Shape into small thick biscuit; make a hole through the center of each one from the top with the thumb or finger, rest; bake thoroughly in moderate oven.

If you have time to form the biscuit you will be well repaid for your trouble as they are so beautiful; but if your time is limited, roll the dough ½–1 in. thick, cut with small round cutter and prick with fork. You may even cut the dough into small squares. Rolled very thin, cut with a large cutter and pricked well, the dough makes nice wafers. If a food cutter is not at hand, beat with a mallet or the rolling pin, or pick apart with the thumb and fingers, over and over again, until the dough snaps when pulled apart.

A cup of medium thick cream may be used instead of oil and water.

Maryland Beaten Biscuit

• 1 qt. white flour
• 1 teaspn. salt
• 2–4 tablespns. oil or 1–2 tablespns. butter,
• (use only ½ teaspn. salt with butter)
• ¾–? cup of ice cold milk or water, or half of each

Proceed as with whole wheat biscuit.

Maryland Biscuit—Unbeaten

• 1 qt. whole wheat or white flour
• salt
• 4 tablespns. oil or melted butter
• cold water or milk for stiffest possible dough

Knead 20 m., or until dough blisters; set aside 1–2 hrs., or over night; knead 5–10 m., roll and cut, or shape by hand. Bake.

? White Crackers

• 1 qt. bread flour
• 4 tablespns. oil, or 2 of oil and 1 of butter (2 of melted butter)
• salt
• cold milk for very stiff dough

Knead until smooth, run through food cutter 6–8 times, or beat or pick as beaten biscuit; rest, roll thin, prick dough all over, cut into any desired shape, bake in moderate oven. ¼ or ½ of pastry flour may be used; also water and a little more shortening.

Swedish Milk Biscuit

Make white crackers of milk, roll as thin as paper, prick, cut into biscuit the size of a saucer. Turn the wafers on the tins often while baking. Serve with some desserts, fruit or other salads, and with cottage cheese. Cut a hole in the center of some of the biscuit before baking and serve salads or suitable meat dishes on them in individual servings.

Cocoanut Wafers

• 2½ cups pastry flour
• 1 cup dessicated cocoanut
• 2 tablespns. butter or 3 of oil
• salt
• water

Rub butter into flour, add salt and mix with cocoanut which has been ground through a food cutter. Add ice water for stiff dough, roll out at once or rest before rolling as preferred. Bake carefully so as not to scorch the cocoanut. Dried grated cocoanut of your own preparing is preferable. 2 cups of cocoanut may be used.

If a sweet wafer is desired, add sugar to the dough or sprinkle with sugar before baking.

Fruit Bars

Roll any desired dough thin, cut into 3–3½ in. strips, spread one half of the width with stoned dates, halved raisins, steamed figs, sweet prunes or any suitable fruit, which has been cut into strips with the shears; moisten the edge next to the fruit, fold the other half of the dough over, pressing the edges well together, and roll lightly to flatten the bar; cut with a sharp knife into 2½–3 in. lengths.

Add nuts to make fruit and nut bars, or make nut bars sometimes. The dough may be slightly sweetened.

Crackers with Nuts

Brush baked crackers with beaten white of egg and spread thick with chopped or coarse ground nuts (English walnuts or pecans or both). Put into warm oven to dry.

These crackers are nice to serve with fruit or vegetable salads, or with cereal coffee or tea-hygiene.

Graham Crackers—Sweet

• 2 cups each graham and white flour
• ½ cup butter or oil
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ teaspn. salt
• cold water for stiff dough

Mix well together, run through food cutter (with finest knife) 5 or 6 times, roll about ? in. thick, prick with fork, cut into any desired shape, set in cold place for 2 hrs. or longer, bake in moderate oven.

Omit sugar for unsweetened crackers. Dough may be kneaded, picking it apart into small pieces, if food cutter is not at hand. Or, crackers are very good made up without any kneading, when rested in cold place.

? Sour Cream Crackers

• ? cup thick sour cream
• 2 tablespns. oil
• ½ teaspn. salt
• pastry flour for rather stiff dough

Rest and finish as other crackers. If the cream is not rich, use more oil.

Nut Wafers

• ½–1 cup fine chopped or ground nuts
• 1 pt. flour, graham or white, or half of each
• ¼ teaspn. salt
• water for stiff dough

Finish the same as graham crackers. Nice with fruit soups.

Fruit Wafers

Roll any of the cracker doughs thin, place figs, dates, raisins or prunes cut in thin pieces with the shears, on the dough, cover with another thin layer of dough, roll with rolling pin to press all together, prick with fork, cut in squares, rest, bake.

? Oat Cakes

1 part oil, 2 parts water, salt, coarse oat flour to knead. Roll ¼ in. thick of size to fit pie pan, crease in quarters, rest; bake in moderate oven. The dough may be cut into crackers if preferred. Grind rolled oats or oatmeal in food cutter, to make the flour.

? Graham Crisps or Flakes

Prepare dough as for plain graham rolls, kneading very stiff. After resting, separate into small pieces and roll each piece as thin as paper. When all are rolled, put as many as convenient into a hot oven on perforated pans or on the grate of the oven. Turn them over on the pans often while baking and bake to a delicate brown. Serve whole or in broken pieces.

This is one of the most delicate and digestible of unleavened breads and has a crispness and nutty flavor peculiarly its own. It should be one of the staple articles of food in our homes and is especially adapted to school, picnic and travelling lunches.

Cream Crisps

Mix with thin cream instead of water and bake in slower oven than water crisps. With cream, whole wheat or white flour may be used, as well as graham.

Nut Crisps

Use nut roll dough, kneading it very stiff. Beaten biscuit dough may also be used for shortened crisps.

Cocoanut Crisps

Use equal quantities of desiccated cocoanut and pastry flour, with water or milk for liquid.

Nut Straws

Take equal quantities of any nut meal and pastry flour, with a little salt. Add just enough ice water to make the particles hold together, roll out without kneading to ¼ in. thick, then cut into strips ¼ in. wide and 5–8 in. long. Bake in quick oven to delicate cream color. Serve tied with narrow ribbon in bunches of 3–5 with individual plates of salad or on celery dish. ? nut meal and ? flour may be used for richer straws.

Unleavened Bread for Communion

• 2 cups pastry flour
• 2½–3 tablespns. olive oil
• ½ teaspn. salt
• ? to scant ½ cup of ice water

Mix salt, flour, and oil together, add enough ice water for stiff dough, press together as for pie crust and set in refrigerator an hour or longer. Roll dough three-sixteenths of an inch thick, prick all over with a fork, mark off in nine-sixteenth-inch squares by a rule, cut into convenient sized pieces for baking. Lay on a pan or perforated sheet, then crease marked squares half through the dough with a spatula or the back of a knife. Bake very carefully in a moderate oven.

1½–2 tablespns. of butter may be used instead of the oil, but olive oil seems more suitable for the purpose.