Not long since we witnessed what seemed a somewhat odd proceeding — the sending of sample baking-powder biscuits from one friend to another some fifty miles away as a present. They were daintily packed in a delicate fringed napkin, in a dainty little basket, and were sent carefully by rail. Just biscuits! But these were almost as good as fine rolls; they were cut out rather large, just right for church fair sandwiches; they were white, fine grained, soft and flaky, and, come to think of it, what with the setting aside of the yeast-raised breads, and the growing forgetfulness of how to make them, and the misrepresentations of the baking-powder makers, really fine biscuits, are getting to be scarcer than diamonds, and are rising in value accordingly. If things keep growing worse in the domestic bread line a few years longer, Christmas cards will go out of fashion and people will pay high prices for the few fine biscuits that will be attainable and send them as presents instead. This mischief is caused by the baking-powder manufacturers saying that two, or even one, teaspoonful of powder is enough for a quart of flour, and ast most people use only a level teaspoonful, or at most only slightly rounded, it has no perceptible effect at all and the biscuits are dreadful. If bis- cuits are wanted that will do to send as Christ- mas presents you must use three heaping tea- spoonfuls of the best powder in the market. Of course it is expensive. Baking-powder bread is the dearest in the world. But this is the way to make it good:
1 pound or quart of flour.
Lard size of an egg, melted; or 4 tablespoon- fuls.
3 heaping teaspoonfuls of baking powder.
1 small teaspoonful of salt.
3 cupfuls of water or milk.
Mix the powder in the flour dry. Place the melted lard in a hollow in the middle, the salt and water or milk with that, and stir around, drawing the flour in gradually, so as to make a smooth, soft dough. Turn out on the floured table. Press the dough out flat with the hands, fold it over again and again, and press out till it is compact, even and smooth. Let stand 5 minutes. Roll out and cut into biscuits. Bake 15 minutes.
Whitehead’s Family Cook Book, 1891