| Recipes From Yesteryear...
Sourdough was developed in the early days before baking powder or yeast were available. The starter was made by combining flour, salt and water in a crock placed in the warm earth near enough of a fire to keep warm. Once it had begun to ferment and bubble, it was set aside to sour sufficiently to use in bread, pancakes and biscuits. Each time the "basic batter or starter" was used, 1 cup was left in the crock, more flour and water was added and set aside to sour as before. Today, of course, it's easier for us to yeast for this result.
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Basic Sourdough Batter (or starter)
1 pkg dry yeast
2 1/2 cups warm water
2 cups flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup water in a bowl. Mix in flour, sugar and remaining water and allow to stand, loosely covered, in a warm place for 3 or 4 days. Everytime the batter is used to make a product, set aside 1 cup to be used as a "starter" for another batch. This should be covered in the refridgerator. (A pint jar works nicely.) To make it into basic batter again, add another 2 cups flour and 2 cups warm water and allow to stand at room temperature over night. It is now ready to use, but again, reserve 1 cup of starter.
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Sourdough bread
1 recipe Basic Sourdough Batter
1 quart luke warm water
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons salt
5 Tablespoons melted shortening
About 12 cups flour
Remove 1 cup batter to hold in refridgerator. Add remaining ingredients in order listed to basic batter, using only enough flour to make a dough easy to handle. Knead dough on lightly floured board until smooth and elastic. Let rise in large greased bowl until about double in size. Knead and divide into 4 parts and shape each into round loaf; place in greased 9 inch cake pans. Let rise again. Bake at 375oF. oven 45 minutes or until done.
Yield: 4 loaves.
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Apple Butter (1830)
Boil 1 barrel of new cider down half, peel and core 3 bushels of good cooking apples; when the cider has boiled to half the quantity, add the apples, and when soft, stir constantly for from 8 to 10 hours. If done it will adhere to an inverted plate. Put away in stone jars (not earthen ware), covering first with writing-paper cut to fit the jar, and press down closely upon the apple butter; cover the whole with thick brown paper snugly tied down.
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Raspberry Vinegar (1875)
Take 2 1/2 quarts of berries, bruise and add 1 pint of cider vinegar. Let it stand 3 days; strain and add 3 pounds of sugar. Boil until the scum rises and then bottle.
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Elderberry Wine (1870)
To a bushel basket of berries before gathered from the stalk add 1 gallon of boiling water. Let them stand till cool. Squeeze through a flannel bag. To every quart of juice, 1 pound of coffee sugar. Pour into a jug where it will ferment for 5 or 6 weeks. Then cook. Put down cellar until March then bottle by adding a tablespoon of whisky to each bottle.
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"Cranberries will keep under water, in the cellar; change the water monthly."
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Rice Pudding (1921)
Known as Creamy or Poor Man's Pudding
Soak for 1/2 hour 3 Tablespoons of washed rice and 3 tablespoons of sugar (rounded measure) in a quart of milk in a baking dish. Bake very slowly; stir up from bottom 2 or 3 times. Bake 2 or 3 hours or until rice is soft, whole and surrounded by rich creamy syrup. It should not bake dry, not be underdone. When just right it is queen of all rich concoctions and may be served hot with butter or cold with cream. Bottled raisin, quartered apples or prunes may be cooked with the rice to give it variety.
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Rose Petal Pudding (1903)
Wash petals from large fragrant roses. Remove white pulpy matter at the base of the petals. Drain and chop finely. Place in flat dish and run in the oven when it is not too hot for 10 minutes. Add to bland puddings for a special tea treat.
Crystalized rose petals are made by dipping fresh petals into slightly beaten egg white, then in extra fine sugar. If the weather is cook, place them on the sill. Garnish cakes, puddings, candies or tea sandwiches.
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Squash Pie (1868)
Boil or bake the squash. Rub through a colander. 1 tablespoon of butter for 3 pies, 3 eggs, 1 quart of milk, 1 pint of squash, a pound of cracker, 1 teacup of sugar, lemon; a nice crust is made thus; a pint of thick cream, 1 spoonful of saleratus, salt. Stir thick with flour. Make it soft as possible. Roll out thin. Fill with squash custard as the above is called.
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100 Year-Old Mormon Pastry Recipe
1 cup lard
2 1/2 cups of flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 Tablespoon vinegar
Cold water
Cut lard into flour and salt. Beat egg in 2 cup measure; add vinegar and fill with water to 1 1/2 cup level. Add just barely enough liquid to dry ingredients to hold dough together, about 1/4 cup, reserving remaining liquid for next batch of pastry. Handle dough as little as possible. Roll out into pastry and use as desired. Makes two 9 inch pastry shells.
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Genuine Old Time Sponge Cake (1907)
Use the weight of the eggs and sugar and half their weight in flour. This enables you to make a cake of any size you desire. The usual proportion for 1 loaf, by measure, is 4 large or 5 small eggs, 1 cup of fine granulated sugar and 1 cup of sifted pastry flour, the grated rind and juice of 1/2 a lemon. Beat yolks till thick and very creamy, add sugar and beat till light-colored; add lemon. Beat whites till stiff and nearly dry, and fold them in with care, so as not to break down bubbles. Stir in the flour lightly and fold over (not stir) till just barely covered. Bake in a moderate oven 40-50 minutes. You will look far to find a better sponge cake than this when properly made and baked.
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Scripture Cake
| Judges V:25 | (1 cup butter softened) |
| Jeremiah VI:20 | (2 cups sugar) |
| Isaiah X:14 | (6 eggs) |
| I Kings IV:22 | (3 1/2 cups of flour) |
| I Kings IV:22 | (3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder) |
| I Kings X:2 | (1/2 teaspoon cinnamon) |
| I Kings X:2 | (1/2 teaspoon nutmeg) |
| Leviticus II:13 | (1/2 teaspoon salt) |
| I Kings X:2 | (1/4 teaspoon all-spice) |
| I Kings X:2 | (1/4 teaspoon cloves) |
| Genesis XXVI:20 | (1 cup water) |
| I Samuel XXX:12 | (2 cups diced figs) |
| I Samuel XXX:12 | (2 cups raisins) |
| Genesis XLIII:11 | (1 cup slivered almonds) |
Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time. Sift together dry ingredients; reserve 1/4 cup. Add remaining dry ingredients alternately with water to sugar mixture. Toss 1/4 cup flour mixture with fruits and nuts. Fold into batter. Pour into greased 10 inch tube pan. Bake in 375oF. oven 70 minutes or until done. Cool 15 minutes. Cool on rack. Frost with Sea Foam Icing.
Sea Foam Icing
| 2 egg whites | 1 teaspoon corn syrup |
| 1 cup brown sugar | 1/4 teaspoon salt |
| 3 tablespoons water | 1/4 teaspoon vanilla |
Combine egg whites, sugar, water, corn syrup and salt in top of double boiler. Beat over boiling water about 6 minutes or until peaks form. Add vanilla and beat until consistency to spread.
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Pioneer Honey Candy
2 cups honey
1 cup sugar
1 cup cream
Combine ingredients in heavy saucepan and cook on medium flame to hard ball stage. Pour into buttered platter. When cool enough to handle, butter hands and pull to a golden color about 1 inch in diameter. With kitchen shears cut into 1 inch pieces.
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"During the early days at least one family in town had an ice house. Stocks of ice were cut out of streams and rivers and buried in sawdust in the ice house. Sometimes added insulation of sawdust against the walls was used and would hold ice through the entire summer. Enjoying homemade ice cream for special occasions was a fun family experience from preparing and had turning to eating."
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Ice Cream (1872)
Grate into 2 quarts of milk, the rind of two lemons. Make it very sweet and boil it well. Take 13 eggs leaving out 1/2 the whites, beat them well and pour the boiling milk upon them, then place it upon the fire for a few minutes, stirring afterward. Pour through a sieve. Take one pailful of ice to 1 quart of salt. One hour is sufficient to freeze the cream.
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Pepper Tea (1900)
Take about 1 cayenne pepper, a teacup nearly 1/2 full of water, some milk and a lump of butter. Beat all together and take some just before retiring.
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Dry Hop Yeast (1891)
Pour a quart of boiling water to 10 or 12 good hops and place them where they will boil a moment. Strain and mix with it 4 medium sized potatoes grated. Add a tablespoon of salt, then set on the stove till well scalded. When a little warmer than new milk add a cup of yeast and set in a warm place to rise. If thick it will foam. Mix sufficient corn meal to allow working it into small cakes with the hand. Dry it and it's ready to use.
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