Sunday Baking Recipes

A family is a unit composed not only of children but of men, women, an occasional animal, and the common cold. ~Ogden Nash

It's always nice to bake on Sunday so everyone can ease into Monday morning with a little home baked goodness. With two teens and a ten year old, our Mondays can be chaotic to say the least, so anything that helps the morning go better is welcomed.

Today I looked through my cookbook collection for bread recipes and ran across a neat little book I had forgotten about. It's a Fleishmann's Yeast booklet from 1910. This recipe calls for a "cake" of yeast which is equivalent to 2 1/4 teaspoons of active dry yeast.

English Bath Buns

2 cakes yeast (4 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast)
1/2 cup milk, scolded and cooled
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup butter
4 eggs
4 cups sifted flour
1/2 tsp. salt
5 tablespoons sugar
1 cup almonds, chopped

Dissolve yeast in one tbsp. of the sugar in lukewarm milk. Add the butter, eggs unbeaten, flour gradually, and the salt, beating thoroughly. This mixture should be thick, but not stiff enough to handle. Cover and let rise in warm place one and 1/2 hours, or until light. Sprinkle balance of sugar and almonds over top, mix very lightly and drop into well-greased muffin pans. Cover and let rise until light, which should be about a half hour. Bake 15 to 20 minutes in a moderately hot oven (350 F.) These buns should be rough in appearance.

I also have All About Home Baking, a General Foods Corp. book, from 1933. Many of the recipes call for "cake flour" which is available in the store, but often all I have on hand is regular all-purpose flour. You can substitute regular flour by combining 3/4 cup all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons of cornstarch for each ONE CUP of cake flour that is called for in a recipe.

Chocolate Bread

3 cups sifted cake flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg, well beaten
4 tbsp. melted butter or other shortening
1 1/4 cups milk
2 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted

Sift flour once, measure, add baking powder and salt, sift again. Add the brown sugar and mix well. Add egg and melted butter; then add milk gradually, mixing thoroughly. Add chocolate and blend. Bake in greased loaf pan, 8x4x3 inches, in moderated 350 degree F. oven 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until done. Cool before slicing.

Cinnamon Drop Biscuits

2 cups sifted cake flour
2 tsp. baking powder
3 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup milk
1 egg, well beaten

Sift flour once, measure, add baking powder, sugar, salt and cinnamon, and sift again. Cut in shortening. (I use a fork) Combine milk and egg, then add all at once to flour mixture and stir carefully until all flour is dampened. Then stir vigorously until mixture forms a soft dough that clings to sides of bowl. Drop from teaspoon on ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle with additional sugar. Bake in a hot oven (400 degrees F.) for 10 to 12 minutes. Makes 2 1/2 dozen.

On OFL we have more quick bread recipes to try:
http://oldfashionedliving.com/bread2.html

~Brenda