Baking

“ As cooked fruits are such nourishing food, let the child prepare some kind while the biscuits are [5] baking—apples, for instance. The oven being hot, it is best to bake them, so show her how to wash, core and then fill each opening with sugar, cinnamon and a little butter. It will take only a few moments to prepare them, and while the baking is in progress the dishes that have been used should be washed and set in the closet, the materials left be put away. All must be in order before the lesson is pronounced over and the dish-pan wiped and put up. ”

“ Baking, Boiling, Broiling, Frying, Mixing, Roasting, Sautéing, Seasoning, Simmering, and Stewing.
Tasting is an adjunct to all.
Baking.—In baking, see that the furnace or oven be properly heated; some dishes require more heat than others. Look at the object in process of baking from time to time, and especially at the beginning, turn it round if necessary, in case it be heated more on one side than on the other, to prevent burning.
In baking meat and fish, besides keeping the bottom of the pan covered with broth or water, place a piece of buttered paper over the object in the pan ”

“ Do not make your first baking too large. Practice is requisite to the management of an unwieldy mass of dough. Let your trial-loaf be with say half the quantity of sponge and flour I have set down, and increase these as skill and occasion require, carefully preserving the proportions. Seven or eight quarts of flour will be needed for the semi-weekly baking of a family of moderate size. ”

“ Bake in a moderate oven for about 20 minutes.
An easy way of baking for the inexpert cook who may find it difficult to avoid breaking the sheets, is to well grease a shallow jam-sandwich tin, sprinkle it well with castor sugar, as for sponge cakes, and press the short cake into it, well smoothing the top with a knife, and, lastly, pricking it. ”

“ Ignorant cooks generally spoil several batches by persisting in putting in baking powder or soda, as they can not believe that the puffs will rise without.
SHORT-CAKE.
One quart of flour; one teaspoonful of salt and two of baking powder sifted with the flour; one cup of butter, or half lard and half butter; one large cup of hot milk. Rub the butter into the flour. Add the milk, and roll out the dough, cutting in small square cakes and baking to a light brown.
For a strawberry or peach short-cake have three tin pie-plates buttered; roll the dough to fit them, and bake quickly. ”

“ A bake-pan for baking meat, fish, or any other object that requires liquor of any kind, must have borders in order to hold that liquor; but a bake-pan for cakes or any other object that does not require any liquor, or that does not turn liquid in baking, is better without borders—that is, a simple piece of sheet iron of a size to go easily in the oven. ”

“ Quick breads include griddle cakes, waffles, muffins, Sally Lunns, shortcakes and biscuits. These doughs are made light or leavened by the use of eggs, baking soda, baking powder and steam created in baking and by air beaten into the mixture. Their entire success depends upon the careful measurement of ingredients, the mixing and the baking. Using all water in place of milk or equal parts of milk and water will give splendid results. ”

“ Baking Dish.—Many housewives prefer for family pies and puddings a baking dish made of tin, which may be covered with a wire grating, so that it may be used for baking meat and potatoes, the latter being placed in the dish and the meat on the wire grating. Seamless baking-pans, in all forms, oblong, square, round and oval, may be had in sizes ranging from 4 to 20 inches, at prices from 5d. ”

“ Do use good ingredients. You can’t do first-rate baking with second-rate materials. Use fresh, sweet shortening and eggs of fine quality. Use fine granulated sugar, unless some other kind is called for in your recipe. Remember that baking powder and flour are the most important ingredients in baking. Give yourself the protection and advantages of Calumet, the Double-Acting Baking Powder ... and of Swans Down Cake Flour, too, whenever the recipe calls for it. It gives to cakes and to certain quick breads a fineness and lightness that you cannot expect from ordinary flour. ”

“ Do not be discouraged if you do not succeed at first.
Concerning the utensils for baking, see Chapter II. The cups or pans are prepared by warming and greasing. Use a bit of soft paper or a brush for greasing the pan and ordinarily an inexpensive fat, reserving butter for delicate cake. Flour sprinkled on a pan is sufficient for biscuit and cookies. Line a pan for loaf cake with white paper, and grease the paper.
See that the oven is ready before the mixing begins. We shall not be able to bake accurately until our ovens are equipped with thermometers. ”

“ There is nothing in any department of cooking that gives more satisfaction to a young housekeeper than to have accomplished what is called a good baking.
Graham Bread.
Take six quarts of unbolted flour, one tea-cup of good yeast, and six spoonsful of molasses; mix them with a pint of milk, warm water, and a tea-spoonful of salaeratus; make a hole in the flour and stir this mixture in it, till it is like batter; then proceed as with fine flour. Mould it, when light, into four loaves Have your oven hotter than for other bread, and bake it fully one hour and a half. ”

“ Much however depends on the care and ability of the baker: in the country especially, where the baking of dinners is not always considered as a regular article of business, it is rather a hazardous experiment to send a valuable joint to the oven; and more is often wasted and spoiled by the heedless conduct of the parish cook, than would have paid for the boiling or roasting at home. But supposing the oven to be managed with care and judgment, there are many joints which may be baked to great advantage, and will be found but little inferior to roasting. ”

“ Beat one cup of butter and two of sugar to cream; then add four eggs, whites and yolks beaten separately, and three cupfuls of flour; flavor with almond to taste, and at last, just before putting into the oven, add one teaspoonful of baking powder. Bake in a quick oven, either in cups or pans. ”

“ In baking, leave in the oven until the pudding is firm, which will show when a silver knife stuck in the middle comes out clean. A custard is never baked enough that sticks to the knife and leaves it milky. ”

“ Cream the sugar and shortening, as for cake, then add eggs well beaten, molasses and water, spices and soda, then flour, and lastly fruit. When the batter will take up no more flour, lift it up by teaspoonfuls, pat it flat and in shape in the baking pan, which must be well-buttered, put in bag, and bake in fairly hot oven, being careful not to scorch. ”

“ With a basis of flour, salt, and Royal Baking Powder, we can add other ingredients to vary and enrich the cakes and biscuits generally known to the housewife, and produce in almost endless variety breakfast and luncheon foods that shall be dainty and delicious or substantial and hearty. ”

“ For baking bread and pastry it is unrivalled. Many persons are unable to eat bread and pastry baked in coal and other imperfectly ventilated ovens because it is indigestible. The bread baked in this [1005] kitchener is equal to the best Parisian bread, light and easily digestible, and can be eaten on the same day as baked without danger of indigestion. Pastry, when properly made, and baked in this kitchener, is wholesome and very digestible. (7) The hot plate is fitted with three burners—one of which is both a grilling and boiling burner. ”

“ A lady should attend to this herself, until she perfectly understands what is necessary, and can give minute directions to those she employs. It is easy to find out how many sticks of a given size are necessary for baking articles that require a strong heat; and so for those [Pg 22] which are baked with less. To bake brown bread, beans, apples, and other things, all at one time, the oven should be heated with hard wood, and if rather large, so as to be two hours in burning out, it is better. To bake thin cake, and some kinds of puddings, pine wood, split small, answers very well. ”

“ One pint of flour, half a pound of butter, quarter of a pound of pounded lump sugar, half a nutmeg grated, a handful of currants, two eggs, and a large pinch of carbonate of soda, or a little baking powder. To be baked in a slack oven for ten minutes or a quarter of an hour. The above quantity will make about thirty excellent cakes. ”

“ Bread is often spoiled in the baking. The dough may be made of the best of flour and yeast, mixed and kneaded in the most perfect manner, and may have risen to the proper degree of lightness' before going to the oven, yet if the oven is either too hot or not hot enough, the bread will be of an inferior quality. ”

“ While these are baking I clean the vegetables for dinner and put them on to cook, set [Pg 77] the table and put the dinner on, meanwhile watching the baking pies, the rising bread, and the ripening cream. In the course of the morning ten or a dozen persons have come in for milk, eggs, butter, or something else, and I have to wait on them and keep their accounts up in my book. After dinner the bread is ready to make into loaves and is then set to rise again before baking. While the bread is rising I scald out the churn and rinse with cold water and then put in the cream and churn it by hand. ”

“ Place a layer at the bottom of a fireproof baking-dish, cover lightly with white sauce, sprinkle liberally with cheese, and season rather highly with salt and pepper. Repeat until the dish is full, cover the top with a thin layer of breadcrumbs, and add a few bits of butter. Bake in a moderate oven for an hour. Dish up and serve hot. ”

“ Put the rolls in a buttered pan; cover them up with a cloth and let them rise double their original size, where you can bear your hand. Then bake them. Let the dough always rise until it is twice its size before baking. I think I have already explained to you that if you want the bread or roll glossy you can brush it with sugar and water, or melted butter. These rolls will be set on the top of the stove to rise, just like bread. As soon as they are twice their size they go into the oven to bake. ”

“ Now in with the flour, Kit; and you must have baking powder."
"I don't think Eliza put in any baking powder," said Kitty, dubiously.
"Oh, she must have!" said Midget. "That's what baking powder is for,—to bake with. ”

“ Take a piece of the dough from your baking after it has risen once. To a piece as large as a man's fist take a large tablespoonful of butter and a little powdered sugar; work them into the dough, put it in a bowl, cover it, and set it in a warm place to rise—a shelf behind the stove is best; if you make this at the same time as your bread, you will find it takes longer to rise; the butter causes that difference; when very light, much lighter than your bread should be, take your hand and push it down till it is not larger than when you put it in the bowl ”

“ Add the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients, beating until smooth.
5. Cover dough closely with wax paper and chill in refrigerator overnight or several hours.
6. Then turn dough on a lightly floured board and roll thin. Cut with a floured cooky cutter. Garnish. Keep dough cold as it becomes sticky and hard to handle when warm.
7. Bake on ungreased baking sheet in a hot oven. ”

“ I'll bake these on my big baking sheets just the size of the oven, and I'll put lots of raisins on top."
"Bettina, what fun it would be to visit you! But we must get at our work or Polly and family will be here before this big baking is done!" ”

“ Beat the butter and sugar together, add the flour and baking powder, and currants if liked, mix with the eggs well beaten, and a few drops of vanilla essence, roll out thin, cut with a wine glass, and bake on a floured tin in a moderate oven. ”

“ Every recipe has been tested many times and all have been found excellent.
Royal Baking Powder is used in all recipes in which a leavening agent is required, and the biscuits, muffins, griddle cakes, doughnuts, cakes and pastry prepared by its use are unequalled in texture and healthfulness. ”

“ Bread is the staff of life. Just as good bread can be baked in the woods as in the best hotel of the boulevards. The baking of camp bread can be taken as a criterion of the amateur cook’s ability. Have a good baker, a good fire and follow the recipe if you would have success. On back pack trips it is advisable to retain the frying pan as the baker and by using a tin cover you can heap coals upon it and get the envelope of hot air. Lay two green chunks or two square edged stones about 6 to 8 inches apart near the camp fire. Rake a few coals between and place the pan over them. ”

“ Flour Add one-half sugar and salt to milk; when lukewarm, add dissolved yeast cake and one and one-half cups flour; cover, and let rise until light; add butter, remaining sugar, raisins, lemon, and flour to make a dough; let rise, shape like biscuits, let rise again, and bake. If wanted glazed, brush over with beaten egg before baking. ”

“ A baker we take to mean a person who bakes and prepares any farinaceous substance intended for human food. Therefore baking not only includes loaf-bread baking, biscuit baking, fancy-bread baking, but also pastry-making and confectionery. ”

“ Boil sugar with cold milk until thick and pour very slowly over whites of eggs which have been beaten light with a wire whip. Fold in flour, cream of tartar, salt and baking powder which have been sifted together five times. With whip beat mixture with long strokes until very light; add flavoring; put into ungreased angel cake tin in cold oven, turn on heat and bake at very low temperature for 25 minutes. ”