The hearthstone; or, Life at home

Hard or Water-biscuit. — Sift flour into a pan for one pint of cold water; one teaspoonful of salt stirred in flour; half a pint of cold lard rubbed in the flour ; now pour your water into it, making quite a stiff dough. Knead it well, then roll out several times and double it over like pastry ; when it becomes very smooth make out the biscuit with your hand, then roll till about half an inch thick ; prick them well with a fork through, so that they will not blister. Do not bake as fast as soda-bread, and bake much longer. Crisp Biscuits. — Two pounds of flour, the yolks of two eggs, milk. Mix the flour and the yolks of the eggs with sufficient milk to make the whole into a very stiff paste; beat it well and knead it until it is perfectly smooth. Roll the paste out very thin; with a round cutter shape it into small biscuits, and bake them a nice brown in a slow oven from twenty to thirty-five minutes. Dessert Biscuits, which may be flavored with ground ginger, cinnamon, etc. One pound of flour, one-half pound of butter, onehalf pound of sifted sugar, the yolks of six eggs, flavoring to taste. Put the butter into a basin ; warm it, but do not allow it to boil ; then with the hand beat it to cream. Add the flour by degrees, then the sugar and flavoring, and moisten the whole with the yolks of the eggs, which should be previously well beaten. When all the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated, drop the mixture from a spoon on to a buttered paper, leaving a distance between each cake, as they spread as soon as they begin to get warm. Bake in rather a slow oven from twelve to eighteen minutes, and do not let the biscuits acquire too much color. In making the above quantity, half may be flavored with ground ginger, and the other half with essence of lemon or currants, to make a variety. With whatever the preparation is flavored, so are the biscuits called; and an endless variety may be made in this manner. Plain Johnny-cake. — Wet corn-meal with either hot or cold water; pack it one inch thick in a baking-pan and bake it in a hot oven. Strawberry Short-cake. — Make a crust same as for nice biscuit, only a little richer ; roll out a crust three-quarters or one inch thick ; then spread on one side with butter ; then prepare another crust precisely like the first one ; lay the two buttered sides together and bake in a long tin-pan ; when done the butter will cause the crusts to separate easily ; have your berries mashed a little and sweetened to your taste ; put the berries on the under crust and lay the other on top of first one; a little nice cream will not spoil it much. Southern Hoe-cake. — Sift a tin-pan half-full of Indian meal ; throw in a teaspoonful of salt ; pour boiling water on the meal — a little at a time, stirring it well with a spoon as you proceed, until you have a stiff dough. It must be thoroughly mixed and well stirred. Flatten your dough into cakes about the size of a saucer, and then bake on the griddle. The griddle should be well heated when they are put on, so that they will brown nicely ; when one side is done, turn them with a knife. They must be baked brown on both sides, and should be about half an inch thick. This is a favorite Southern cake.