Original White House Cookbook

Rub into a quart of sifted flour a piece of butter the size of an egg, one teaspoonful of salt ; stir into this a pint of sour milk, dissolve one teaspoonful of soda and stir into the milk just as you add it to the flour ; knead it up quickly, roll it out nearly half an inch thick and cut out with a biscuit-cutter ; bake immediately in a quick oven. Very nice biscuit may be made with sour cream without the butter by the same process. RAISED BISCUIT. Sift two quarts of flour in a mixing-pan, make a hole in the middle of the flour, pour into this one pint of warm water or new milk, one teaspoonful of salt, half a cup of melted lard or butter, stir in a little flour, then add half a cupful of yeast, after which stir in as much flour as you can conveniently with your hand, let it rise over night ; in the morning add nearly a teaspoonful of soda, and more flour as is needed to make a rather soft dough ; then mold fifteen to twenty minutes, the longer the better ; let it rise until light again, roll this out about half an inch thick and cut out with a biscuit-cutter, or make it into little balls with your hands ; cover and set in a warm place to rise. When light, bake a light brown in a moderate oven. Rub a little warm butter or sweet lard on the sides of the biscuits when you place them on the tins, to prevent their sticking together when baked. LIGHT BISCUIT. No. 1. Take a piece of bread dough that will make about as many biscuits as you wish; lay it out rather flat in a bowl; break into it two eggs, half a cup of sugar, half a cup of butter; mix this thoroughly with enough flour to keep it from sticking to the hands and board. Knead it well for about fifteen or twenty minutes, make into small biscuits, place in a greased pan, and let them rise until about even with the top of the pan. Bake in a quick oven for about half an hour. These can be made in the form of rolls, which some prefer. LIGHT BISCUIT. No. 2. When you bake take a pint of sponge, one tablespoonful of melted butter, one tablespoonful of sugar, the white of one egg beaten to a foam. Let rise until light, mold into biscuits, and when light bake. GRAHAM BISCUITS, WITH YEAST. Take one pint of water or milk, one large tablespoonful of butter, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, a half cup of yeast and a pinch of salt; take enough wheat flour to use up the water, making it the consistency of batter-cakes; add the rest of the ingredients and as much Graham flour as can be stirred in with a spoon; set it away till morning; in the morning grease a pan, flour your hands, take a lump of dough the size of an egg, roll it lightly between the palms of your hands, let them rise twenty minutes, and bake in a tolerably hot oven. EGG BISCUIT. Sift together a quart of dry flour and three heaping teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Eub into this thoroughly a piece of butter the size of an egg; add two well-beaten eggs, a tablespoonful of sugar, a teaspoonful of salt. Mix all together quickly into a soft dough, with one cup of milk, or more if needed. Roll out nearly half of an inch thick. Cut into biscuits, and bake immediately in a quick oven from fifteen to twenty minutes. PARKER HOUSE ROLLS.