Mix and sift the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder, and to these add the milk and beaten egg. Then stir in the melted fat. Fill well-greased muffin pans about two-thirds full of the mixture and bake in a hot oven for about 20 minutes.
50. BLUEBERRY MUFFINS.--Muffins containing blueberries can be made successfully only in blueberry season, but other fruit, as, for example, dates, may be used in place of the blueberries. Cranberries are often used in muffins, but to many persons they are not agreeable because of the excessive amount of acid they contain.
BLUEBERRY MUFFINS (Sufficient to Serve Six)
3 Tb. fat 1/3 c. sugar 1 egg 1 c. milk 2-1/4 c. flour 1/2 tsp. salt 4 tsp. baking powder 1 c. fresh blueberries
Cream the fat, and add the sugar gradually. Then stir in the beaten egg and milk. Reserve 1/4 cupful of flour, and mix the remainder with the salt and the baking powder. Stir the dry ingredients into the first mixture. Next, mix the 1/4 cupful of flour with the berries and fold them into the batter. Fill well-greased muffin pans about two-thirds full of the batter, and bake in a hot oven for about 20 minutes.
51. DATE MUFFINS.--The recipe given for blueberry muffins may be used for date muffins by substituting dates for blueberries. To prepare the dates, wash them in warm water, rinse them in cold water, and then dry them between towels. Cut them lengthwise along the seed with a sharp knife, remove the seed, and then cut each date into three or four pieces.
[Illustration: FIG. 10.]
52. CORN-MEAL MUFFINS.--To many persons, corn-meal muffins, an illustration of which is shown in Fig. 10, are more agreeable than plain white-flour muffins. Corn meal gives to muffins an attractive flavour and appearance and increases their food value slightly; but perhaps its chief value lies in the variety that results from its use.
CORN-MEAL MUFFINS (Sufficient to Serve Six)
1/2 c. corn meal 1 c. flour 3 tsp. baking powder 2 Tb. sugar 1/2 tsp. salt 3/4 c. milk 1 egg 2 Tb. melted fat
Mix and sift the corn meal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Add to these the milk and the well-beaten egg, and stir in the melted fat.
Fill well-greased muffin pans two-thirds full, and bake in a hot oven for about 20 minutes.
53. GRAHAM MUFFINS.--A pleasing variety in the way of muffins is produced by using part graham flour, but whole-wheat flour may be substituted for the graham flour in case it is preferred. Sour milk is used in the recipe here given, but if there is no sour milk in supply, sweet milk and baking powder may be used instead, with merely the correct proportion of soda for the molasses. If the taste of molasses is undesirable, liquid, which may be either sweet or sour milk, may be substituted for it. It is an excellent plan to be able to substitute one thing for another in recipes of this kind, and this may be done if the materials are used in correct proportion.
GRAHAM MUFFINS (Sufficient to Serve Six)
1-1/4 c. graham flour 1 c. white flour 3/4 tsp. soda 1 tsp. salt 1 c. sour milk 1/3 c. molasses 1 egg 2 Tb. melted fat
Mix and sift the graham and the white flour, the soda, and the salt. Put the bran that sifts out back into the mixture. Add the milk, molasses, and well-beaten egg to the dry ingredients, and then stir in the melted fat. Fill well-greased muffin pans two-thirds full and bake in a moderate oven for about 20 minutes.
54. RICE MUFFINS.--Rice may be combined with white flour in the making of muffins if variety is desired. As rice used for this purpose is added hot, it may be cooked either purposely for the muffins or for something else and only part used for the muffins. Cereals other than rice may be used in exactly the same quantity and in the same way in making muffins.
RICE MUFFINS (Sufficient to Serve Six)
2-1/4 c. flour 5 tsp. baking powder 2 Tb. sugar 1/2 tsp. salt 1-1/4 c. milk 1 egg 3/4 c. hot, cooked rice 2 Tb. melted fat
Mix and sift the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt, and to these add half of the milk and the egg, well beaten. Mix the remaining half of the milk with the rice and add it to the mixture. Stir in the melted fat last. Fill well-greased muffin pans two-thirds full, and bake in a hot oven for about 20 minutes.
55. BRAN MUFFINS.--The particular value of bran muffins lies in the laxative quality that they introduce into the diet. In addition, they will be found to be very tasty and superior to many other kinds of muffins. Bran for such purposes as this may be bought in packages, in the same way as many cereals.
BRAN MUFFINS (Sufficient to Serve Six)
1-1/2 c. white flour 1/2 tsp. soda 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt 2 c. bran 1-1/4 c. milk 1/2 c. molasses 1 egg
Mix and sift the flour, soda, baking powder, and salt. Then add the bran, the milk, the molasses, and the well-beaten egg. Fill well-greased muffin pans about two-thirds full, and bake in a moderate oven for about 25 minutes.
CORN-CAKE RECIPES
56. CORN CAKE.--Corn cakes were among the first breads made of cereal foods in America, being at first often made of only corn meal, water, and salt. These cakes of corn meal were prepared and carried on long journeys made by people when there were no means of rapid transportation. The cakes did not spoil, were not bulky, and contained a great deal of nutriment, so they made a convenient kind of food for such purposes and were called _journey cakes._ From this term came the name _Johnny cake,_ which is often applied to cake of this kind. The combining of flour, eggs, shortening, and sugar makes a cake that does not resemble the original very much, but in many localities such cake is still called Johnny cake. The proportion of corn meal to flour that is used determines to a large extent the consistency of the cake; the greater the quantity of corn meal, the more the cake will crumble and break into pieces. The addition of white flour makes the particles of corn meal adhere, so that most persons consider that white flour improves the consistency.
CORN CAKE (Sufficient for One Medium-Sized Loaf)
3/4 c. yellow corn meal 1-1/4 c. flour 1/4 c. sugar 3/4 tsp. salt 4 tsp. baking powder 1 c. milk 1 egg 2 Tb. melted fat
Mix and sift the corn meal, flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Add the milk and well-beaten egg, and then stir in the melted fat. Pour into a well-greased loaf pan and bake in a hot oven for about 30 minutes.
57. SOUTHERN CORN CAKE.--In the preceding recipe for corn cake, more flour than corn meal is used, but many persons prefer cake of this kind made with more corn meal than flour. Southern corn cake, which contains more corn meal and less white flour, proves very satisfactory to such persons. Therefore, which of these recipes should be used depends on the taste of those who are to eat the cake.
SOUTHERN CORN CAKE (Sufficient for One Medium-Sized Loaf)
1 c. corn meal 1/2 c. flour 3 tsp. baking powder 3/4 tsp. salt 1/4 c. sugar 3/4 c. milk 1 egg 2 Tb. melted fat
Mix and sift together the corn meal, flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Add to them the milk and well-beaten egg, and stir in the melted fat. Pour into a well-greased loaf pan, and bake in a moderate oven for about 30 minutes.
58. Molasses Corn Cake.--Molasses corn cake, just as its name indicates, is corn cake containing molasses. To those who find the taste of molasses agreeable, this recipe will appeal. Others not so fond of molasses will, without doubt, prefer the plain corn cake. Besides adding flavour, the molasses in this recipe adds food value to the product.
MOLASSES CORN CAKE (Sufficient for One Medium-Sized Loaf)
1 c. corn meal 3/4 c. flour 3-1/2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt 3/4 c. milk 1/4 c. molasses 1 egg 2 Tb. melted fat
Mix and sift the corn meal, flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the milk, molasses, and well-beaten egg and stir in the melted fat. Pour into a well-greased loaf pan, and bake in a moderate oven for about 30 minutes.
BISCUIT RECIPES
[Illustration: FIG. 11]
59. Baking-Powder Biscuits.--The ability of the housewife as a cook is very often judged by the biscuits she makes; but they are really very simple to make, and if recipes are followed carefully and measurements are made accurately, only a little experience is required to produce excellent ones. The principal requirement in making baking-powder biscuits, which are illustrated in Fig. 11, is that all the ingredients be kept as cold as possible during the mixing. Tiny, thin biscuits may be split, buttered, and served with tea, while larger ones may be served with breakfast or luncheon. In order to utilise left-over biscuits of this kind, they may be split and toasted or dipped quickly into boiling water and heated in a quick oven until the surface is dry.
BAKING-POWDER BISCUITS (Sufficient to Serve Six)
2 c. flour 1 tsp. salt 4 tsp. baking powder 2 Tb. fat 3/4 c. milk
Mix and sift the flour, salt, and baking powder. Chop the fat into the dry ingredients until it is in pieces about the size of small peas. Pour the milk into the dry ingredients, and mix them just enough to take up the liquid. Make the mixture as moist as possible, and still have it in good condition to handle. Then sprinkle flour on a molding board, and lift the dough from the mixing bowl to the board.
[Illustration: FIG. 12]
HOT BREADS
[Illustration: FIG. 13.]
Sprinkle flour thinly over the top and pat out the dough until it is about 1 inch thick. Cut the dough with a biscuit cutter, and place the biscuits thus cut out on baking sheets or in shallow pans. If a crusty surface is desired, place the biscuits in the pan so that they are about an inch apart; but if thick, soft biscuits are preferred, place them so that the edges touch. Bake 18 to 20 minutes in a hot oven.
[Illustration: FIG. 14.]
60. EMERGENCY BISCUITS.--As shown in Fig. 12, emergency biscuits resemble very closely baking-powder biscuits, and so they should, because the recipe given for baking-powder biscuits may be used for emergency biscuits by merely adding more milk--just enough to make the dough a trifle too moist to handle with the hands. When the dough is of this consistency, drop it by spoonfuls in shallow pans, as in Fig. 13, or on baking sheets. Then bake the biscuits in a hot oven for 18 to 20 minutes.
61. PINWHEEL BISCUITS.--To create variety, a baking-powder biscuit mixture may be made into pinwheel biscuits, a kind of hot bread that is always pleasing to children. Such biscuits, which are illustrated in Fig. 14, differ from cinnamon rolls only in the leavening agent used, cinnamon rolls being made with yeast and pinwheel biscuits with baking powder.