Cassell's dictionary of cookery

Tea Cakes, Royal. — Take the weight of a large egg in fresh butter. Beat it to a cream, and mix with it four ounces of pounded and sifted loaf sugar, four ounces of best flour, a small pinch of salt, and the grated peel of half a lemon. Beat the egg with a little rose or orange-flower water, and with this knead the mixture to a smooth paste. Roll it out, cut it into small rounds, and bake these upon floured tins in a well-heated oven. Time to bake, fifteen to thirty minutes, according to the size of the cakes. Probable cost, about 6d. for this quantity. Sufficient for one or two persons. Tea Cakes, Yorkshire (excellent).— Rub six ounces of butter into two pounds of fine flour ; add a pinch of salt, two eggs well beaten, a pint of milk, and an ounce of German yeast. Knead the mixture well, put it into a bowl, cover with a cloth, and set on the hearth to rise. When it is quite light, and the surface has cracked, divide it into ten cakes, and roll these out lightly to the size of a saucer. Let them rise before the fire a few minutes, and bake in a quick oven. They must not be turned over in the oven. Time to bake, about twenty minutes. Probable cost, 2d. each. Sufficient for six or seven persons. Tea Cakes, Yorkshire, Plain.— Rub one ounce of butter and one ounce and a half of lard into two pounds of the best flour. Mix rather less than an ounce of German yeast with TEA ^962) TEA half a pint of warm water. Scoop a hollow in the centre of the flour, and pour the dissolved yeast into it. Mix a little of the flour with this to make a thin hatter, and place the bowl before the fire for an hour that the yeast may rise. Beat an egg thoroughly with two tablespoonfuls of warm milk. Stir this into the batter, add a salt-spoonful of salt, and knead all thoroughly together, adding as much warm milk as is required to make a smooth dough. Gash the surface lightly with a knife, cover the bowl which contains it with a cloth, and let the dough rise until it is quite light. Divide it into ten pieces, and roll these into cakes the size of a saucer. Prick these with a fork, put them on a baking-tin before the fire for a few minutes to rise, and bake them lightly in a well-heated oven. They must on no account be turned over in baking. Time to bake, about twenty minutes. Probable cost. Id. or IJd. each. Sufficient for ten cakes. Tea Cakes, Yorkshire, To Serve.— No Yorkshire tea-table would be regarded as properly furnished unless it boasted a goodly show of hot and cold tea cakes. When served cold, the tea cakes are simply cut into fingers, buttered liberally, and piled crosswise upon a plate. When served hot, they are heated in the oven, cut through the centre, spread with plenty of fresh butter, cut into quarters, restored to their original shape, and served as hot as possible. Or they may be cut through the centre, toasted, buttered liberally, and served very hot. They should be sent in one or two at a time, as they will spoil if allowed to stand. Tea, Choosing and Keeping of.— Tea should be chosen by the agreeableness of its odour, and as whole as possible, so that its leaf may be easily examined. In keeping it the greatest care should be taken not to expose it to the air, which destroys the flavour.