Cooking TipsBaking Germ Flower Bread and Tea Cakes
Germ flour is amongst one of the newest kinds of flour placed before the public as a specialty. It is in appearance something like granulated wheat meal, and the vendors of it claim to have found a new process of removing the germ from the flour, and subjecting it to a certain process before it is again mixed with the flour. I am having germ bread made almost daily. Our mode of making it is as follows: - Dissolve 1 1/2 ozs. of yeast in half a gallon of water, say 90° Fahr., and mix with this about 7 lbs. of germ flour; it should be ready in about an hour and a half; weigh off and prove; use no salt, as we think there is a certain amount of salt (or some substitute for salt) ground amongst the flour. For this class of bread it makes a very nice-eating loaf.
Tea-Cakes
To be able to make a good tea-cake is considered a great point in the baking trade. The following not only makes good tea-cakes, but also capital Scotch cookies. Take 1/2 a gallon of water at, say, 94° Fahr. add 1 lb. of moist sugar, 5 ozs. of German yeast; dissolve all together, add, say, 1 1/2 lb. of flour and mix. When well risen, add 1 lb. of lard and butter, 2 ozs. of salt, a few currants to taste; mix all together into tea-cake dough. Let it remain in a warm place for about half an hour, then weigh off at 8 or 9 ozs. for 2d.; prove, and bake.
Queen"s Bread
This can be made with the same dough, but omitting the currants, and making the dough tighter than for tea-cakes; add 1 egg to each pound of dough. Weigh at 3 ounces for a penny, and make into different shapes, such as half-moons, cart-wheels, twists, c.
Sally Luns, Yorkshire, or Tea Cakes
Take 1 quart of milk, 1/4 lb. of moist sugar, and 2 ozs. of German yeast. Ferment this with a little flour, and when ready, add 1/2 lb. of butter (some add also 4 eggs to this quantity) and make into dough as for tea-cakes; butter some rings or hoops, and place them on buttered tins, weigh or divide into 5 or 6 ozs. for two pence; mould them round, put them in the hoops, and, when half proved, make a hole in each with a piece of stick. Do not overprove them, or they will eat poor and dry. When baked, which will be in about ten or fifteen minutes, wash over the top with egg and milk.