Part 212 (1/2)

1773. INGREDIENTS.--1 lb. of flour, 1/2 lb. of b.u.t.ter, 1/2 lb. of pounded loaf sugar, 3 eggs, 1 teacupful of cream, 1/2 lb. of currants, 1 teaspoonful of carbonate of soda, essence of lemon, or almonds to taste.

_Mode_.--Work the b.u.t.ter to a cream; dredge in the flour, add the sugar and currants, and mix the ingredients well together. Whisk the eggs, mix them with the cream and flavouring, and stir these to the flour; add the carbonate of soda, beat the paste well for 10 minutes, put it into small b.u.t.tered pans, and bake the cake from 1/4 to 1/2 hour.

Grated lemon-rind may be subst.i.tuted for the lemon and almond flavouring, which will make the cakes equally nice.

_Time_. 1/4 to 1/2 hour.

_Average cost_, 1s. 9d.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

SAUCER-CAKE FOR TEA.

1774. INGREDIENTS.--1/4 lb. of flour, 1/4 lb. of _tous-les-mois_, 1/4 lb. of pounded white sugar, 1/4 lb. of b.u.t.ter, 2 eggs, 1 oz. of candied orange or lemon-peel.

_Mode_.--Mix the flour and _tous-les-mois_ together; add the sugar, the candied peel cut into thin slices, the b.u.t.ter beaten to a cream, and the eggs well whisked. Beat the mixture for 10 minutes, put it into a b.u.t.tered cake-tin or mould, or, if this is not obtainable, a soup-plate answers the purpose, lined with a piece of b.u.t.tered paper. Bake the cake in a moderate oven from 1 to 1-1/4 hour, and when cold, put it away in a covered canister. It will remain good some weeks, even if it be cut into slices.

_Time_.--1 to 1-1/4 hour.

_Average cost_, 1s.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

COMMON SEED-CAKE.

1775. INGREDIENTS.--1/2 quartern of dough, 1/4 lb. of good dripping, 6 oz. of moist sugar, 1/2 oz. of caraway seeds, 1 egg.

_Mode_.--If the dough is sent in from the baker's, put it in a basin covered with a cloth, and set it in a warm place to rise. Then with a wooden spoon beat the dripping to a liquid; add it, with the other ingredients, to the dough, and beat it until everything is very thoroughly mixed. Put it into a b.u.t.tered tin, and bake the cake for rather more than 2 hours.

_Time_.--Rather more than 2 hours.

_Average cost_, 8d.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

A VERY GOOD SEED-CAKE.

1776. INGREDIENTS.--1 lb. of b.u.t.ter, 6 eggs, 3/4 lb. of sifted sugar, pounded mace and grated nutmeg to taste, 1 lb. of flour, 3/4 oz. of caraway seeds, 1 winegla.s.sful of brandy.

_Mode_.--Beat the b.u.t.ter to a cream; dredge in the flour; add the sugar, mace, nutmeg, and caraway seeds, and mix these ingredients well together. Whisk the eggs, stir to them the brandy, and beat the cake again for 10 minutes. Put it into a tin lined with b.u.t.tered paper, and bake it from 1-1/2 to 2 hours. This cake would be equally nice made with currants, and omitting the caraway seeds.

_Time_.--1-1/2 to 2 hours. _Average cost_, 2s. 6d.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

BREAD-MAKING IN SPAIN.--The bread in the south of Spain is delicious: it is white as snow, close as cake, and yet very light; the flavour is most admirable, for the wheat is good and pure, and the bread well kneaded. The way they make this bread is as follows:--From large round panniers filled with wheat they take out a handful at a time, sorting it most carefully and expeditiously, and throwing every defective grain into another basket. This done, the wheat is ground between two circular stones, as it was ground in Egypt 2,000 years ago (see No. 117), the requisite rotary motion being given by a blindfolded mule, which paces round and round with untiring patience, a bell being attached to his neck, which, as long as he is in movement, tinkles on; and when it stops, he is urged to his duty by the shout of ”_Arre, mula_,” from some one within hearing. When ground, the wheat is sifted through three sieves, the last of these being so fine that only the pure flour can pa.s.s through it: this is of a pale apricot-colour. The bread is made in the evening. It is mixed with only sufficient water, with a little salt in it, to make it into dough: a very small quant.i.ty of leaven, or fermenting mixture is added. The Scripture says, ”A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump;” but in England, to avoid the trouble of kneading, many put as much leaven or yeast in one batch of household bread as in Spain would last them a week for the six or eight donkey-loads of bread they send every night from their oven. The dough made, it is put into sacks, and carried on the donkeys' backs to the oven in the centre of the village, so as to bake it immediately it is kneaded. On arriving there, the dough is divided into portions weighing 3 lbs. each.

Two long narrow wooden tables on trestles are then placed down the room; and now a curious sight may be seen. About twenty men (bakers) come in and range themselves on one side of the tables.