BAKED POTATOES

Americans are very fond of baked potatoes as an accompaniment to steak. When in perfection, mealy, and of the first quality in flavor, they are unrivalled. Unless they can be presented in this dainty condition, it is far better that they should be disguised and made palatable by some artifice which the French resort to ; for unless these tubers are in mealy perfection, they are not easily disrested. However well baked, their excellence depends on their being served immediatel3% as they quickly lose their lightness, and " the glory of a baked potato is its mealiness."

RAISED BISCUIT, light as a foam, ''The lighter the better, altho' many do not think so." This is Prof. Blot's philosophy. '' Lightness is a most important quality in warm biscuit, as it enables them to be

60 V/HAT TO GET FOR BREAKFAST.

more easily acted upon by the digestive fluids," which v/ill force a rapid passage through light biscuit, but can penetrate a rubber ball about as easily as heavy baked ones. What is so rare as light, white, and thin-crusted home-made raised biscuit for breakfjist? Yet this luxury can be easily attained if the dough is well raised.

In warm weather, raised dough can be kept for two or three days for morning biscuit, if covered with a damp cloth and set in a cold place, where it will not sour. In cold weather, if set in a cool place, where there is no danger of freezing, it will keep the same length of time. Certainly this is a convenience, and many think it improves the dough, if it can be kept sweet.

If you are a novice, you must learn at the out- set that you cannot have good biscuit or bread without the best quality of flour, fresh and lively yeast. It is advisable to use compressed yeast, as it is best when it can be had fresh. Too much salt destroys the nice flavor of bread, too little makes it insipid. Liquid yeast is sometimes quite salt ; in this case you must be cautious about salting your bread. Compressed yeast requires salt in the bread.

A little too much heat injures biscuit, and too little ruins them. If the oven is .too hot, they

BEEFSTEAK BREAKFAPTS. ^'1

Avill bake outside before the heat penetrates the centre, consequently you have them heavy and underdone in the middle. Unless the oven is hot enough the biscuit will spread. One that does not bake at the bottom will be likely to spoil your bis- cuit. A great deal depends on the oven.

For morning biscuit, mix dough at nine o'clock in the evening. Scald your milk, and there will not be the danger of its souring. If not conve- nient to use milk, use all or a part water, and rub a teaspoonful of butter into the flour.

One quart of sifted flour. One pint of warm milk. Half a cake of compressed, Or half a cup of liquid, yeast. One teaspoonful of salt.

Make a hollow in the flour and add the salt. Dissolve yeast if compressed in a little of the wet- ting, and with the milk pour into the hollow. Mix till it becomes a dough. Dredge your mould- ing board evenly with flour. Lay your dough upon it and knead twenty-five minutes. In knead- ing, use just flour enough to keep the dough from stickins: to the hands. The great mistake in mak-

62 WHAT TO GET FOR BREAKFAST.

ing dough is getting it too stiff with flour. When the fingers can be pressed into it without sticking, your bread is kneaded enough. Learn to get the right consistency, without too much flour, which should be soft as possible Avithout sticking. Twenty-five minutes are long enough for the first kneading and ten for the second. When kneaded, return to the bowl, which should be earthen, as it is a better protection from cold than tin. Cover warm, and place where no draft of cold air can strike across it, for if allowed to be chano-ins: temperature while fermenting, it will hinder its rising, and your dough will be heavy. To rise Avell, it needs an even temperature of seventy degrees.

In the morning, as soon as you go into your kitchen, with a spoon push the dough down from the top and sides of the pan, and let it rise again. When light, knead it ten minutes, lightly, avoid- ing much flour. When kneaded, cut little bits for your biscuit, mould with your hands into small rounds, without using any flour. Set them a little distance apart, in a lightly-l)uttered pan, cover with a cloth, and set where they can have an even temperature of eighty or eighty-five degrees. When risen to twice their size, they are ready for the oven. Bake fifteen or twenty minutes. When

BEEFSTEAK BREAKFASTS. 63

done, let them remain a few minutes, with the oven door open, to dry off the moisture and ripen, and prevent them from being sticky.

You now have the secret of light biscuit. Nowadays many cooks rush their biscuit through in half or three-quarters of an hour for breakfast, which accounts for their being half- risen, half- baked, sticky and doughy in the mouth. May you see the folly of this, and rise in season to give your biscuit time to rise, bake, and dry off, else you will never have them light.

BREAKFAST No. 4.

Cracked Wheat. Beefsteak. Fried Hasty Pudding.

Tomato Sauce. Coffee. Ripe Fruit.

Those who bow to Hygiene need have no fears of this breakfast, and, when well gotten, an epicure will not object to a second trial.